iEat Green - 02/20/14

This week, my guest is one of the founders of a great non profit organization called hOurworld. hOurworld provides software and training to teach communities how to start a service exchange in their area. The premise is neighbor helping neighbor, where all service is considered equal and no money exchanges hands. I would love to see a program like this getting started in New York or on Long Island.

Moroccan Vegetable Tagine

Serves 8-10 people

6 tbsp olive oil
2 large onion, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 inch fresh ginger, minced (or 1 tsp ground)
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp cumin
salt
2 Tbs. harissa paste (1/2 c. olive oil, ½ t. cayenne, 1 TB cumin, 2 TB tomato paste, ¼ c. lime. ½ t salt)
3 cans diced tomatoes
2 lemon, juice and zest
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
6 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 parsnips, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 broccoli, cut into florets
1 pk mushrooms, quartered
1 bunch kale, chopped
½ celeriac, cut into bite size cubes
4 baby blue potatoes, cubed
1 zucchini, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 yellow squash, cut into 2-inch pieces
20 dried apricots, diced
1 cup chickpeas/garbanzo beans, pre boiled
½ cup currants
½ cup pine nuts

If you have a large enough clay pot or Tagine, that is great! If not, you can cook it in a wok or frying pan in rounds, and transfer it to a large roasting pan, covered with tin foil, and roast it in the oven. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan and add the onion. Cook for a few minutes until it softens. Then add the carrots, parsnips, celeriac, sweet potatoes, garlic, ginger and other spices. Cook until the root vegetables start to soften. Add 1 Tbs of the harissa, 1 can tomatoes, lemon juice and fresh cilantro. Bring the mixture to a boil and transfer to a roasting pan. Add more oil to the sauté pan, and add the pumpkin and potatoes. When they start to get soft, add the remaining vegetables, harissa sauce, tomatoes, chick peas, currants and apricots. Again, bring the mixture to a boil, and then add to the other vegetables in the roasting pan. Mix all of the vegetables together. Add the pine nuts. Tent the roasting pan with aluminum foil, and bake in the oven for 1 hour, stirring carefully once or twice, and then re-tenting it. Serve with quinoa pilaf or couscous, and fresh mint.