Squash and Chickpea Tagine

From the garden

• 2 lb winter squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1.5-inch chunks
• 1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

From the pantry

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional) · for a harissa-style edge
• 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1½ cups bulgur · for serving; couscous is the classic bed if you have it
• 1 lemon, half juiced, half cut into wedges
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Warm the olive oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and cook the onion with a good pinch of salt until soft and gold at the edges, about 8 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic, ginger, cumin, smoked paprika, and pepper flakes and cook about 1 minute, keeping everything moving, until the spices smell toasted rather than dusty.
3. Add the squash, chickpeas, crushed tomatoes, and stock and bring to a simmer. The liquid should come roughly two thirds of the way up the squash; top up with water if it does not.
4. Cover and simmer gently 25–30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until a chunk of squash gives easily to a spoon but still holds its shape. Uncover for the last 10 minutes if the sauce looks thin.
5. Cook the bulgur while the pot simmers: pour 3 cups boiling salted water over it, cover, and let it stand 15 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
6. Finish the tagine off the heat with the lemon juice and most of the cilantro, then taste hard for salt and pepper. Spoon over the bulgur with the remaining cilantro and lemon wedges.