moroccan carrot-date curry

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OK, this is not at all authentic Moroccan food. I didn't get it from Paula Wolfert or Kitty Morse; this is based on a hodge-podge of three other recipes and a dish a Filipino friend of mine used to make. But it's tasty and easy, and the ingredients are cheap. What more could you ask for?

Heck, if you substitute oil for the butter, it's even vegan.

Moroccan Carrot/Date Curry

8 carrots, about 2lbs
2 medium onions
2 cans garbanzo beans
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped parsley
8 to 16 dates (see below)
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ginger
1 1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp Aleppo pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbs butter
2 Tbs vegetable oil

2 cups couscous, any type.

Peel and slice carrots about 1/4" thick, on the bias if you feel like the effort. Peel and slice onions. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Open the garbanzo bean cans and drain, but reserve 1 cup of bean liquid from the cans.

Pit the dates and chop them or dice small. You need around 1 cup of chopped dates, which is around 8-10 Medjool dates, or 14-16 smaller dates.

Put the butter and oil in a large, deep pan or a Dutch oven. Turn on high heat. When the butter melts and starts to sizzle, add the onions and garlic. Saute, stirring once or twice, until limp, about 6 minutes.

Add the carrots and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring once, until the carrots are coated with oil and starting to sweat. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 minutes. Add the spices, dates, and drained chickpeas, and cook uncovered for 2 minutes. Then add the bean liquid, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Finally, turn off heat, stir in the parsley, and let sit, covered, for 5-10 minutes.

While cooking the stew, make the couscous according to the package instructions or whatever you can find on the internet. Serve the curry over couscous, with wine.