Thursday, June 26, 2008

Moroccan Tagine


This easy and surprisingly delicious Moroccan bean dish calls for one exotic ingredient: preserved lemon. Jami says preserved lemon is as ubiquitous in Morocco as ketchup is here, but you will need to go to a specialty ethnic store to get it. Specialty ethnic stores also sell spices for next to nothing and often feature eager salespeople who will want to tell you about how to cook delicious, high-calorie foods that are popular in their country, so it will be worth your trip. Go, get yourself some preserved lemon and a good chat. And then come home and make this easy peasy recipe that everyone likes.

3/4 c chickpeas, soaked and cooked until tender
tiny bit of oil (a tsp or two)
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp cumin
a bit of cliantro
1/4 preserved lemon, flesh removed, skin sliced into strips

saute the onion and garlic until browned
add cooked chickpeas, cumin and tomatoes
cook until almost entirely reduced
add preserved lemon and cilantro

See? Easy and super duper healthy. Beans for everyone.

1 comment:

Jami said...

Nice picture of the dish. I want to have it for dinner, now. Darn my pantry full of dried beans, I'll have to wait 'til tomorrow.