African Mixed Vegetable Tajine
posted by Sue Freeman 08-17-98 7:14 AM
Flavors of Africa mixed vegetable tajine
This chunky vegetable North African stew is great served with rice or couscous. It comes from the "Flavors of Africa" cookbook by DeWitt, et al. (Prima, $16). It sounds weird, but raisins are common in stews like these. If you're skeptical, eliminate them. You'll still have a wonderful stew.
1 cup dry chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced carrots
2 fresh green chilies, like jalapenos, seeds and stems removed, sliced
1 cup sliced zucchini
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon (freshly ground) black pepper
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
1/2 cup raisins
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup chopped green onions, white part only
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Soak chickpeas in water overnight in the refrigerator.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Put them in a large, heavy casserole covered with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook chickpeas until tender, about 1 hour. The cooking time depends on the age of the chickpeas. Drain chickpeas, chop them coarsely and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet and sauté the onion, garlic, carrots, chilies and zucchini for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cumin, salt and pepper and simmer for 2 minutes.
Add the stock and raisins, and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the chopped chickpeas to the boiling mixture, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
Stir in the lemon juice, scallions and cilantro, and serve.
Serves 4 to 6.