WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
This spicy dish featuring turnips and chickpeas can be enjoyed as a side dish but is also hearty enough to serve on its own, as an entrée. It hails from Tunisia, in North Africa, where turnips are often incorporated into dishes. Tunisian food is also known for being quite hot and spicy. In Tunisia, fresh Baklouti chiles are the main source of heat, but here we opted for the readily available jalapeño pepper, which has a similar heat level. We added some extra punch with cayenne pepper. Once the aromatic foundation for this dish was in place, we added the turnips (cut into bite-size pieces so they would cook quickly and evenly) and chickpeas (canned, for streamlined convenience). Including the starchy chickpea liquid from the cans gave our sauce good flavor and body. A final touch of lemon juice was all this zesty dish needed before serving.
SERVES: 4 to 6
TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas
- 12 ounces turnips, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
- ¾ cup water, plus extra as needed
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus extra for seasoning
INSTRUCTIONS:
- HEAT OIL AND SAUTE: Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, bell peppers, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
- ADD FLAVOR AND SIMMER: Stir in tomato paste, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in chickpeas and their liquid, turnips, and water. Bring to simmer and cook until turnips are tender and sauce has thickened, 25 to 35 minutes.
- ADD FINISHING TOUCHES: Stir in parsley and lemon juice. Season with salt, pepper, and extra lemon juice to taste. Adjust consistency with extra hot water as needed.
- SERVE: Serve and enjoy!
