Chickpea Tagine (vegan, gluten-free)

Tagine is a North African dish named after the clay pot in which it is cooked.  It is a slow cooked, savory stew usually made with lamb or other meats, nuts, dried fruit, and spices of the region.  Though I don't own a tagine I can make a tagine type stew by mimicking the flavors of the traditional.   I found very few vegetarian tagine recipes on the internet (where we all search for what to make for dinner) and so a few years ago came up with dish.  I chose to use chickpeas because they are extremely healthful and a natural friend of the flavors of the tagine.  This is the first thing I make when it starts to get cold outside and is missed as soon as its salad season again.

There are many variations on the tagine, at least the American translated versions I have seen.  Some tagine recipes call for preserved lemons.  I was on a Moroccan kick and had made some of my own and they worked well for interesting flavor in the tagine as well as in herb and carrot salad.  But eventually I had run out of my supply and started using fresh lemon juice and a bit of the lemon zest instead.  I liked the result better.  You get a nice sour balance to the tagine without the bitterness that so much of the pith and rind bring from the preserved lemon. 

The spices are the the backbone of this dish and bring full flavor and satisfaction when done right.  Though you can used ground spices I recommend buying whole spices, toasting them and then grinding them with a mortar and pestle.  The flavor that you can extract with this method is what really makes this dish special.  I crack whole peppercorns with the mortal and pestle as well. 

Feel free to use canned or dried beans with this recipe.  I prefer using dried, they are cheaper per pound and the texture and flavor are much better than canned but I am happy to use canned when I fail to plan ahead and prepare the dried beans the night before.

I also recommend exploring with other vegetables, add diced tomatoes, turnip, eggplant, squash, or rutabaga to add some variety and extra flavor.

Though the yogurt added at the end isn't traditional I think it really rounds out the entire dish.  Yogurt or a splash of heavy cream along with a dash of finely minced parsley makes for a perfect finish.

Serves 4

The Basics:
1. Cook down garlic, onion, ginger, and spices until completely soft.
2. Add stock, chickpeas and vegetables.
3. Cook until tender, add lemon juice and zest.
4. Serve with parsley and Greek yogurt.


Recipe:
2 tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 inches of fresh ginger, microplaned
1 tbs. ground cumin
2 tsp. hot paprika
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground tumeric
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 c. water
2 c. vegetable stock 
2 c. cooked or canned chickpeas
1 large diced idaho or russet potato
2-3 diced carrots
1 diced parsnip
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
1⁄2 cup minced parsley
1 tbs. of greek yogurt when serving (optional)


Method:
2. Add olive oil to the bottom of a heavy stock or soup pot over low heat.
2. Add onion, garlic, ginger and spices.  Cook until the ingredients are completely soft, stirring occasionally.  This takes about 25 minutes.  Add water as needed to keep them from browning or sticking to the pot.
3. Once the mixture is uniformly soft add the vegetable stock, chickpeas, potato, carrots, parsnip, and any other vegetables you might want to include.  Continue to cook on low until the vegetables are easily speared with a fork or until desired tenderness, about 25 minutes.
4.Mix in lemon juice and zest and remove from heat.
5. Serve with a sprinkling of parsley on top and a dollop of greek yogurt.


ENJOY!