Chickpea Tagine

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 quart plus 2 tablespoons water
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• One 3-inch cinnamon stick
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
• 2 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
• One 14.5 ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
• Salt
• 2 small zucchini, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced preserved lemon rind
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
• Yogurt and harissa, for serving

Steps

1. In a saucepan, cover the chickpeas with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until tender, 45 minutes. Drain.
2. In a bowl, crumble the saffron in the 2 tablespoons of water; steep for 10 minutes.
3. In a deep skillet, cook the onion and gar­lic in the butter and oil over medium heat until golden, 8 minutes. Add the cumin, cin­namon stick and crushed red pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the saffron water, chickpeas, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, the quart of water and a large pinch of salt; bring to a boil, then simmer until the squash and potatoes are tender, 30 minutes.
4. Add the zucchini and the preserved lemon; simmer until the zucchini is tender, 5 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick. Season the tagine with salt and pepper and stir in the cilantro. Serve in bowls with yogurt and harissa.