I'm always looking for new recipes, especially recipes geared towards increasing my vegetable consumption. My inspiration recipe is a Moroccan-Style Vegetable Stew with Harissa Yogurt Sauce. Below, I've simplified the recipe and focused on the vegetables at the Hakalau Farmers Market. Meat can be added (sausage, chicken, lamb, beef). The spice combination (paprika, cumin and ground coriander) is the key to success. This is a very forgiving recipe... use what you've got, try different combinations of veggies, and enjoy.

Yogurt sauce:
  • 1 cup (8 ounces) Greek-style yogurt*
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon Drean's hot sauce (it's amazing)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • Coarse kosher salt

Vegetable stew:
  • Coarse kosher salt
  • 1 pound carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2-to 3/4-inch pieces
  • 1/2 pound spring onions or green onions, coarsely chopped (about 1 3/4 cups), or use chopped yellow onions--remember, whatever you have, or whatever the Hakalau Farmers Market has!
  • 1 bunch kale or chard--Hakalau Farmers Market has these in abundance
  • 3 tablespoons butter--of course you can use olive oil instead
  • 2 tablespoons chopped tumeric--this was Joel's recommendation and it works great!
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley--Drean and Joel often have this
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint--sometimes available. I'm not sure of the seasonality of mint. If it's not available...don't use it!
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine--if you don't have any, don't worry!
  • 2 teaspoons all purpose flour--can be left out
  • 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained, rinsed
  • 2-4 cups broth--vegetable or chicken.
  • 1 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
You can also add other vegetables: kohlrabi, sweet potato...just check what's in season and try it!

For vegetable stew:
  1. Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onions and tumeric, along with garlic, paprika, cumin and coriander. Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Cook until onions are soft, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Then add kale or chard, parsley and mint. Add wine; simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour. Add garbanzo beans and 2 cups liquid (vegetable broth, chicken broth). Bring to simmer; cook until vegetables are heated through (and the kale or chard is cooked), adding more cooking liquid for desired consistency. Season stew to taste with coarse salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
  2. Divide stew among bowls. Spoon dollop of yogurt sauce over and serve.
For meat and vegetable stew:
  1. You can cook sausage, diced chicken, Ferol's lamb, beef, etc. with the carrots and onions from the beginning. Alternatively, you can add crumbled sausage or diced chicken on top of the yogurt sauce when you serve.