Vegetable Tagine
TIME/SERVINGS
Total: 35 mins
Active: 15 mins
Makes: 6 to 8 servings
Though the word tagine refers to the cone-shaped cooking vessel that the dish is traditionally made in, it has also come to refer to Moroccan-style stew preparations. This version contains an assortment of vegetables, including cauliflower and chickpeas, making for a flavorful, filling vegetarian dish.
What to buy: For a slacker solution, you can substitute high-quality canned chickpeas for the cooked chickpeas.
Preserved lemons are a popular ingredient in Moroccan cooking. They’re preserved in a salt-and-lemon-juice mixture and sold in jars. Look for them in gourmet grocery stores or online at igourmet.com.
For the tagine:
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin seed
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 3 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled, medium dice
- 1 cup canned diced tomatoes in juice
- 1 quart (4 cups) vegetable broth
- Pinch saffron threads
- 1 medium head cauliflower, large dice
- 1 1/4 cup green olives, such as picholine, pitted and halved
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
- 1 preserved lemon, seeds removed, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dried currants
To serve:
- 3 cups dry couscous
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 cup whole almonds, toasted
- 1/2 cup sliced scallions
- 1/2 cup plain Greek-style or whole-milk yogurt
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a tightfitting lid over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add onion, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in cumin and cinnamon stick, and toast until aromatic, about 1 minute; add ginger and garlic, and cook until just softened, about 1 minute more.
- Add carrots, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook until slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juice, vegetable broth, and saffron and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook, covered, until vegetables are almost completely cooked but still raw in the center, about 7 minutes.
- Add cauliflower, olives, chickpeas, preserved lemon, and currants, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is just tender, about 10 minutes more. Taste tagine and adjust seasoning if necessary.
To serve:
- Place couscous in a large bowl or baking dish. Bring water to a boil. Once water boils, pour over couscous, and let stand until water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add olive oil, season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir briefly to combine.
- Serve tagine over couscous, topped with almonds and scallions. Pass yogurt on the side.
COMMENTS | ADD YOUR OWN
lovely--been looking for an easyto make veggie tagine--thanks-
We made this last night and it rocked! I was just unsure of what the end consistency should be, as ours turned out a little wet. I doubled the amount of currants, and my friend was still scouring through the whole tagine looking for the remaining bits. But definitely 'crave-able'.
is it necessary to include the saffron? i know it would be lovely but for one on a budget i don't know if i can spring for it right now (nor am i sure if my local grocery has any!)
I served this as part of Christmas dinner. It drew raves all around. We had it on top of Roast Garlic Cous Cous with toasted pine nuts
Don't leave out the saffron, it was an important flavor. I didn't have preserved lemons, so I threw in a little zest with the caluflower. Then I garnished it with raw pumpkin seeds.
It went well with the Roast Duck and Moroccan carrot salad I also made.
I think you could definitely leave out the saffron if need be. Look at all the other wonderful things in there. It would still be great.
Great recipe, but doctored it up a bit with more spices. Reduce cumin to 1/2 t, add 1/2 t. cinnamon, 1/2 t. good curry mix, 1/2 t. smoked sweet paprika. Cook spices with onion. Dissolved saffron in stock (I used chicken broth) and reduced liquid by 1/3. I used remaining saffron broth as part of couscous liquid.
We served a small bit of halibut on top. Yum.
Plus, try making a chermoula sauce on the side for a piquant condiment.