I came across this recipe on a sheet of paper tucked into an old book of mine. I don't remember who gave it to me and don't recognize the handwriting. Since I also don't remember ever eating this stew, I decided I should make it. And I am so glad that I did; I absolutely loved it and had two huge bowls of it. Spicy, tangy, just the right amount of heat...That being said, I don't know how authentic it is since I always associate dried lime with Iraq and Oman rather than Palestine, but am no expert in those cuisines so I could be wrong.
The only change that I made to the recipe was to substitute equal amounts of ground nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves for allspice which I didn't have. You can either rehydrate your dried chickpeas by covering them with cold water and leaving them overnight or, you can cover them with boiling water the next morning and let them sit all day until you need them. Either way, rinse them well before using.
3 cups dried chickpeas
2 packages frozen chopped spinach
1 large red onion, peeled, halved, and cut into half moon slices
1 jalapeno pepper, pricked on all sides with a fork
1/3 cup finely chopped preserved lemon
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp cumin
2 tsps turmeric
2 tsps coriander powder
1/4 tsp saffron
1 tsp allspice (or 1/2 of a teaspoon each cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves)
Salt to taste
Add the oil to a large stockpot. As soon as the oil is shimmering, add the onion, jalapeno, dried lime and all of the spices but not the salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onion is starting to soften and the spices smell fragrant.
Add the rinsed chickpeas to the pan and measure in 8 cups of water. Cover the pan, and let simmer for 30 minutes. At the 30 minute mark, salt the chickpeas liberally and taste the broth. If it is spicy enough for you, remove the jalapeno. If not allow it to simmer along with the rest of the dish for an additional 30 minutes, Check the dish when you have 15 minutes left to go as some chickpeas will soak up all the liquid and you risk them catching and burning. You can add an additional cup of water if that happens.
When the hour is up, stir in the chopped spinach and let the stew come back to a rolling simmer until the spinach is heated through.
Remove from the heat and add the chopped preserved lemon and 1/4 cup of the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning. You may need some more salt, want some more cumin, or feel that you should add the rest of the lemon juice (I did). Remove the jalapeno and dried lime before serving.
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