Anyway, last week I served this Moroccan tagine simply with couscous with some fresh minced coriander herbs stirred through it. In the past I have served this tagine with couscous wedges too.
For this dish, you will need some harissa. Harissa can purchased ready made in small jars at delicatessens or in tubes at some large supermarkets now, but I haven’t found a brand I like, as I find them too harsh. So I make my own home-made cheats version, its suits my taste buds, plus it stores well in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
To make this dish look celebratory, I decided to scatter some roasted butternut squash seeds lightly coated in garam masala. So why celebratory? Well my husband, D finally graduated with his PhD, so this meal had to have a little spark to it, hence the spiced seed confetti.
Vegan Moroccan Tagine with spiced seed confetti
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 large aubergine, cut into even sized cubes
½ butternut squash, peeled and cut into even sized cubes
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white onion
1 small red onion
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin seeds (1 teaspoon ground)
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, ground
1 – 2 red chillies, finely chopped (de-seed if you wish)
2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
60g dried apricots, cut in half
20g raisins
80g black olives, pitted and sliced
1 large floury potato, cut into even sized cubes
About 4 carrots, thickly sliced
1 x 400g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
A large bunch of coriander, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Method
In a roasting tray, add aubergine cubes and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and roast in oven for 20 – 30 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool
In another roasting tin, add butternut squash cutes and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and roast in oven for 20 minutes, until cooked through. Set aside to cool.Heat the remaining oil in a wide pan. Add the onion, cumin, coriander and chilli and cook gently for 2 minutes until the onions are softened and translucent. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato puree and cook for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, then add the carrots, apricots and raisins. Continue to cook for 40 - 45 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Add the olives, chickpeas, aubergine and butternut squash cubes, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, stir in coriander and season to taste.
For the Harissa sauce
50g large red chillies, sliced. I like to keep the seeds in for more heat, but feel free to deseed.
1 garlic clove
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 – 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon tomato puree
A pinch of salt
Method
60g dried apricots, cut in half
20g raisins
80g black olives, pitted and sliced
1 large floury potato, cut into even sized cubes
About 4 carrots, thickly sliced
1 x 400g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
A large bunch of coriander, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Method
In a roasting tray, add aubergine cubes and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and roast in oven for 20 – 30 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool
In another roasting tin, add butternut squash cutes and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and roast in oven for 20 minutes, until cooked through. Set aside to cool.Heat the remaining oil in a wide pan. Add the onion, cumin, coriander and chilli and cook gently for 2 minutes until the onions are softened and translucent. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato puree and cook for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, then add the carrots, apricots and raisins. Continue to cook for 40 - 45 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Add the olives, chickpeas, aubergine and butternut squash cubes, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, stir in coriander and season to taste.
For the Harissa sauce50g large red chillies, sliced. I like to keep the seeds in for more heat, but feel free to deseed.
1 garlic clove
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 – 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon tomato puree
A pinch of salt
Method
Blitz all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Simple as that.
