Chickpea Summer Veggie Tagine

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450ºF.
2. Cut the eggplant and potatoes into 1 inch thick rounds. Cut the 1/2 inch thick rounds.
3. Place the eggplant, zucchini, and potatoes on separate baking sheets. Drizzle each tray with about two tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and toss to coat. Spread the vegetables in an even layer, and roast until they're golden and tender, flipping the vegetables when their bottoms have caramelized using a thin metal spatula. The zucchini will take about 20 minutes, the potatoes and eggplant 30-40 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the bell peppers over an open, medium flame and roast, turning frequently with a pair of tongs, until the skin is blackened and blistered all over. Let the peppers cool, then peel away and discard the skin, stem and seeds. Slice the peppers lengthwise into quarters, then cut the quarters crosswise into quarter inch thick slices.
5. In a dry skillet, toast the cumin seeds over a medium flame until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Let cool, then grind in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
6. Peel the onions, halve them, then slice them thinly. Peel and chop the garlic finely. Heat remaining half of olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, ground cumin, sweet and smoked paprika, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon stick, saffron, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are tender, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, lower the heat a bit, and continue cooking until the onions are very tender, 5-10 minutes more.
7. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and add them to the pot (with their juices).
8. Add the chickpeas to the pot of onions along with 4 cups of filtered water. Add the roasted eggplants, zucchini, potatoes and bell peppers. Bring the tagine to a bare simmer, and cook gently, stirring once or twice, until the tomatoes are beginning to break down, 10-15 minutes.
9. When the tagine is done, remove the pot from the heat.
10. Coarsely chop the parsley and juice half the lemons. Then stir the parsley and lemon juice into the tagine. Add more lemon or salt to your taste. Serve the tagine warm, with a dollop of thick yogurt.