Okra Chickpea Tagine

Traditional Moroccan Okra Chickpea Tagine. This quick and easy okra and chickpea stew tagine is full of Moroccan flavors. The name “tagine” refers to the two-part, cone-shaped casserole dish in which countless slow-cooked Moroccan dishes are prepared. You don’t need to prepare this in a tagine dish, it works well in a large saucepan, but if you have one, here’s a chance to use it.

Ingredients - Okra Chickpea Tagine:

1 pound fresh or frozen okra, stem ends trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
10 sprigs fresh cilantro, plus more leaves for garnish
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 plum tomatoes, diced, or 1 cup drained canned diced tomatoes
1/2 cup vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon harissa or hot sauce, or to taste

Preparation - Okra Chickpea Tagine:

1. Place a large bowl of ice water next to the stove. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add okra and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the okra with a slotted spoon to the ice water. Drain.

2. Tie cilantro sprigs together with kitchen string.

3. Heat oil in a tagine dish set over a heat diffuser or a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper. Cook, stirring, until soft, 2 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

4. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, 3 to 6 minutes. Mix in tomatoes, broth, cumin, the okra, cilantro sprigs and half the bell pepper. Reduce heat to medium; partially cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the okra is soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and salt; cook for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat; discard the cilantro sprigs. Stir in harissa (or hot sauce). Serve sprinkled with the remaining bell pepper and cilantro leaves, if desired.

Serves 6

Tip: Harissa is a fiery Tunisian chile paste commonly used in North African cooking. Harissa in a tube will be much hotter than that in a jar. You can substitute Chinese or Thai chile-garlic sauce for it.