- 1 red onion
- 2 courgettes
- 500g sweet potatoes
- 50g dried apricots
- 1 garlic clove
- A handful of coriander
- 1 lemon
- 2 x 400g tins of chickpeas
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 400g chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 900ml boiling water
- 1.
Peel and finely chop the onion. Warm a casserole, tagine or large pan over a medium-low heat for 2 mins. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and the onion. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Pop on the lid and gently sweat for 10 mins, stirring once or twice, till the onion has softened.
- 2.
While the onion sweats, trim the courgettes, halve them and slice them into half-moons around 1cm thick. Peel the sweet potatoes and chop them into bite-size chunks. Stir the courgettes and sweet potatoes into the onion. Put the lid back on the pan and sweat for another 10 mins.
- 3.
While the veg sweat, finely chop the dried apricots. Peel and grate or crush the garlic. Finely chop the coriander stalks (keep the leaves for later). Quarter the lemon to make 4 wedges. Drain the chickpeas and give them a good rinse.
- 4.
Stir the apricots, garlic and coriander stalks into the veg. Add 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp each turmeric and coriander seeds and drop in the cinnamon stick. Cook and stir for 1 min.
- 5.
Tip the chickpeas into the pan and add the chopped tomatoes. Squeeze the lemon wedges over the pan to add in the juice, then drop the lemon wedges in too. Pour in 900ml boiling water. Pop a lid on the pan, turn the heat up and bring to the boil. Once it’s boiling, turn the heat down and simmer for 20 mins till the veg are tender.
- 6.
Taste the tagine and add a pinch more salt or pepper if you think it needs it. Fish the cinnamon stick and the lemon wedges out of the tagine. Ladle it into warm bowls and serve garnished with the coriander leaves.
- Tip
Keep me & eat me
This tagine will keep in the fridge for 3 days or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. Simply divide the tagine into individual portions, cool them down completely and then freeze in freezerproof tubs. Defrost overnight and reheat till piping hot. - Tip
Extra, extra
This tagine makes a tasty bowlful but itself, but you can make it go further by serving it with wholewheat couscous - allow around 50g dried couscous per person - or crusty bread. If you'd like to make a meatier version, swap 1 of the cans of chickpeas for 500g diced chicken breast or leg and fry it till browned before you fry the onion. Scoop out of the pan and set aside while you follow the recipe. Then add the chicken in with 1 can of the chickpeas and follow to recipe to finish cooking it.