Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Preserved Lemon

My good friend Deborah gave me a beautiful gift, recently: preserved lemons. She had written to me awhile ago to say that she had a bounty of riches, with too many lemons to use. What could she do with them?

I suggested pie, of course, because one can never, ever go wrong with pie. I happen to adore lemon pie (not that I was hinting!). But that wouldn't use up very many of the fruits.

So then I dared to offer the notion of preserved lemons, a classic of Moroccan cuisine, that are brined and sometimes spiced. Essentially, they are lemon pickles. Not too many folks would think this was a viable option, but Deborah is an adventurous cook who cares deeply about ingredients. She was the perfect person for this project!

Deborah happily accepted the challenge, and then very generously shared the results with me. So, of course, I delved into cooking something novel and exotic with this novel and exotic item.

I happen to be a huge fan of Moroccan food - stews, lamb, chicken, dried fruits, salads, breads, mint tea, and spices. But I've never made my own preserved lemons before, so I'd never had an opportunity to use them.

So I assembled my collection of ingredients and started cooking. Even though I own an authentic tagine [tah-ZHEEN] - a terra cotta cooking pot, and also the name of the stews cooked within them - I simply used a large skillet, figuring that it would be more readily found in others' kitchens than the more esoteric cookware; then I wouldn't have to worry about accommodating timing differences for cooking in the different utensils, etc. But, of course, I had to serve this in the right vessel!

With many thanks to Deborah for inspiring, and contributing to, this spicy, flavorful dish in honor of Ann Arbor Veg Week which begins today. I have signed a pledge to eat a vegetarian/vegan diet this week, and this is a lovely way to start things off! And also with thanks to my friends Rob and Ellen, for the lovely gift certificate to Spice Merchants, a beautiful store where I was able to buy the fragrant Moroccan spice blend I also used to make this dish.


Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Preserved Lemon

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Spice Merchants Moroccan Blend (contains garlic, onion, chilies, salt)
2 tablespoons garlic paste
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers
1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1 cup chopped sweet potato
1/2 preserved lemon, chopped fine
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
couscous, for serving

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, pepper, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, and Moroccan spices; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, sweet potato, and lemon; bring to a boil, turn heat to low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serve over couscous.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: If you don't have any preserved lemons, or any friends who will share theirs with you, I think a spritz of lemon juice and some finely grated lemon zest would be good substitutes.

Chickpeas with Chorizo

Last week, I wrote a blog post that mentioned my dream of someday travelling to Morocco.  It's been ages since I cooked anything from that region ... and why?  I adore Moroccan food, with its vivid spices and flavors. I've been so busy with holiday cooking, writing about cookbooks, judging events, and other missions; and, of course, I have to accommodate other eaters in my life, who aren't necessarily terribly adventurous.  So much food to cook and eat, so little time!

This recipe is traditionally Moroccan in that it is stew-like and reminiscent of a tagine - a beautiful conical dish that simmers foods, as well as the dishes that are cooked in the utensil (the name can be used for both); this is indicative of influence from the Berbers of North Africa.  It is also Moroccan in that it has been strongly influenced by Spain, which is evident in the use of both chorizo and paprika.  Spain and Morocco are only 8 miles apart, across the Strait of Gibraltar.

To make this a vegetarian dish, I used a lovely soy chorizo that is available at Trader Joe's; it isn't a firm sausage, but rather a crumbly one.  It offers good flavor and color, and is great in many recipes (such as the Sloppy Joes that I'm told are a friend's family favorite).  You could easily use traditional meat chorizo, which is sliced rather than ground; of course, while that ingredient would be indicative of Spanish influence, it would also be an affront to Morocco's Muslims with its forbidden pork.  So many cultures, so much history, such a melange!

But whether you're serving carnivores or vegetarians, this simple, fragrant, fabulous dish is one you should absolutely try.

Chickpeas with Chorizo

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 small red onion, quartered, sliced
1 small roasted red pepper, quartered, sliced (from a jar is just fine)
6 ounces chorizo (soy or pork)
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
juice of half lemon
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
generous pinch freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and onion; saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is softening.  Add the remaining ingredients and bring just to a boil.  Cover the saucepan, turn heat down to low, and cook for 10 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Serve "as is" with bread, or serve it over couscous.  Serves 2-4.

Oh, My God, the House Smells Fabulous!!!

Although I have been sadly lax in the past year ... 2 years? ... or so, one of my favorite hobbies is entering cooking contests. You've gotta feed the family anyway, right??? So why not have some fun with new recipes, and possibly win prizes as well?

I've won or placed in more than 60 contests; I even found out the other day that I'm a finalist in a new one, though I can't say anything yet 'til I know what the outcome is. But I would like to get back into the kitchen again rather than throwing dinner together on the spur of the moment, which seems to have become my norm. Time for tinkering, of course, and inspiration are necessities; but without the former, it's kinda hard to de-frazzle ye olde brain long enough to find the latter.

But in seeking to happify my blog the other night with widgets and gadgets and cyber-tzotchkes so that it didn't seem quite so pink but plain, I found a very cool competition: the 7th Mediterranean Cooking Event, run by a blogger named Tobias who lives in Greece. Apparently Tobias picks a different country each month (last month was Italy), and then challenges the world to cook recipes representative of that cuisine. This month the spotlight falls upon Algeria, which is the next-door neighbor to my beloved Morocco.

Lots of fabulous, fragrant spices ... tagines and salads ... fruits and vegetables ... sigh. This is what Algerian cooking is all about. With so many options at my disposal -- a freezer door full of everything from coriander to turmeric, as well as dates and pistachios and whole wheat couscous in the pantry -- what might I make??? Carrots. A carrot dish that could be served warm with couscous or served chilled as a salad. It's rainy and dreary here, right before President Obama comes to honor Ann Arbor with a commencement speech at the University of Michigan. The gorgeous color of carrots would brighten my kitchen and my morning!

And so, here is my entry into the competition. Voting is required, so be sure to offer me some love when the time comes!!!

Glazed Spiced Carrots

1 pound baby carrots
water to cover carrots
3 tablespoons argan oil or extra-virgin olive oil
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons honey

Place the carrots into a 3-quart saucepan; cover with water, bring to a boil, and cook 10 minutes until tender. Drain carrots.


In a 10” skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add lemon juice, red pepper flakes, cumin seeds, coriander, ginger and salt; cook for 30 seconds, swirling the pan to blend everything. Add honey, cook for another 30 seconds while swirling the pan. Add carrots, stir to coat, and serve either warm or cold with a lovely glass of mint tea.