Step 1: Preparing Your Mise en Place | Part 1
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 medium white onion
- 1 turnip (1/2 cup diced)
- 1 sweet potato (1 cup diced)
- 2 carrots (1/2 cup diced)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp whole cumin*
- 1 tsp whole coriander*
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp chile flakes
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
If using dried chickpeas, prepare them ahead of time. If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse.
To prepare the rest of your your mise en place, dice in 1/2 inch cubes the onions, turnips, sweet potatoes and carrots. Next, mince the garlic and measure out the tomato paste.
Lastly, toast the cumin and coriander over medium heat until it starts to smoke and release its aroma. Once done, grind in a spice grinder along with the other spices, including the salt and pepper, leaving the mixture a bit course.
*Note: Ground cumin and coriander can be used instead of whole, but we do encourage you to use whole spices and grind them yourself.
Once done, set everything aside while you start the tagine.
Step 2: Starting the Tagine
- 3 tbsp olive oil* (If using no oil, substitute vegetable stock to dry sauté)
- 2 cups vegetable stock
To cook the tagine, heat a large heavy fry pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil followed by the onions.
*Note: If desired, omit the oil and dry-sauté the onions until translucent and deglaze with a bit of vegetable stock for no oil caramelization.
Cook for 4 minutes, or until they start to brown and become translucent. Stir frequently. Next, add the garlic and let cook for another minute or so.
At this point, reduce the heat to low and add the spices, tomato paste, and vegetable stock, and stir to combine. Add the turnips, sweet potatoes, carrots and chickpeas. Cover and let simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender. Timing will depend on the size of the vegetables.
In the meantime, you can go ahead and prepare the ingredients for the next step.
Step 3: Finishing the Tagine
- 1/2 cup green olives
- 1 jar artichokes (6 oz)
- 3 tbsp lemon zest (2 to 3 lemons)
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
Pit and very roughly chop the olives. They are also nice simply cut or torn in half.
Strain, rinse and cut the artichokes into quarters, if they are not already.
Zest the lemons. This may seem like a lot of lemon zest, but it works well in this dish. In fact, you won’t even notice a strong lemon flavor—everything just works. Set everything aside.
Once the vegetables are tender add the olives, artichokes, lemon zest and raisins and let cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Step 4: Garnishing the Tagine
- 2 tbsp fresh mint
- 3 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 3 tbsp fresh cilantro
- lemon zest (optional)
- red chile (optional)
To garnish the tagine, chop the fresh herbs and zest the additional lemon, if using. And if adding chiles for more heat, thinly slice and save for garnishing the final dish.
Once the dish has finished cooking, add the freshly chopped herbs and fold everything together. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or pepper as needed.
This tagine goes particularly well with couscous, but it also goes well with quinoa or your grain of choice. Enjoy!