Okra & Chickpea Tagine

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 lb okra, stem ends trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (fresh or frozen)
• 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 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 3 plum tomatoes, diced or 1 cup drained canned diced tomato
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth or 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon harissa (tunisian chile paste) or 1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce or 1 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste)

Recipe

• 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.