Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1/2 pound dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in water to cover with a pinch of baking soda, skins removed if you can and discarded
- 2 cups rich beef stock
- 1 tsp. MSG (VERY optional TFD addition, omit if you prefer)
- 4 garlic cloves, halved
- 1 bay leaf
- Bottled water as needed
- Olive oil to taste
- 1/2 tsp. freshly-ground sajira or cumin (TFD strongly prefers sajira)
- 1/2 tsp. freshly-ground caraway
- 3 Tbsp. brined capers
- Salt, to taste
- ***
- 2 Tbsp. oil (TFD prefers argan oil)
- 1 cup minced onion
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. or more to taste crushed garlic
- 3 Tbsp. (or to taste) Hirshon harissa (strongly preferred) or a good commercial harissa
- ***
- Garnishes:
- Stale bread chunks
- Eggs (1 per person)
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Brine from capers
- Harissa
- Pickled peppers – TFD prefers pickled jalapeños and biquiño
- Green Olives
- Oil-cured Black Olives
- Canned tuna in Olive oil – TFD strongly prefers Ortiz brand
- Chopped preserved lemon rind
- Freshly-ground sajira
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine chickpeas with the beef stock, optional MSG, garlic halves, bay leaf, some olive oil, a pinch of salt, and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to the oven to simmer slowly until tender, about 3 hours. Put back on stove over low heat.
- Add the capers, sajira, caraway and stir well, simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and add either lemon juice or caper brine as required to taste, plus salt to taste.
- In a large skillet over medium-high, heat argan oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tsp. salt, plus harissa and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute.
- Add a splash of the chickpea cooking liquid to the pan, and bring to a simmer to deglaze, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Turn off heat. Combine with chickpea broth, adding some broth to pan to deglaze.
- Add a slice of stale bread to the bottom of 4 bowls. Ladle out most of the chickpeas, dividing between the bowls.
- Poach eggs in the remaining broth, 1-2 per person, maintaining a steady simmer. The chickpeas remaining in the pot will keep them from sticking to the bottom. For a cleaner presentation you can also poach the eggs separately, or fry them over easy.
- Once the egg whites are set, gently remove them to each bowl, divide the hot broth evenly, and add garnishes as you like.