Slow Cooker Moroccan Stew

Toss All of That CSA Stuff into Your Slow Cooker!

 It’s week 21, and I think I have CSA fatigue. Or maybe it’s CSA battle fatigue.  (For those of you have not yet discovered the WTF CSA series from Huffington Post, they are worth a detour.)  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/02/nettle-recipes-stinging-how-to-cook_n_3690035.html

In August, we conquered ½ bushel of Asian eggplants.  No problem.

In September, we won a hard fought battle against 26 pounds of fresh tomatoes.  (Toward the end, we just cored them and threw them into the freezer.  You can just toss a few into your soup or stew, and it works just like canned tomatoes.)

Now I am faced with 4 pounds of carrots, collard greens, and a whole lot of turnips.  (I am pretty sue I hate turnips, but I am willing to give them a chance.)  But I have a new weapon…  A slow cooker!

So I cleaned and chopped, tossed it all in with a handful of spices, and waited.  Turns out, my slow cooker is about to be my new best friend.  This stew is absolutely delicious!

Moroccan Vegetable Stew

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped coarsely

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. paprika (smoked)

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 cups water or vegetable broth

1 (28 ounce) can of tomatoes

11/2 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks

2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks

1 bunch collard greens, cut into ½-inch strips

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

½ cup yellow raisins

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook over medium heat until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, cayenne,, and a pinch of pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Transfer the mixture to a slow cooker, add the liquid and canned tomatoes, mixing them with the onions and crushing the tomatoes into smller bits. Add the  carrots, turnips, and collard greens. Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 hours.

Add the chickpeas, raisins, and balsamic vinegar, season with salt, and stir to combine.

Cover and continue to cook on high until a knife easily pierces the vegetables, about 2 hours more, stirring after 1 hour.