RECIPE: Moroccan One Pot Beef and Pasta with Harissa

You can make this entirely with farm products!  I made this almost exactly as written and it was delicious.  I used celeriac instead of celery, and cut the harissa down to 2 T. because I would be serving it to a friend who can't eat super hot food.  We served extra harissa on the side for whoever wanted it.

Original Recipe:  One pot pasta with spicy harissa beef

Moroccan One Pot Beef and Pasta with Harissa

Serves 4

1/4 c. finely chopped celeriac or celeriac pulp
1/2 c. finely chopped carrot or carrot pulp
1 c. finely chopped onion
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. EVOO plus additional for serving
1 pound ground beef
18oz jar diced tomatoes (or 1 quart home canned)
12oz jar organic roasted red peppers (or 1/2 pint frozen)
2 T. harissa plus additional for serving
3 t. ground cumin
2 t. ground coriander
2 t. paprika
Opt (the original recipe didn't call for these but since I cut back on the harissa I added them to ramp up the Moroccan flavor):

• 1/2 t. ground fennel
• 1/4 t. ground caraway
• 1/4 t. dried moroccan mint
• 1/8 t. ground anise
• 1/8 t. ground allspice
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

4 c. meat broth or water (I used veal broth)
12 oz elbows or other short pasta (I used Tresomega Quinoa-Rice-Amaranth elbows)
3 scallions, chopped
1 T. minced mint leaves (I used frozen)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the EVOO and ground beef and saute until it's well browned and sticking to the bottom of the pan, 10-12 minutes.  Season with salt.

Add the celeriac, carrot, onion and garlic.  Cook until softened, about 8-10 minutes.  Season with salt.

As the vegetables cook, drain the roasted red peppers. Puree them and the diced tomatoes in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Set aside.

Add the harissa and spices to the skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add the tomato-roasted red pepper puree, the broth, and the dry pasta.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, make sure the pasta is submerged, cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes.   Stir to prevent sticking, replace the lid, and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the pasta is cooked.

Serve drizzled with additional EVOO, and topped with the scallions and mint.  Offer additional harissa for those who like super spicy!