I had other plans on what I was going to cook this week.  I have some turkey legs I need to use up.  I am still working through some meat that was in the broken freezer.  I was originally going to do chicken and dumplings.  I still will.  However, I watched an episode from Middle Eats called Moghrabieh.  Middle Eats, as you can tell by the name, is a channel that focuses on food from the Middle East.  Moghrabieh is an interesting take on chicken and onion stew with couscous.  Middle Eats describes this as deceptively simple stew that is way more extraordinary than it sounds.  The moghrabieh is a type of couscous that is very large. I’m in.  I am going to do this with my turkey legs instead of the whole chicken.  I will also switch out the couscous for quinoa, to make this gluten free.  If you can’t find baby fresh onions, use frozen pearl onions. Dry them well before you fry them. Then take them out before you add the other ingredients. Add them back at the end to preserve their texture. I have a good feeling about this dish.  I love learning about new dishes that I think will be great to share.

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I swapped out the whole chicken for turkey legs because that’s what I had on hand.
• I replaced the regular canned chickpeas with a low sodium variety.
• I reduced the sodium from 1 tablespoon to 1 teaspoon.
• I replaced the couscous with quinoa to make this gluten free.
• I added red bell pepper to increase the vitamins A and C.
• I increased the servings from 8 to 17 to lower the calories.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Moghrabieh

Serves 17

Chicken Stock

• 4 pounds bone in turkey legs (Yields about 2 pounds cooked meat)
• 2 medium onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 10 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon salt

Moghrabieh

• 26 ounces baby onions
• 9 red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 can low sodium chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 14 ounces quinoa, rinsed
• 2-3 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1.5 Tbsp caraway seeds
• 1/2 Tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp Baharat
• 1/2 Tsp cumin
• 1/2 Tsp black pepper
• 1/4 Tsp cloves

Directions:

To make the stock:

1. Add your turkey legs to a stock pot and pour over enough water to completely submerge
2. Turn the heat to high and bring the pot to a boil
3. Once it boils, there should be a layer of floating scum on the surface, continuously remove this with a spoon or ladle until no more remains.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients, then turn the heat down to medium. Allow to simmer for 45 minutes
5. When the time is up, remove the turkey. Filter the stock by pouring through a strainer
6. Shred the turkey into large chunks, discarding the bones and skin

To make the Moghrabieh:

1. Peel your baby onions then add them to a pan with the oil.  Add in the chopped bell peppers.
2. Sauté over medium heat for around 10 minutes, until they have browned all over and partially softened
3. In the pot add the butter, then pour in the quinoa and toast for 3-4 minutes
4. Add the spices, then mix well with the quinoa. Pour in 2 quarts of the chicken stock and turn the heat up to high
5. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium and cover with a lid. Cook for 10-15 minutes.
6. Once the quinoa has cooked, add the chickpeas to the pot with the vegetables
7. Cook this for a few more minutes until the stock has thickened slightly and has a velvety texture
8. Ladle into a bowl, then add on chunks of the shredded chicken and serve