'Come to my door at any hour,
Even if your eyes
Are frightened by my light.
My heart and arms are open
And need no rest -
They will always welcome you
Come in my dear - from that harsh world'
Hafiz
Got guests? If your a chickpea lover and want to try something new and delicious. exotic and extremely tasty... (and also have no will to chop any vegetables other than perhaps one or two onions)... then check this delicious dish out. Simple. tasty. Moroccan. (supposedly). I loved it. I hope you will to!
For me there is nothing more special than having guests at home. Some how, all of that love, and gentleness, the effort, and energy, the chitter chatter and laughter, the getting to know each other and bonding with those that you have loved for so long already - it warms my soul.
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The only thing I didn't do was read the recipe properly, so when I served my guests their plates... I realised that there were hardly any chickpeas left! (there is the possibility that I kind of freaked out when preparing, so I may have cooked it for an hour or so longer than I should have...) So I wasn't really sure how to make them believe that this is a chickpea Tagine! 'well, whatever it is.... it's delicious!' was the response! Hence the name.. the Magicaly Melting Chickpea ;)
The dish is delicious. Both the chicken and the chickpeas have to be melt in your mouth to make this dish good, so if you find the chickpeas crunchy or the chicken a little tough... my advice is to bung it all in the pressure cooker a little longer while you amuse your guests with some mint tea and chitter chatter :)
The dish is delicious. Both the chicken and the chickpeas have to be melt in your mouth to make this dish good, so if you find the chickpeas crunchy or the chicken a little tough... my advice is to bung it all in the pressure cooker a little longer while you amuse your guests with some mint tea and chitter chatter :)
Sultana's Tips!
My adaptations to the recipe as I find it the easiest way to remember that; we don't always have everything at hand, everything can be done slightly differently, and there are some things, that just can never be left out
My advise with this recipe would be to cook the chickpeas put the chickpeas for the whole hour an a half - 2 hours... not 3 hours like I did! if you would like them to keep their shape.. other wise.. expect absolutely delicious Magically Melting Chickpea Tagine with Chicken and bulgur Rice..
You may also choose to cook the Bulgur rice separately... I have tried both, and equally as delicious. I find that Bulgur has a very delicate taste anyway which is a nice contrast to the stew. I have also had this recipe with Bulgur at all... just with home made bread and home made yoghurt balls.. also extremely delicious!
So.. this recipe called for thighs... I did not have thighs.. I had little wings and random bits of chicken. I have to say it made everything a little more hands on! (Its quite difficult to be dainty with a chicken wing).. so.. think carefully before choosing your parts ;)
Finally, I would say that I got very comfortable with this recipe too early on.. on my second try, I started experimenting with left over roast vegetables.. chucking them in with the chickpeas.. swapping real tomatoes for tomatoe puree when desperate etc... I would say... don't do that.. at least not at the beginning.. (Its a lesson for myself really!) this recipe is perfect because of the balance everything has.. don't try and change it!
So.. this recipe called for thighs... I did not have thighs.. I had little wings and random bits of chicken. I have to say it made everything a little more hands on! (Its quite difficult to be dainty with a chicken wing).. so.. think carefully before choosing your parts ;)
Finally, I would say that I got very comfortable with this recipe too early on.. on my second try, I started experimenting with left over roast vegetables.. chucking them in with the chickpeas.. swapping real tomatoes for tomatoe puree when desperate etc... I would say... don't do that.. at least not at the beginning.. (Its a lesson for myself really!) this recipe is perfect because of the balance everything has.. don't try and change it!
Without further - a do ....
Happy Cooking!
The Magical Melting Moroccan Chickpea and Chicken Tagine
2 cups bean-cooking liquid, stock, or water, or more as needed
Salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 bone-in chicken thighs
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger (powder is fine)
1 tablespoon cumin
11⁄2 teaspoons coriander
11⁄2 teaspoons cinnamon
1⁄2 cup raisins, chopped dates, or currants
1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned are fine; include their juice)
1⁄2 cup bulgur
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
1. Put 125g Chickpeas in a bowl and cover with 1 1/2 inch water, leave to rest overnight
2. In the morning, put the chickpeas, Bay leaves and 1 crushed garlic in a pan. For every cup of chickpeas, add 1 cup of water. Boil for 1 1/2 hours in a normal pan, or for 45 minutes in a pressure cooker on full heat until chickpeas are tender
3. Put the chickpeas and the liquid in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Adjust the heat so the mixture barely bubbles.
4. Meanwhile, put the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the skillet. Cook, turning and rotating as necessary, until it’s brown on both sides, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Add the chicken to the pot of beans.
5. Add the chicken to the pot of beans.
6. Turn the heat down to medium in the frying pan, leaving in the fat... and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, raisins, and tomato; cook and stir just long enough to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
8. Transfer the mixture to the chick peas and adjust the heat so the mixture returns to a gentle bubble.
7. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, raisins, and tomato; cook and stir just long enough to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
8. Transfer the mixture to the chick peas and adjust the heat so the mixture returns to a gentle bubble.
9. Cover the pot and cook, checking occasionally to make sure the mixture is bubbling gently, for 20 to 30 minutes.
10. Stir the bulgur into the bottom of the pot; it should be covered with about 1 inch of liquid. If not, add more water.
11. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and the bulgur is done, another 10 to 15 minutes.
Beware... Some... if not all of your chickpeas will Magically Melt and disappear!
Serve it up with Love!
Interesting recipe! I like legumes in all variations, and often prepare Baked Beans. I will definitely try this.
ReplyDeleteI just realized: you mention bay leaves and crushed garlic for the cooking of the soaked chickpeas. How many bay leaves? This garlic clove is extra, too?