Bazaella (Levantine Peas & Carrots Stew)
Bazaella is the first dish that comes to mind when I think of comfort food. It's a tomato based stew with green peas, carrots, and meat and is packed with lots and lots of flavor. It's a dish that takes me back to my early childhood and the excitement I'd have when I realized that this is what my mom was making for dinner. It's what I would call a foundational stew in our part of the world and I hope it can now be a part of yours.
Bazaella:
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Ingredients
1.5 lbs Ground Beef (10% fat)
1 Yellow Onion
5-10 Garlic Cloves
1 bag Frozen Peas
2 Large Carrots
6 oz Tomato Paste (1 small can)
4 tbsp Olive Oil (divided)
2-3 tbsp Arabic 7 Spice
1 tsp Black Pepper
Salt to Taste
2.5 cups Water
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Aleppo Pepper (Garnish)
Parsley (Garnish)
Instructions
First step is to always start with the prep which will be cutting up all the veggies. Dice they yellow onion, peel and slice quarter inch thick circles out of the carrot, and grind all the garlic into a paste. If you do not plan on making the “Adha” at the end of the recipe, you can reduce garlic to 3-5 cloves instead of 5-10.
Heat a 4qt pot (or larger) on high heat for a couple minutes then drop to medium. Add two tbsp of olive oil and allow it to heat up for a minute. Add the diced yellow onion and saute for a few minutes or until they soften and look translucent (about 3-5 minutes). Add your garlic (reserve half if you plan to make the Adha) and saute for another couple minutes or until the garlic becomes very fragrant - about 2 minutes.
Add all the ground beef and break apart. Let it sit untouched for about 5 minutes then start breaking up into small pieces, then let it sit untouched to cook for another couple minutes. Repeat this process until all the meat is browned.
Add the peas and carrots and mix well. Let these cook all together for about 5 minutes or until you see the peas have become thawed and no longer look frozen. Add the tomato paste, salt, black pepper, and Arabic 7 spice. Mix these well until they are evenly distributed throughout the whole pot.
Add the water to the pot, bring to a simmer, cover, and let that cook untouched for about 20-30 minutes. After that your stew is ready to go. Optionally you can make the Adha in the next steps.
This dish is traditionally served with Vermicelli Rice which is linked down below but any rice you prefer works great.
El Adha:
Heat a small saute pan on high heat for a couple minutes then drop to medium. Add two tbsp of Olive Oil and give it a minute to heat up. Add the red pepper flakes and as soon as it starts to sizzle, add the remaining garlic saved from the prep work. Flash fry the garlic, mixing frequently, until the garlic becomes super fragrant and borderline begins to brown. Careful not to burn the garlic!
Once the garlic is starting to brown, immediately drop into your stew and mix really well.