A few years back, we were at a group dinner celebrating the end of the semester when I asked our friend Adrian about his summer plans.
“I’ll be home in England for a bit,” he said, “and then we’re going to the south of France!” He began regaling me with stories from the previous year’s trip. I told him that Matt had a conference coming up in Europe and we were scheming a vacation there together, but hadn’t decided on a specific destination. “You should join us!” he nearly shouted, inviting us then and there to stay with his family and a crew of his university friends in Mediterranean paradise. When I said I’d never won a contest or sweepstakes, I may not have been entirely honest. Scoring that invitation was like winning the lottery.
We spent mornings wading in sparkling water and attempting to paint the scenery, then enjoyed leisurely lunches topped off with slices of plum tarts from the nearby farmstand. One friend played Spanish guitar while the others philosophized and occasionally threw each other into the pool. Evenings, we took turns cooking decadent meals that started with pastis and local saucisson, anchoide and tapenade that we picked up at the outdoor market. Adrian grilled spicy merguez over charcoal, and we made huge platters of couscous piled with vegetable stew to pass around the long outdoor table. We drank rosé from the vineyard down the road, and devoured cheeses which melted as we cut them. I cannot imagine a better week.
When I heard that one of the boys from the trip was visiting New York, I schemed a dinner party that might remind us a little of those late summer outdoor meals in France. I put Adrian and Ed in charge of cheese, and delegated dessert to another guest, making my responsibilities pretty stress-free. 
We started with a sweet and savory olive-fig tapenade recommended by Kari from Anticiplate. (Here’s the recipe.) Topped with creamy Humbolt Fog goat cheese, it made the perfect accompaniment to a flute of sparkling wine.
Since they’re Adrian’s favorite, I fried up some merguez in my heavy cast-iron pans (it was too rainy to grill). But I think the star of the show was the Moroccan braised vegetable dish I made to serve with couscous. Smoky with cinnamon and harissa, sweetened with fresh apricots, carrots, and tomatoes, this easy stew was deeply satisfying, inexpensive, and perfect for making ahead of a weeknight dinner party. It definitely improved with a day’s rest, as many braised dishes do: the flavors deepened and blended overnight. You could add butternut squash, zucchini, cauliflower, or whatever vegetables you have on hand. Just make sure they are cooked through before you chill the stew.
It may look like I’m asking you to add a million spices to this dish, but believe me, it’s worth it. The original recipe is simple and perfectly nice, but the added spices make the sauce haunting and deeply flavored. If you happen to have Ras el Hanout on hand, you could substitute it, but most of these spices should be in your pantry already, so there’s no need to hunt down a premixed blend. (If you’re looking to use up some Ras el Hanout, check out this recipe from Shiv for spicy glazed carrots!)
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