There's no use posting a link to this as WSJournal is subscriber-only. I'm also putting in the Cooking Forum rather than the Vegetarian Forum as the latter has very little activity. Despite the length, it's just a list of spices and an overall quantity of vegetables to water. It's a great recipe - we love Lahlou's cooking at Aziza in San Francisco - although I increase the spices as we love a good spice blend! Don't sub out the Aleppo pepper if you can at all avoid it; it has a lovely, fruity heat that's quite unique. If you must, try subbing a bittersweet pimenton, or a bit of aji amarillo chile.

Vegetable Tagine With
Poached Eggs and Herbs

From Mourad Lahlou, owner of Aziza and Mourad in San Francisco, CA

This healthy stew of vegetables topped with poached eggs may
just be the ultimate New Year’s resolution food. Chef Mourad Lahlou of Aziza in
San Francisco
has streamlined his recipe to make it quick and easy but no less soulful and
satisfying

Total Time: 40 minutes Serves: 4

½ tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

½ tablespoon sweet paprika

½ tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

½ teaspoon Aleppo
pepper

¼ cup olive oil, plus more for garnish

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

2 cups canned diced tomatoes, with juice

6 tablespoons tomato purée

⅓ cup tomato paste

9 small potatoes, cut into 3-by-1-inch pieces

3 medium carrots, cut into 3-by-1-inch pieces

2 medium turnips, cut into 3-by-1-inch pieces

4 small shallots, halved lengthwise

3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1½ tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

2 cups water

¼ cup diced preserved lemon peel

4 eggs

Finely chopped chives, for garnish

Freshly ground black pepper

Half of lemon

1. In a small bowl, combine salt, paprika, coriander, cumin,
white pepper and Aleppo
pepper. Heat ¼ cup oil in a lidded large pot over high heat. Sauté garlic,
canned tomatoes and tomato purée and paste with spice mixture until aromatic,
about 2 minutes.

2. Add potatoes, carrots, turnips, shallots, half of
parsley, cilantro and 2 cups water to pot and bring to a simmer. Cook until
vegetables soften and sauce thickens, 20 minutes. Stir in preserved lemon,
cover pot and simmer until flavors meld, about 7 minutes.

3. Crack eggs over top of stew, spacing them out evenly
across the surface. Reduce heat to medium, cover pot and poach eggs until
whites set but yolks remain runny, 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining parsley,
chives, salt and pepper.

4. To serve, ladle stew into 4 serving bowls and top each
with a poached egg. Drizzle with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

(Text accompaniment)

WS Journal by Kitty Greenwald, Jan. 8, 2015

“MOST PEOPLE in Morocco have a diet that is protein
heavy, and vegetables are a second thought,” said Mourad Lahlou of his native
cuisine. In his final Slow Food Fast contribution, the chef turns this equation
on its head. Potatoes, carrots, shallots, turnips and tomatoes simmer along
with fresh herbs, spices and preserved lemon. Eggs cracked into the pot poach
right in the stew.

The chef conceived of this recipe when thinking of ways to
lighten up kefta tagine, a Moroccan braise in which meatballs and eggs simmer
in tomato sauce. “I wanted to take the meatballs out,” he explained. “With this
meal, the vegetables come first.”

Mr. Lahlou freely adapts the recipe depending on what he has
on hand. “I have found that making this is a great way to clean out the
refrigerator,” he said. “Plus, it only gets better the next day, no matter what
has been thrown into it.”