Morrocan chickpea stew

[magid]

I haven't made this in a while, and I realized it's easier to have a copy here. Also, it's about the only actual recipe for soup I use, rather than throwing stuff together fairly randomly. Plus, it's vegan. (Stolen from Gourmet, January 1996) [0.3 = one third; I assume decimals are easier to read than unstacked fractions.]

• 1 pound dried chickpeas (about 2.3 cups)
  
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
  
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  
• 0.25 cup olive oil
  
• 3 large onions, sliced thin (about 7 cups)
  
• two 28- to 32-ounce cans whole tomatoes, drained, reserving juice, and chopped
  
• 1 cup raisins
  
• 0.3 cup chopped peel of preserved lemons* [ETA: I use the peel, and the flesh, and the goop, and I use a lot more than this; I really like the lemony-ness.]
  
• 0.75 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• 0.5 teaspoon ground coriander
  
• 1.5 pounds fresh spinach, washed, drained, and stems trimmed (about 10 cups packed) [or use frozen spinach]

1. Soak chickpeas in water overnight. Top chickpeas should be two inches underwater. Drain.
   
2. In a 3-quart saucepan, combine chickpeas, cinnamon, cumin seeds, and water. Again, top chickpeas should be two inches underwater. Simmer, covered partially, adding more water if necessary, 1 to 1.25 hours, or until chickpeas are just tender. Discard cinnamon. Chickpeas may be made 1 day ahead, cooled completely, and chilled in their cooking liquid, covered.
   
3. In a large heavy kettle, heat oil over moderate heat and cook onions, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with reserved juice, chickpeas with cooking liquid, raisins, preserved lemon peel, ground cumin, and coriander and bring to a simmer. Cook stew about 45 minutes, or until chickpeas are tender and liquid is thickened slightly. Stir in spinach, a heaping handful at a time, and cook until wilted and just tender. [If using frozen spinach, add earlier so the spinach has time to fully defrost.]
   Serves 8. [Theoretically. Every time I've made this, it seems to serve more than this.]

* Preserved lemons are very easy to make, but take time, a month to cure properly. I've seen them available commercially, too. Adding lemon juice or some other fresh lemon plus salt is not equivalent.

Comments

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

Yummy!

[magid.livejournal.com]

It's the reason I started making preserved lemons :-).

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

Sounds interesting, but the perserved lemons sound like a sticking point.

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to make. They aren't canned for real in boiling water bath, right?

[magid.livejournal.com]

Nope. Just put in a jar (see below).

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

OK. This does seem sort of reasonable. The grocery store in town sells a lot of mason jars. I found this recipe (http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/africa/morocco/preserved-lemons1.html) as well.

After I make these, what else will I make with these perserved lemons?

[magid.livejournal.com]

The recipe looks good, though a lot more work than I usually put into it. I keep thinking of doing preserved lemons with different spices, but don't use them enough to justify making all different kinds, really (or I haven't figured out how to use them enough).

I don't shake mine every day, nor do I rinse mine before using, since I use it as a kind of seasoning that includes salt. Also, I've never been able to reuse the juice, because the liquid gels a bit, becoming a bit like lemon filling; I put it in when I put the rest of the lemon in (the only part I don't put in is the seeds; it seems a waste to throw away the flesh).

I've found that preserved lemons go well with chicken and rice, especially if you're cooking them together (foil-wrap/tightly cover a pan with rice, the appropriate amount of water, chicken pieces, and seasonings. Cook at 250-300 for 3 hours.). Or just with chicken (sparingly). Also with other red-based stews. I've also put it in when sauteeing ground turkey, onions, and greens, which was excellent. I haven't experimented maximally with it, nor have I made any Morrocan cous cous dishes...

[magid.livejournal.com]

Make some tonight?

All you need is lemons and salt, and a non-corrosive jar to keep them in. Cut enough lemons in fourths to fill the jar (there are ways of keeping them whole but almost cutting them into fourths to make them prettier in the jar, but you fit a lot less lemon in). Salt them liberally, put them in the jar, and squeeze more lemon juice over them, enough to cover them. If you need to, weigh the lemons down (a layer of plastic wrap with marbles on top works well), then put the top on, and put on a shelf somewhere for a month to cure.