Moroccan tagine

I love putting together a recipe to use up all of the odds and ends I have in my fridge and pantry. 

This recipe for Moroccan Tagine appeared in my facebook news feed earlier this week (thank you, VegNews).  I looked at it this morning and realized that I had most of the ingredients it called for, that I could also throw in several of the ingredients I had in the kitchen that I needed to use up soon, and that I could improvise as to the rest.  The result was really delicious - spicy, unique, warming, filling and healthy.  A perfect one-pot meal for a crisp autumn day.  Here's what I did:    


Mix the following spices in a little bowl and set it aside:

   1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
   1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
   1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
   1/2 teaspoon turmeric
   1/2 teaspoon salt
   1/4 teaspoon paprika
   1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Chop up the following items and put them in a small baking dish. 

   3 smallish potatoes - one purple, one red and one yellow
   4 small turnips
   6 or 8 cloves of garlic

Add salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven at 450 for 15-20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, chop 4 leeks (just the good, tender part - not too far up the stalk) into 1/4-inch slices.  Saute in a big soup pan with a little olive oil for about 5 minutes until softened.  Then add your spice mix and cook for another 30 seconds. 

Then add:

   4 cups vegetable broth
   2 bay leaves (remove before serving)
   small can of tomato puree
   about 2 cups of fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pices
   15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
   1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Then measure out:

   1 cup dried apricots

While the stew is cooking, soak the apricots in hot water for 30 minutes.  Then drain and cut the apricots into 1/2-inch chunks and add them to the stew.

Cook the stew, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Stir in:

   1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
   2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Cook 10 more minutes then serve hot over brown rice, quinoa or other grain.