Slow Cooker Beef & Potato Harissa Stew

You don't have to tell me twice that Harissa was like, so 2013/2014. My tastebuds just really don't care if the trend has passed: they have discovered spicy middle eastern flavors and are all about them. I've been going through a jar of this stuff per month and testing it out on eggplant, cauliflower, and stirred into sauces and soups. 

This Harissa Stew has been one of my favorites: earthy and satisfying but with an edgy kick. Plus, I can make it in my Instant Pot on the slow cooker setting, which almost always wins me over. I like to make enough that it can serve us for a few meals, so that I we have some delicious to take for lunches and dinner is a no-brainer the next night. We ate the leftovers while marathon watching Lord of the Rings on a snow day, which probably didn't hurt my stew eating experience. 

Slow Cooker Beef & Potato Harissa Stew

Paleo, Primal, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    |    Print This Recipe

Spicy harissa adds a bold and exotic kick to this otherwise homey stew.

Serves: 8   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 pound beef chuck
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stick celery, diced
• 3-4 potatoes, diced (I used a mix of Hannah Sweet Potatoes and Red Potatoes)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Salt & pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoon harissa + more for serving
• For garnish: Parsley
• For yogurt topping: 1/2 cup yogurt + juice and zest of 1 a lemon

Directions:

1. Heat coconut oil in the bottom of your Instant Pot on the “Sauté” setting. Once hot, place diced onion, celery, and minced garlic in pot. Cook until onion turns translucent. Add beef and brown on all sides.
2. Once beef is browned, Add carrots, canned tomatoes, spices, a few dashes each of salt & pepper, and 2 tablespoons of harissa. Pour in broth, and stir everything together. Place lid on Instant Pot and turn to slow cooker setting. Cooker on low for 8-10 hours.
3. Make lemon yogurt sauce by zesting and juicing lemon into small bowl and whisking with yogurt until smooth.
4. Serve stew hot in bowls, and swirl in more harissa paste to taste (more if you like a lot of spice, less if you don’t). Top with a dollop of lemon yogurt sauce and a sprig of parsley.

Harissa Roasted Eggplant with Greek Yogurt, Tomatoes & Cucumbers

A jar of harissa sits in my fridge, leftover from this roasted cauliflower. 

Every time I open the fridge it stares back at me, potential waiting to happen. Smothered on chicken? Stirred into baba ganoush? Smeared on eggplants, and roasted to a crisp? 

You mull over these ideas enough and you just have to make moves. Next thing you know, I’m buying eggplants and dicing tomatoes. I’m scooping yogurt, and toasting pine nuts. 

Having a jar of an unfamiliar ingredient in the fridge is a muse— it keeps the imagination wandering. I know harissa has been “trending” for a while now, and I’m a bit late to the show, but in my own pace I’m discovering it’s marvels… 

Harissa Roasted Eggplant with Lebneh and Cherry Tomatoes

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    |   

Eggplant is roasted with harissa and then topped with cool lebneh and fresh tomatoes.

Serves: 2   |    Total Time: 60 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 3 small to eggplants (about 6 inches long - try fairytale, antigua, or globe eggplants which tend to stay small)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
• 1/4 cup harissa paste (you can find this at Trader Joe's)
• 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt (full-fat, plain)
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (use whatever tomatoes you have or a variety of tomatoes, such as cherry, grape, roma, or heirloom)
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• Optional: 2 tablespoons dried fruit, such as raisins, currants, or chopped dried figs or dates
• Optional: Minced cilantro for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Half eggplants, and then use a knife to score flesh in a grid pattern. In a small bowl, whisk together olive or avocado oil and harissa paste. Brush mixture over eggplants, getting the sauce into the crevasses you created when scoring. Place on baking sheet, and then in oven. Bake for 30 minutes, until the eggplants are soften through and their skin in brown and wrinkled.
2. Scoop a dollop of Greek yogurt over each half of the eggplant.
3. Top with diced tomatoes, cucumber, toasted pinenuts, and optional dried fruit. Place on serving plates and garnish with minced cilantro. Serve.