Moroccan Vegetable Tagine

The Washington Post, November 30, 2005

• • Cuisine: African
• • Course: Side Dish
• • Features: Meatless

Summary:

This tagine, wrapped in foil packets with its rich, deep red sauce, is set off nicely atop a mound of couscous and garnished with chopped scallions. Make sure the leek is washed and thoroughly free of grit.

The packets can be assembled for baking and refrigerated up to 1 day in advance.

*Note: Parboiling is partially cooking food by briefly boiling it in water. The process ensures that multiple ingredients of different densities will complete cooking at the same time.

2 generous servings

Ingredients:

• • 1 medium leek, halved lengthwise, cut into 1-inch squares
• • 1 medium red pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares
• • 1 small zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes
• • 1 small yellow squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
• • 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes and parboiled* for 3 minutes
• • 1 small sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes and parboiled for 3 minutes
• • 1 cup (4 ounces) sugar snap peas
• • 2 cloves garlic , smashed
• • 1 bay leaf
• • 2 tablespoons finely chopped, cleaned cilantro stems
• • 1 tablespoon chopped oregano
• • 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
• • 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained
• • 2 tablespoons Moroccan Rub (see related recipe)
• • Chopped scallions, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Set an oven rack on the middle level and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the ingredients.

Place a 22-inch-long piece of aluminum foil on the work surface. Line the vegetables down the center, leaving a 4-inch border on each end and a 2-inch border on each side. Place a 24-inch-long piece of foil on the top and mold it over the packet ingredients. Starting with one of the long sides, fold the bottom foil edge a half-inch over the top foil edge and seal firmly using your index finger. Make another 1/2-inch fold and seal firmly. Repeat until you reach the enclosed mound. Seal the other long side, and then seal the ends in the same fashion, making the packet as airtight as possible.

Place on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. (The packet will puff up during baking.) Transfer to a work surface and, being careful to avoid the escaping steam, use scissors to open a rectangle in the top of the packet. Discard the bay leaf and the packet foil. Spoon the vegetables and the sauce over the Easy Breezy Couscous and garnish with chopped scallions, if desired. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Packet cooking tips:

Packets are perfect foils for home cooks who have either little time on their hands or remote controls in them. Here are some tips to keep in mind for foil-packet cooking:

* Mold the top piece of foil closely to the ingredients to make the packet as airtight as possible.

* Do not let the packet contents poke holes in the foil. Heavy-duty foil is less likely to be breached.

* Make sure the seals are tight. With each folding of the foil, press the crease firmly with the index finger. Make at least three folds so the seals can withstand the pressure of the steam within the packets.

* If ingredient substitutions are made, make sure everything in the assembled packet will cook to doneness at the same rate of speed. (This is why the sweet potatoes and carrots in the tagine and the new potatoes in the salmon packet are parboiled ahead of time.)

* Take care when opening the packets to avoid getting burned from steam. Use scissors to cut out an initial rectangle just inside the perimeter of the folds.

Recipe Source:

Adapted from chef and former restaurateur David Hagedorn.

451 calories, 3g fat, n/a saturated fat, n/a cholesterol, 849mg sodium, 101g carbohydrates, 21g dietary fiber, n/a sugar, 15g protein.