Moroccan Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

4.76 from 54 votes

Moroccan Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

Beef chuck and sweet potatoes simmered with chickpeas, tomatoes, and warm Moroccan spices in a Dutch oven. No tagine needed.

Prep Time30

Cook Time2 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: North African

Meat & Poultry: beef, vegetable

Servings: (10 cups)

Calories: 471kcal

Author: Dorothy Stainbrook

Equipment

Dutch oven

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 ½ Lbs beef chuck roast. trimmed and cubed
1 tsp cardamom ground
½ tsp cinnamon ground
1 tsp cumin ground
1 tsp ginger ground
½ to 1 tsp powdered harissa
1 large yellow onion chopped
5 cloves garlic minced
28 oz Diced tomatoes
3 cups beef broth or vegetable stock or chicken stock
2 medium sweet potatoes Peeled and cut into 1-2" chunks
15 oz canned chickpeas
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
4 oz. dried apricots
¾ cups prunes pitted and chopped
garnishes: chopped scallions

Instructions

Heat oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add meat and sear or brown, tossing occasionally to get sear on all sides (about 5 minutes). While meat is browning, grind and measure out the spices (cardamom through pepper mix) and place in small bowl.
2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 1/2 Lbs beef chuck roast., 1 tsp cardamom, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp ginger, 1/2 to 1 tsp powdered harissa
Remove meat to platter when finished browning and add onions to the pot. Saute the onions over medium heat 3-5 minutes until translucent and then add garlic for 1 minute (don't burn garlic). Add ground spices and stir into the onion-garlic mix. Saute spice-onion mix for 1-2 minutes.
1 large yellow onion, 5 cloves garlic
Add the meat back into the pot, along with the tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Turn the pot to a low simmer and cover. Simmer for 1 hour.
28 oz Diced tomatoes, 3 cups beef broth
Add the sweet potatoes to the pot and simmer for another 1/2 hour or until sweet potatoes are fork tender. (if using prunes and/or apricots, add them at this point)
2 medium sweet potatoes, 4 oz. dried apricots, 3/4 cups prunes
Add garbanzo beans, salt and pepper and simmer for another 15 minutes.
15 oz canned chickpeas, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
To serve: garnish with scallions, orange zest or toasted almonds
garnishes: chopped scallions

Notes

ADDING CHERMOULA:

Moroccan dishes are often served with a garnish or a relish called chermoula or charmoula. It is similar to Latin American chimichurri and it works well as an enhancement to this stew. Here is a classic way of making chermoula:

Chermoula

1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
3 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
a pinch of cayenne
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon salt

Chop the herbs and garlic very finely, or pulse them in a food processor. Stir in the spices, lemon juice, and salt, then the olive oil. Taste and add more lemon or salt if it needs it. Makes about ½ cup and keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes:

You can substitute chili powder if you don't have harissa powder
dried apricots and prunes are not slow carb compliant

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