It is nearly the end of summer and getting cooler in my area and I made a vegetarian version of Moroccan tagine with the late summer eggplants, zucchini, tomatoes and beans. It's the first day I've felt like something stew-ish. This is essentially a Moroccan inspired stew that is healthy, fragrant, and totally versatile. Mine has chickpeas, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant and yellow romano beans. The secret is the spice mixture called ras el hanout, a heady mixture of cumin, ginger, coriander, black pepper, cinnamon, cayenne and allspice. I make this mixture and store it in a little glass bottle. For me, tagine is a no-recipe recipe. It doesn't require exactness to be good. I made mine in the Instant Pot, but you could do it on the stove pot as well.

This is how I make it:

Moroccan inspired vegetable tagine

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• olive oil
• 1 or 2 onions - chopped
• 4 cloves or garlic - minced
• 1 inch fresh ginger root - minced
• 4 potatoes - cubed
• 1 zucchini - cubed
• 2 small Japanese eggplants or 1 large globe eggplant - cubed
• 2 cups chopped green or yellow beans
• 1 cup chopped red pepper
• 2 cups fresh tomatoes or stewed tomatoes
• 1 - 2 tablespoons ras el hanout
• salt to taste
• harissa paste (optional, but gives heat and depth)
• green olives (optional)
• chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
• lemon wedges

*Please note that this recipe is great with all kinds of vegetables. Fall vegetables like carrots, rutabagas, parsnips and winter squash would also be great here.

Instructions:

• Add a generous amount of olive oil to a sturdy stew pot or your Instant Pot.
• Saute the onions, garlic and ginger and sautee until onions start to get translucent on medium high.
• Add the ras el hanout spice mixture.
• Add the potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and beans (or other vegetables you choose to use).
• Saute a bit longer until vegetables begin to soften a bit more.
• Add tomatoes and cooked chickpeas.
• If using the Instant Pot, turn off saute function, and hit pressure cook for 15 minutes.
• If you're cooking on the stove, reduce the heat and let simmer. On the stove top, this might take a half hour.
• De-pressurize the Instant Pot.
• Check for desired tenderness of vegetables.
• Season with salt as desired, and more ras el hanout (if you want more spice).
• For added heat and depth, stir a tablespoon or more of harissa paste into the pot or into individual bowls. You could also have harissa at the table for folks to add on their own.
• Garnish with fresh parsley, green olives and lemon wedges, and a drizzle more of olive oil

Traditionally, tagine is eaten with couscous, but you can also enjoy this with quinoa, rice, or pita bread.

Enjoy!