Moroccan Root Vegetable Stew

This wonderful stew is perfect heart and body warmer for those often unappreciated winter root vegetables.  It is one of those recipes that just came to me -- inspired by much of the good food I've eaten over the last few years.  Serve with a great salad, nice crusty bread and a robust red wine.

INGREDIENTS
extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1T garlic, minced
1T fresh ginger, minced
1lemon, zest and juice 
1 1/2 T tagine spices 
1 1/2 T hot madras curry powder
1 to 1 1/2 quarts vegetable broth
1 14-oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1/4 sauerkraut, chopped
1 T cider vinegar
1 large yam, peeled and diced
1 rutabaga, peeled and diced
1 large celery root, peeled and diced
3-4 whole cloves
2" piece of cinnamon

(optional) 3/4 - 1 lb firm tofu, pressed and diced (or salmon is delicious in this recipe; please remove the skin before dicing)
salt and pepper to taste


RECIPE
Chop the root vegetables and set aside in a large bowl.  In a large soup pan, heat 1-2T of olive oil over low heat.  Add onion and a small pinch of salt saute until the onions thoroughly softened.  The salt will help the onions weep rather than burn.  Drop in the garlic, ginger and lemon zest and stir.  Allow the mixture to cook for 1-2 minutes before adding the dry spices.  Mix the tangine spices  and curry powder through onions, and then add the chopped root vegetables.  Add just enough broth to enable you to coat the vegetables with the spice and then raise the heat to medium high.  Add more broth, covering the vegetables by about 1/4 inch and bring to a simmer.   Once simmering, add the remainder of your first quart of broth, the tomatoes (and one can of water), sauerkraut, lemon juice and vinegar.  If the mixture doesn't have enough broth for the amount of vegetables, add more broth.  


Reduce the heat back down to medium and allow the stew to simmer gently for at least 30 minutes.  After about 10 minutes, add the cinnamon and cloves.  In the last 5 minutes add the diced tofu. Salmon is very good in this recipe in place of tofu, as is shrimp.  Serve topped with fresh flat leaf parsley and a freshly cracked pepper.