RECIPE

© Quentin Bacon

Chickpea Tagine

• Recipe by Christine Manfield

Christine Manfield drew from her travels to plan the menu at her new Universal Restaurant in Sydney; she created this fragrant stew after a trip to Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains.

• Healthy
• Make-Ahead
• Vegetarian

Ingredients

1. 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
2. 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
3. 1 quart plus 2 tablespoons water
4. 1 large onion, finely diced
5. 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
6. 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
7. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8. 2 teaspoons ground cumin
9. One 3-inch cinnamon stick
10. 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
11. 1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
12. 2 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
13. One 14.5 ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
14. Salt
15. 2 small zucchini, diced
16. 1 tablespoon minced preserved lemon rind
17. Freshly ground black pepper
18. 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
19. Yogurt and harissa, for serving

Directions

1. In a saucepan, cover the chickpeas with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until tender, 45 minutes. Drain.
2. In a bowl, crumble the saffron in the 2 tablespoons of water; steep for 10 minutes.
3. In a deep skillet, cook the onion and gar­lic in the butter and oil over moderate heat until golden, 8 minutes. Add the cumin, cin­namon stick and crushed red pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the saffron water, chickpeas, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, the quart of water and a large pinch of salt; bring to a boil, then simmer until the squash and potatoes are tender, 30 minutes.
4. Add the zucchini and the preserved lemon; simmer until the zucchini is tender, 5 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick. Season the tagine with salt and pepper and stir in the cilantro. Serve in bowls with yogurt and harissa.