North African Vegetable Ragout Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy stew pot. Saute the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and green beans for 3-4 minutes.
• Add the bay leaves, thyme and red wine and boil, uncovered for 3 minutes.
• Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the zucchini and mushrooms.
• Combine the sauce ingredients and then stir the sauce into the vegetables.
• Simmer about 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
• While the vegetables are stewing, cook the potatoes separately in salted boiling water until they are tender.
• Drain and add them to the ragout a few minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a deep saute pan or stock pot. Add onion and saute until beginning to soften, 2 minutes. Add garlic and chiles and saute until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add butternut squash and dry spices; saute 2 minutes.
• Add 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and tomatoes with juices. (The squash should be just covered with liquid. Add extra chicken stock if necessary.).
• Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until squash is tender but firm, 15-20 minutes. Add chickpeas and 1 teaspoon salt. Continue to simmer, 10 minutes. Stir in kale and simmer until leaves are wilted and bright green, 2 minutes.
• While the ragout is simmering bring 2 cups chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, add couscous, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and remove from heat. Let sit 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.
• To serve, spoon couscous into a bowl or shallow plate, leaving a well in the center. Ladle ragout into the center. Garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley leaves.
• TO MAKE WITH SAUSAGE:.
• As a first step, slice 8 ounces hot Italian sausage into 1/2 inch pieces. Saute in deep saute pan until golden brown on all sides.
• Transfer sausage to a plate lined with a paper towel. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon rendered fat. Add onion and proceed with instructions above, substituting the sausage fat for the olive oil.
• Return sausage to the ragout with the chickpeas.

Steps:

• In a large hot saucepan heat oil. Add onion, 1/3 of garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme and saute until onions and garlic are fragrant. Stir in zucchini, 1/3 garlic and tarragon, partially cover pan and cook for approximately 3 minutes or until zucchini has begun to soften. Stir in plum tomatoes with juice, 1/3 garlic and basil, partially cover pan and cook for 7 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender. Serve over rice. Top with Parmesan.

Steps:

• Combine cinnamon, cumin, salt, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, and curry powder in a large bowl.
• Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion in the butter until soft and just beginning to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in kale and spice mixture; cook until kale begins to wilt and spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Pour the vegetable broth into the pot. Stir garbanzo beans, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, lentils, apricots, and honey, into the broth; bring to boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until vegetables and lentils are cooked and tender, about 30 minutes. Season stew with black pepper.
• Dissolve cornstarch in water; stir into stew and simmer thickened, about 5 minutes.