Sensational Pound Cake

Moroccan Vegetarian Tagine with Lemon 3 Ways

This is a dish we served March 21 at St Cyprian’s Community Church, as part of an event, Lemon Lessons. This program was made possible by the San Francisco Foundation, in partnership with Cyprian’s.

As the Lovely Lemon approaches the end of a late-Winter flush here in San Francisco, we secured an abundance of local lemons to make some hearty and nutritious food with help from Cyprian’s and neighbors.

The following recipe makes use of 2 fresh lemon parts: lemon juice and lemon zest, while also taking advantage of the flavors associated with a fermented form of lemons- preserved lemons. Our recipe for preserved lemons is simple and straightforward. All you really need is: lemons, a jar and salt. There are many variations on making preserved lemons. We like the method used by Hank Shaw, in his beautiful blog here.

Tagine is adapted from Ray Lee’s Recipe on chow.com

Active Time: 15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Makes 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

Tagine 

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained (soak beans 8 hours or overnight. Then cook chickpeas in salted water until soft). Or substitute canned chickpeas if you’re making this dish in a pinch.
• 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, pitted and halved
• 2 preserved lemons, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dried currants

Couscous

• 3 cups dry Israeli couscous
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• zest of 1 lemon

Lemon Yogurt

• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

For the tagine:

1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting 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.
2. 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.
3. Add cauliflower, olives, chickpeas, preserved lemon, and currants and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is just tender, about 10 minutes more. Taste tagine and adjust seasoning if necessary.

For Couscous:

1. Pour 1/4 cup olive oil in saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add Israeli couscous and stir consistently to lightly coat.
3. Saute dried couscous in oil until heated through and lightly toasted.
4. Add 4 cups water to couscous and bring to a boil. You can also add broth of your choice or a little of the broth from the tagine. This will add a nice flavoring and texture to the couscous.
5. When water has been absorbed, add zest of lemon and stir.

To Serve:

Add half cup couscous to bowl. Ladle tagine over couscous and include broth so that the couscous is submerged in liquid.

Optional: Lemon yogurt makes a tangy accompaniment to this hearty dish. Start with plain greek yogurt and add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Drizzle to balance out the spices of the tagine and offer extra as a condiment to taste.

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