- 3 red onions
- 3 courgettes
- 500g carrots
- 3 garlic cloves
- A handful of coriander
- 1 cayenne chilli
- A pinch or two of harissa
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 400g chopped tomatoes
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 1 lemon
- 500g bulgar wheat
- A handful of dill
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 750ml boiling water
- 1.
Peel 2 red onions and thinly slice them (save the third onion for later in the recipe). Trim the courgettes and dice them into small chunks. Trim the carrots and cut them into thin batons (no need to peel them unless you want to).
- 2.
Pour 1 tbsp olive oil into a large pan and warm to a medium heat. Slide in the chopped carrots, onions and courgettes. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 10 mins, stirring occasionally, till the veg are slightly softened.
- 3.
While the veg fry, peel and crush or finely grate the garlic. Halve the chilli, flicking out the seeds and membrane for less heat, then finely chop the chilli. Separate the coriander leaves and stalks. Pop the leaves aside for later, and thinly slice the stalks.
- 4.
Stir a pinch or 2 of harissa into the veg (harissa is spicy, so use as much or as little as you prefer) along with 1 tbsp each ground cumin and turmeric. Add the chopped coriander stalks, chilli and garlic. Cook and stir for a further 2 mins.
- 5.
Tip in the chopped tomatoes. Pour in 750ml boiling water and crumble in the stock cube. Stir, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 mins.
- 6.
Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice the remaining red onion and slide it into a bowl. Finely grate the lemon zest into the bowl and squeeze over the juice. Add a little salt, then scrunch the onions and lemon together with your hands and set aside. The lemon and salt will lightly pickle the onion, taking away its raw edge.
- 7.
Pour the bulgar wheat into the pan and stir. Pop a lid on the pan and remove it from the heat. Set aside for 15 mins. The bulgar will suck up the liquid and become tender.
- 8.
Finely shred the dill. When the bulgar wheat is tender, stir the chopped dill through the dish, along with the quick pickled onion and its lemony pickling liquid, and the coriander leaves. Stir in 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, then spoon into bowls and serve.
- Tip
Keep & Eat
The tagine will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. Simply divide it into portions, cool and then chill or freeze in airtight tubs. Make sure you defrost it completely before reheating and that it is piping hot all the way through when you serve it. - Tip
Feed more mouths
This tagine will happily feed 6 people on it's own, but add a few dishes on the side to turn it into a real feast. A refreshing salad of cherry tomatoes, roasted beetroot and red onions scattered with fresh herbs and sumach will add a refreshing twist. A bowlful of crispy roasted flatbreads, broken into pieces, will aid scooping tender mouthfuls of tagine.