Butternut & Chickpea Tagine

Fragrant, sweet and full of the delicious Moroccan flavours. This butterbean and chickpea Tagine served with a herby, spicy couscous will be on repeat.

WHAT IS A TAGINE?

Tagine is a North African dish and gets it's name from the conical-shaped stoneware pot in which it is traditionally cooked. Tagines are meant to cook low and slow, with the conical-shaped lid promoting steam circulation with very little water.

The Tagine dish is traditionally made with meats and vegetables, but this recipe is made with vegetables only.

DON'T HAVE A TAGINE POT?

Not to worry, a Dutch oven or heavy, thick-walled pot, such as a cast iron pot, work just fine. Just make sure it has a lid that fits tight as the purpose is to promote steam circulation to cook the vegetable..

As most stews, this tagine gets better over time and tastes even better the next day.

MEAL PREP

Make a double portion and freeze it for an easy midweek dinner. Simply let it defrost in the fridge overnight or at room temperature before re-heating.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

• a herby, spicy couscous (recipe below)

• brown or white rice

• cooked spelt pearls

• polenta

• flatbread

• pomegranate seeds

• chopped almonds

• fresh herbs
  

Vegan Butternut and Chickpea Tagine

TO MAKE THIS YOU WILL NEED

• A medium sized butternut

• a can cooked chickpeas

• a can plum tomatoes or crushed tomatoes

• a brown onion

• fresh garlic cloves

• dried apricots

• Ras El Hanout spice mix

• Harissa paste

• ground turmeric

• ground paprika

• Sea salt and crushed black pepper

• date syrup (optional)

• fresh parsley

• flaked or slivered almonds for serving

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS

• Substitute the dried apricots with raisins

• Replace the turmeric with saffron

• Add fresh coriander leaves

• Substitute the butternut for sweet potato

OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Aubergine & Butterbean Stew

greens, beans and vegan sausage stew

aubergine, lentil & mushroom ragu

vegan Palestinian stew (Sumagiyya)

VEGAN BUTTERNUT & CHICKPEA TAGINE

A fragrant, sweet and full of flavour Tagine, made with butterbean and chickpeas. Serve this delicious and comforting tagine with a herby couscous and slivered almonds. Delicious!

Serves: 3 - 4

Time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE TAGINE

• 500g butternut, peeled and cubed into bite size pieces

• 1 can cooked chickpeas, drained

• 1 can plum tomatoes

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 large brown onion, finely diced

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed into a paste

• 1 tbsp Ras el hanout spice mix

• 1 tsp harissa paste

• 1/2 tsp ground paprika

• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric

• 1 tsp date syrup (optional)

• 8 - 10 dried apricots, roughly chopped

• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

• Sea salt and crushed black pepper

FOR THE COUSCOUS

(Serves 3 - 4)

• 240g couscous

• 300ml boiling water

• 1/2 - 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley or coriander

• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (or more to taste), optional

• a little bit of lemon zest (optional)

TO SERVE

• Slivered or flaked almonds

• more finely chopped fresh parsley

• pomegranate seeds (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat a heavy rimmed pot on low. Add the olive oil and onion and cook for about 7 - 8 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Stir every now and then.

2. Add the crushed garlic and fry for a further 2 or 3 minutes.

3. Next, add the butternut pieces. Season generously with sea salt and cook for about 5 minutes, but stir every now.

4. Add the Ras el hanout, ground paprika and turmeric and mix well. Cook for another 2 - 3 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid the spices from burning.

5. Add the harissa paste, plum tomatoes, dried apricots and date syrup. Fill the empty tomatoes can half-full with hot water and add that to the sauce. Use a spoon or spatula to crush the tomatoes into smaller pieces, if needed.

6. Bring to boil and cover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes.

7. After 30 minutes, give the sauce a stir, add the cooked chickpeas and the fresh parsley. Add more water if needed. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the lid, for the last 5 minutes of cooking time, to help reduce the sauce. This helps intensify the flavours.

8. In the meantime, add the couscous and chilli flakes (if using) to a bowl. Pour the boiling water over and tightly cover the bowl with cling film. Leave it for 10 minutes to steam.

9. After 10 minutes, use a fork to separate the steamed couscous pearls. Add the herbs, lemon zest (if using) and season with a little bit salt and pepper. Mix well.

10. Serve the tagine with the couscous. Sprinkle with a few almonds and more herbs (if desired).

HAVE YOU MADE THIS?

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