michelle picker cooks

Although I’ve never eaten at a Christine Manfield restaurant, this recipe is so impressive in its wonderful balance of flavours that I intend to soon own some of her cook books.

Soak 1 cup dried chickpeas overnight. Drain and place in a saucepan with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until tender. Drain again. In a bowl crumble ¼ of a teaspoon of saffron threads in 2 tablespoons of water and steep for 10 minutes. In a deep saucepan, cook a finely diced large onion and 2 thinly sliced cloves of garlic in a tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil over moderate heat until golden. Add 2 teaspoons of ground cumin, a cinnamon stick and a ¼ of a teaspoon of crushed red pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the saffron water, chickpeas, 225g (½ a lb) of peeled and diced butternut squash, 2 peeled and diced medium red potatoes, a can of chopped tomatoes, a litre (a quart) of water and a large pinch of salt. Bring to boil and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Add 2 diced small zucchini, and 1 tablespoon of minced preserved lemon rind and continue to cook until the zucchini is tender. Discard the cinnamon stick and season the tagine with salt and pepper. Serve in bowls with yogurt and chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.