Harira from Morocco

This hearty soup will make you believe that you are in Morocco.  It's full of flavour and very warming on a cold evening.  I made this in a slow cooker but it is possible to cook this in a pot on the stove-top.  However if you are wanting the lamb to fall apart and melt in your mouth, then a slow cooker is the way to go.
There are many variations of making Harira.  In North Africa this soup is commonly eaten to break the fast after Ramadan.

1 can chickpeas
1/4 cup brown lentils
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1 tablespoon boiling water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 kg lamb pieces (some bones will be good)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 chicken stock cube
4 cups water
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 stick celery finely chopped
1 handful fresh coriander finely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
fresh mint leaves for garnishing
Put the olive oil in a pot and saute the onion until soft.  Add the lamb pieces and allow them to lightly brown. In a cup add the tablespoon of boiling water to the saffron threads.  Stir this mixture into the lamb mixture.   Add in the rest of the ingredients except the chickpeas and lentils and reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 2 hours.  Add in the chickpeas and lentils.  You might need to add a little more water.  Simmer for another hour until the lamb is falling apart.  Serve with a flat bread and garnish with the mint leaves.
Cindy Vine is a South African currently living and working in Kyiv in Ukraine. She is the author of Hush Baby, Defective, C U@ 8, Not Telling and The Case of Billy B. All her books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle format. http://cindyvine.com

Carbonada Criolla from Argentina

Growing up, we used to eat stew a couple of times a week.  As a struggling single mother, stew was a staple for us.  A way to feed a family using cheaper cuts of meat.  So always on the lookout to make stew a little different, this beef stew from Argentina is definitely unusual but decidedly delicious.  Because of the dried fruit and sweet potatoes the stew is sweeter than the conventional stew.  But when you are looking for something hearty and warming on a chilly evening, Carbonada Criolla is ideal.  Serve with cornbread and a salad or brown rice.  Perfect for cooking in a slow cooker.

1 large onion roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 green pepper finely sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 kg stewing beef cut into chunks
1 can peeled and chopped tomatoes
2 cups water

1 beef stock cube
3 sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
2 white potatoes peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons sugar
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup dried apricots roughly chopped

1/2 cup raisins
1 cup frozen corn
1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon black pepper

chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

This is quite a bulky stew so you will need to use a large pot or your slow cooker.  Sauté the onions, green pepper, and garlic in the olive oil until golden and soft.  Add the beef chunks and lightly brown the meat.  Add the can of tomatoes, beef stock cube, water, potatoes, sugar, butternut, and dried fruit, and allow to simmer for about an hour.  Add the salt and pepper and a little more water if the stew is too thick.
Let it simmer for another 45 minutes until the beef cubes break apart when you touch them with a fork.  Stir in the frozen corn, and simmer for 5 minutes more.  Alternatively, put the ingredients in your slow cooker on low heat in the morning before leaving for work, and it will be perfect when you get home later in the day.
Cindy Vine is the author of Hush Baby, Not Telling, Defective and C U @ 8. All her books are available on Amazon in both kindle and paperback formats. Cindy is currently working on a recipe book.

Feijoada from Brazil

Feijoada is a traditional Brazilian bean stew.  Years ago it was a dish made by slaves with beans and the discarded scraps of beef and pork their wealthy owners didn't want to eat.  Today you can still find feijoada made with pigs' ears and snouts and other meat off-cuts.  The great thing about feijoada, is that you can adapt the recipe to suit you.  Use the meat cuts you like as long as you use a variety, combining fresh meat with salted and smoked, you will be on the mark.  Most feijoada is made using black beans.  However I couldn't find any black beans and used red speckled beans and they worked just as well.  The feijoada just didn't have the black colour but the taste was the same.  I used my slow cooker to make the feijoada but it could be done on the stove-top as well.

1 packet dried beans (Black or red speckled)
6 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander
1 red chili finely chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 bay leaves
1 can chopped peeled tomatoes
2 smoked sausages like kielbasa, sliced
4 chorizo sausages sliced
4 rashers bacon roughly chopped
500g pork fillet or steak cut into cubes
500g stewing beef cut into cubes
sliced oranges for garnish
Soak the beans overnight in 2 cups of the water.  In a large pot cover the bottom with the olive oil.  Add the onion, chili and garlic and saute until soft.  Add the meats and brown for a few minutes.  If using a slow cooker transfer the browned meat and sauteed onion to the slow cooker.  Otherwise keep it in the large pot and know that you'll have to be around to check on it as it will be on a slow simmer for 4-5 hours.  Whatever method you are using, add the soaked beans together with the water they were soaking in, the remaining 4 cups of water, coriander, salt, pepper and bay leaves.  Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer.  After simmering for 3 hours, add in the chopped tomatoes.  If the water cooks away you might need to add more.  When the beans are soft and the meat cuts tender and falling apart your feijoada is done.  The flavour improves the next day if you need to keep it in the fridge.  Serve with rice and sauteed collard greens or spinach.  Garnish with the orange slices.
Cindy Vine is a South African currently living and working in Kyiv in Ukraine. She is the author of Hush Baby, Defective, C U@ 8, Not Telling and The Case of Billy B. All her books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle format. http://cindyvine.com

Lamb and Date Stew from Oman

Bags of flavour is the best way to describe this tasty stew from Oman.  You can cook it on the stove-top letting it simmer for a few hours until the lamb chunks just fall apart.  Or you can do as I did and let it simmer all day in the slow cooker.  Serve this stew with brown rice and be prepared to be wowed by the flavour combinations.  This is easy to make as you put everything in a pot and forget about it until it's ready for eating.

1 kg boneless lamb cut into chunks
1 large onion finely sliced
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon dried chili finely chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 stock cubes
2 cups water
6 dates pitted and chopped
Mix the salt, chili and spices together and throw over the lamb chunks making sure they are evenly covered.  Put the oil in the pot and saute the onion and garlic until soft.  Add in the spiced lamb chunks and brown.  Add in the water and the stock cubes and leave the stew to simmer for a couple of hours until the meat is starting to fall apart.  Add in the chopped dates and cook for a further 15-20 minutes.  Serve with rice.  You can use roasted almonds as a garnish if you wish.
Cindy Vine is a South African currently living and working in Kyiv in Ukraine. She is the author of Hush Baby, Defective, C U@ 8, Not Telling and The Case of Billy B. All her books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle format. http://cindyvine.com