Vegetable Tagine with Chickpeas and Couscous

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups Couscous
• 1.5 cups Vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 medium Onion
• 2 medium Carrots
• 2 medium Zucchini
• 1 medium Eggplant
• 1 can Chickpeas
• 1 can Diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp Ras el hanout
• 0.5 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Salt
• 0.5 tsp Pepper
• 0.25 cup Fresh parsley

Instructions

1. 1Pour the 1.5 cups of vegetable broth into a medium saucepan and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the 1.5 cups of couscous, cover the saucepan tightly with a lid, and let it stand for 5 minutes until the broth is absorbed and the couscous is fluffy. Fluff the couscous with a fork and set it aside.
2. 2Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until the oil shimmers slightly.
3. 3While the oil heats, peel and dice the 1 medium onion into 1/2-inch pieces, and peel and slice the 2 medium carrots into 1/4-inch rounds. Add the diced onion and sliced carrots to the hot oil in the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion becomes translucent and the carrots begin to soften when pierced with a fork.
4. 4Cut the 2 medium zucchini and the 1 medium eggplant into 1/2-inch cubes. Add the cubed zucchini and eggplant to the pot with the onions and carrots, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, until the zucchini and eggplant start to soften and lose some of their raw firmness.
5. 5Drain and rinse the 1 can of chickpeas. Add the drained chickpeas, the 1 can of diced tomatoes (undrained), the 2 teaspoons of ras el hanout, and the 0.5 teaspoon of cinnamon to the pot. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
6. 6Stir in the 1 teaspoon of salt and the 0.5 teaspoon of pepper, mixing thoroughly.
7. 7Increase the heat to medium-high to bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low (maintain a very gentle bubble, approximately 200-220°F / 93-104°C). Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until all the vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork and the sauce has thickened slightly.
8. 8Finely chop the 0.25 cup of fresh parsley. Stir the chopped parsley into the tagine mixture and serve the hot vegetable tagine immediately over the prepared couscous.

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