Jacy's Middle-Eastern Fava Bean Stew

This is called 'Middle-Eastern' fava bean stew and not 'Moroccan' because I have also borrowed flavors from my Lebanese roots. This stew came to me on a Saturday afternoon when we were desperately low on groceries and had no meat in the freezer. The first time my carnivorous partner tried it, he honestly thought it contained meat. I have made this many times, and he devours it with relish! To make this dish completely vegetarian/vegan, omit the anchovies. Serve with steamed basmati rice, couscous or bulgur.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 45 mins
• Total Time: 2 hr 5 mins
• Calories: 315 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ red bell pepper, diced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed
• 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 pinch Coarse sea salt
• ¼ cup chopped fresh mint (Optional)
• 2 tablespoons dried red pepper flakes
• 4 anchovy fillets, chopped (Optional)
• 2 cups diced peeled butternut squash
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans fava beans, drained
• 1 (14 ounce) can canned tomatoes, diced
• 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

To make harissa paste: Heat a dry skillet over high heat and add coriander, caraway and cumin seeds. Shake pan gently until spices become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour seeds into mortar and grind with pestle to a fine powder. Add garlic, salt, paprika and dried red pepper flakes, mashing and stirring until garlic is incorporated with the spices. Mixture will be dry and crumbly. Add enough of the 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil until you have a thick paste. Use fewer pepper flakes if you prefer less heat. Set aside.

Step 2

Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into a large pot and add minced onions and garlic. Cook slowly over low heat until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Push onions aside in the pot, and stir in the anchovies. Cook anchovies until they soften, mashing them with the back of a wooden spoon until they dissolve. Stir together with the onion and garlic mixture.

Step 3

Add the butternut squash, carrots, bell pepper, frozen peas and a pinch of salt. Stir and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Pour in the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for about a minute.

Step 4

Stir in the drained fava beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf and harissa paste (from step 1). Add brown sugar and pomegranate molasses. Bring back to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for about 1 1/2 hours. The long, slow cooking time allows the flavors to deepen.

Step 5

Just before serving, stir in the chopped parsley. Top with the mint, if you like.