A fragrant chickpea tagine captures the essence of a Moroccan classic

The subtitle of Steve Sando’s latest cookbook is “100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans.” And this is no understatement: With his wildly popular company, Rancho Gordo, Sando has made heirloom bean varieties so popular that his quarterly membership-club shipments go out to tens of thousands of customers — and tens of thousands more are on the waiting list.

In “The Bean Book” (Ten Speed Press, 2024), before a reader gets to a single recipe, Sando lays out descriptions and photos for 50 heirloom varieties — Mexico’s Chiapas black, Tuscany’s Zolfino and California’s King City Pink among them — along with references to the recipe (or recipes) that call for them. All kinds of beans indeed.

I’m not a member of his bean club, mostly because in researching my own 2020 cookbook, “Cool Beans,” I needed to experiment with legumes from multiple sources. But I’ve been a fan (and customer) of Sando’s company for more than 15 years, ever since The Washington Post became the first national publication to feature his work.

In fact, Sando has long informed so much of my bean cooking, in both theory and practice. In addition to his thoughts on whether to soak beans (it’s not mandatory) and the “quick-soak” method (a time waster), I appreciate Sando’s opinion that when the beans are of such high quality and freshness, the best way to experience them is probably the simplest: without meat.

Sando once told me once that one of his favorite things about cooking with heirloom beans is that while they have distinct qualities — some softer and creamier, some grainier and starchier, some lighter, some richer — they can substitute for one another pretty seamlessly, especially within broad categories.

It’s no surprise that he extols the virtues of cooking beans from dried, which gives you an incredibly versatile byproduct: the cooking liquid. Still, many of his recipes call for precooked beans, meaning that if you get into the habit (as I always do) of simmering a pot every week or so, you can slot them into various recipes as inspiration strikes.

“The Bean Book” is chock full of such inspiration, even for someone like me who once thought he had discovered virtually every bean dish in the world, only to realize just how limitless their possibilities really are. I’ve often said I could imagine a delicious chickpea version of just about any chicken dish, but one I hadn’t thought of is right there in Sando’s book. For Chickpea Tagine, he took his cues from a classic Moroccan chicken tagine, with one obvious swap, and I couldn’t resist trying it.

With its heady combination of ginger, cinnamon, saffron, olives, herbs and preserved lemon, this is one of the most highly perfumed dishes I can remember cooking. After 45 minutes of gentle cooking, lift off the lid (conical if you’re making it in the namesake Moroccan clay vessel), and the aromas curl up and into your kitchen, calling all eaters so much more effectively than any dinner bell.

It also happens to be easier to cook (no browning of the protein required) and eat (no bones to cut around). Just scoop it right up, bite after delectable bite.

Chickpea Tagine

Chickpeas get the tagine treatment with a Moroccan-style combination of warming, aromatic and briny flavors from ginger, saffron, cinnamon, preserved lemons, olives and more. The dish is based on a typical chicken tagine formula, instead using chickpeas that you cook from dried rather than using canned — because that silky bean-cooking liquid is an essential ingredient. Don’t worry if you don’t have the clay cooking vessel also known as a tagine; this works beautifully in a shallow skillet or braiser with a lid, too. Eat with flatbread, rice or couscous.

Make ahead: The chickpeas need to be cooked in advance; you can refrigerate them for up to 4 days before making the dish.

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Where to buy: Preserved lemons can be found in well-stocked supermarkets, international markets or online.

2 tablespoons warm water

¼ teaspoon saffron threads

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium red onion (8 ounces), chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely grated or pressed

½ teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste

1 small preserved lemon, rind thinly sliced and pulp chopped (see related recipe and Where to buy)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups cooked, drained chickpeas, plus ¾ cup reserved chickpea broth (see related recipe)

1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

Freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, stir together the water and saffron, letting it bloom.

In a large, shallow, lidded pan (or a Moroccan tagine, if you have one) over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and stir to coat in the oil. Mash the garlic and salt to form a paste and add to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant but without browning the aromatics, about 5 minutes.

Add the preserved lemon, parsley, cilantro, lemon juice, ginger, cinnamon, and saffron and its water, and cook, stirring, until the flavors start to meld, about 2 minutes.

Arrange the chickpeas on top and scatter the olives over them. Pour the chickpea broth into the pan, cover and simmer gently until the chickpeas are very tender, the mixture has cooked down slightly and the flavors have fully melded, about 45 minutes.

Season to taste with black pepper, garnish with more cilantro and serve hot.

Serves 4 (makes 4 cups)

Nutritional information per serving (1 cup): 362 calories, 16 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 44 g carbohydrates, 500 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol, 12 g protein, 11 g fiber, 11 g sugar.

— Adapted from “The Bean Book” by Steve Sando with Julia Newberry (Ten Speed Press, 2024).