Moroccan Chickpeas With Chard

Name: Moroccan Chickpeas With Chard
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Cuisine: moroccan
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons olive oil; 2 Spanish onions, chopped; 1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded if desired, chopped; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root; 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon sweet paprika; 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; Pinch of cayenne; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 fennel bulb, diced (save fronds for garnish); 1 very large bunch chard, stems sliced 1/2-inch thick, leaves torn into bite-size pieces; 2 carrots, peeled and diced; 1 large turnip, peeled and diced; 1 pound dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in water to cover or quick-soaked (see Tip); 1/3 cup diced dried apricots; 2 tablespoons chopped preserved lemon, more to taste; 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, more for garnish

By Melissa Clark

Updated Feb. 29, 2024

Moroccan Chickpeas With Chard — Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Total Time: 2½ hours, plus overnight soaking
Rating: 5(2,053)
Comments: Read comments

An array of aromatic spices, along with chopped dried apricots and preserved lemons give this chickpea stew a complex, deep flavor, while chard stems and leaves lighten and freshen it up. Served with couscous or flatbread, it’s a satisfying meatless meal on its own. Or serve it with roasted chicken, beef or lamb as a hearty side dish. If you can find rainbow chard, you’ll get the best color here, but any chard variety (red, Swiss, yellow) will work well.

Featured in: A Moroccan Stew With Spice and Sweetness

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

4tablespoons olive oil
2Spanish onions, chopped
1large jalapeño pepper, seeded if desired, chopped
4garlic cloves, minced
1teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
2½teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
1teaspoon ground turmeric
1teaspoon sweet paprika
¾teaspoon ground cinnamon
½teaspoon ground cumin
½teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne
2tablespoons tomato paste
1fennel bulb, diced (save fronds for garnish)
1very large bunch chard, stems sliced ½-inch thick, leaves torn into bite-size pieces
2carrots, peeled and diced
1large turnip, peeled and diced
1pound dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in water to cover or quick-soaked (see Tip)
⅓cup diced dried apricots
2tablespoons chopped preserved lemon, more to taste
½cup chopped cilantro, more for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

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Step 1
Heat oil in a large pot over high heat. Add onion and jalapeño and sauté until limp, 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, salt, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, cumin, black pepper and cayenne and sauté until they release their fragrance, about 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and sauté for another minute, until darkened but not burned. (If tomato paste looks too dark too quickly, lower heat.)
Step 2
Add fennel, chard stems, carrot and turnip and continue to sauté until vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes. Add chickpeas and water to barely cover.
Step 3
Return heat to high if you lowered it and bring to a simmer. Partly cover pot, lower heat to medium low, and simmer for about 1½ to 2 hours, until chickpeas are softened. Add more water if needed (this should be like a stew).
Step 4
Add chard leaves, apricots and preserved lemon to pot and continue simmering until chard is tender, about 5 minutes longer. Season with more salt if desired, and serve garnished with cilantro and reserved fennel fronds.

Tip

To quick-soak chickpeas, bring them to a boil in water to cover by 1 inch. Turn off the heat and let soak for 1 hour. Drain.

Ratings

5 out of 5

2,053 user ratings

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Comments

Englishman in Brooklyn7 years ago

Superb: delicious, healthy, economical. The recipe yields a great deal of food and it freezes well. Lots of opportunities to substitute here while staying true to the spirit of the dish: Try this with spinach if you've no chard; sub squash for turnip, etc. if you don't have preserved lemons on hand, simmer a diced lemon in a little olive oil, salt and sugar until it caramelises; stir in near the end of cooking.

Jen in Astoria7 years ago

Folks, as an FYI: You can cook dried chickpeas in bulk and then freeze them, for the convenience of canned minus the downsides. Also, after soaking my dry chickpeas overnight, I just put em in my Zojirushi rice cooker on the brown rice setting, water just to cover, and let em do their thing while I'm at work....

Lucy7 years ago

Use canned chickpeas. Dried ones were still not quite tender after 2 hours. Use modified version of Mark Bittmans recipe for preserved lemons. Dice organic lemon and mix with 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Let stand at room temperature for a few hours. Sunsweet brand apricots were wonderful.

Gail2 months ago

I agree with others who recommend that the chickpeas either be cooked separately in advance, (or use canned chickpeas) and add them toward the end of cooking. Otherwise, the vegetables are way too overcooked. Very delicious recipe that boasts a variety of flavors.

Kathryn3 months ago

One of my all time favorite stews! Such a delicious combination of flavors. This time I cooked the chickpeas for 15 minutes in the pressure cooker as another commenter mentioned and then simmered with the other ingredients for an hour. They were perfectly tender!

Brian3 months ago

Do you have add broth/water in this recipe?

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