Mama Says…eat your vegetables – at least seven of them!

To feed friends and family over the long holiday weekend I made a Moroccan seven vegetable soup/stew to serve with couscous.  Friday evening the dish was ideal with an oven roasted turkey.  And tonight with grilled chicken – superb. The leftovers are so flexible; A bowl of soup with some couscous, chicken over a green salad, or a redux of the first meal. Don’t let the amount of chopping stop you from trying this recipe — seven is considered a very lucky number.

Grilled Chicken with Moroccan Spices

1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds chicken (your choice – I prefer skinless, boneless breasts sliced in half)
Parsley (optional garnish – minced fresh)

Marinade: Whisk together the first 8 ingredients in a medium glass-measuring cup. Place chicken in a plastic bag; add marinade and turn to coat. Chill 4 to 6 hours.  Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Place marinade-coated chicken on barbecue. Grill chicken until just cooked through, occasionally brushing with any remaining marinade, about 4 minutes per side Transfer chicken to platter; sprinkle with parsley and serve with couscous.

Seven-Vegetable Stew

12 cups water or chicken broth
Salt and pepper
1 pound turnips, peeled and quartered
4 medium onions, in 1/16th lengthwise, root end intact
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1 or 2-inch chunks
1 pound butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1or 2-inch chunks
1 pound zucchini, cut into 1or 2-inch rounds
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cabbage heart, quartered and halved
1 can diced tomatoes, with their juices
½ teaspoon saffron
Fresh parsley and coriander, minced (approx ½ to ¾ cup)

Couscous:

1 box prepared couscous
Optional:  add a dash of cinnamon and garlic powder to the liquid
Harissa (Tunisian hot sauce) or Zhrug

Preparation

For the stew: Put the turnips, onions, and carrots in a large soup pot with a lid. Add water or broth and bring to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are somewhat soft, about 10 minutes. Add squash, zucchini, chickpeas, cabbage and tomatoes to the pot. Simmer the stew, covered, until it is slightly thick and fragrant, and the vegetables are fork tender but not mushy, about 30 minutes more. (You can test the vegetables a bit sooner, remove them as soon as they are tender, and return them to the pot when you are ready to serve. All the vegetables should be tender enough to cut with the side of a fork, but still hold their shapes.). Stir in the parsley and coriander just before serving.

For the couscous:

Follow the directions on the package using a mixture of water and stew broth for the liquid. Will take approximately 5 minutes after the liquid comes to a boil. Transfer to a bowl and fluff with a fork.

To serve: Put the couscous and stew in serving separate bowls.  Pass the harissa or hot sauce around for people to adjust the heat, as they desire.

Enjoy. Thank you for joining us in the kitchen.

Enjoyed this post? See these:

1. Thrifty Thursday – Chicken Broth
2. Chicken Curry Recipe
3. Soup and Stew Season

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Tags: soup

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 15th, 2009 at 11:22 pm and is filed under Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.