Zucchini and chickpea tagine

Name: Zucchini and chickpea tagine
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Marinid Morocco & Maghreb
Ingredients: 500 g zucchini (about 3–4 medium), cut into 3cm chunks; 400 g tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 200g dried, soaked overnight and cooked); 2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced; 3 cloves garlic, finely minced; 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1.5 tsp ras el hanout; 1 tsp ground cumin; 0.5 tsp ground turmeric; 0.5 tsp sweet paprika; 1 tsp harissa paste (or more to taste); 400 g tinned whole tomatoes, roughly broken up; 200 ml water or vegetable stock; 0.5 preserved lemon, flesh discarded, skin rinsed and finely chopped; 1 handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped; couscous or flatbread, to serve

Moroccan tagine of zucchini, chickpeas and preserved lemon

Origin: Marinid Morocco & Maghreb

From the journey of Zucchini.

The tagine (both the conical earthenware cooking vessel and the long-braised preparation made within it) is the defining culinary form of Moroccan and broader Maghrebi cooking. The slow cooking of vegetables and legumes in olive oil with aromatic spices, preserved aromatics, and the pungent salt-acid intensity of preserved lemon creates a flavour architecture that is distinctively North African: warm spices (ras el hanout) against cool coriander, deep cumin against the sharp brightness of lemon peel, the sweetness of slow-cooked onion against the earthiness of chickpeas. Squash and zucchini entered Moroccan cooking via Ottoman trade networks after the Columbian Exchange; New World vegetables adopted enthusiastically into a cuisine that was already sophisticated in the handling of vegetable preparations. In the hands of Fassi cooks (from Fez, considered the heartland of refined Moroccan cuisine), the mild sweetness of zucchini pairs naturally with the warm-spiced, citrus-bright tagine broth: the vegetable absorbs the cooking liquid without disintegrating, contributing body and gentle sweetness while the chickpeas provide protein and texture. Preserved lemon; qidra, made by packing whole lemons in salt and leaving them to ferment for months until the bitterness of the pith transforms into a mellow, complex salinity; is the irreplaceable flavour anchor of Moroccan cooking. Without it, this dish tastes pleasant; with it, it tastes complete.

Ingredients

Main

500 g zucchini (about 3–4 medium), cut into 3cm chunks
400 g tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 200g dried, soaked overnight and cooked)

Aromatics

2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated

Cooking

2 tbsp olive oil

Spices

1.5 tsp ras el hanout
1 tsp ground cumin
0.5 tsp ground turmeric
0.5 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp harissa paste (or more to taste)

Liquid

400 g tinned whole tomatoes, roughly broken up
200 ml water or vegetable stock

Preserved

0.5 preserved lemon, flesh discarded, skin rinsed and finely chopped

To Serve

1 handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
couscous or flatbread, to serve

Method

Heat the olive oil in a tagine or wide, heavy casserole over medium heat. Add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and beginning to turn golden at the edges. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the ras el hanout, cumin, turmeric, and paprika to the onions. Stir and cook for 1 minute until the spices are fragrant and coating the onions. Add the harissa paste and stir through.
Add the broken tomatoes and the water or stock. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Add the drained chickpeas and the chopped preserved lemon skin. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the zucchini chunks, pushing them down into the broth. Cover tightly and cook over gentle heat for 20–25 minutes until the zucchini is tender throughout but not falling apart, and the sauce has thickened around the chickpeas.
Scatter fresh coriander generously over the surface. Serve directly from the tagine at the table with steamed couscous or warm flatbread. A drizzle of argan oil or extra olive oil over the finished dish is a Moroccan refinement.

Notes

Ras el hanout (literally 'top of the shop'; the best the spice merchant has to offer) varies enormously by maker, but typically includes ginger, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, cardamom, and sometimes dried rose petals. It is available at Middle Eastern grocers and increasingly at supermarkets. Good ras el hanout makes a noticeable difference to this dish. Preserved lemons are sold at Middle Eastern and North African grocers and can be made at home (though they take a month). If unavailable, substitute with the zest of one lemon and an extra pinch of salt; different, but workable.

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control