VEGETABLE TAGINE

Ingredients

1 tin chickpeas
1 large onion
2 medium sweet potatoes, around 200g
1 large aubergine
150g baby carrots
2 baby marrows
30g Turkish apricots
45ml olive oil
10g ginger
1 clove garlic
5ml turmeric
1 cinnamon quill
2.5ml fennel seeds
30ml Chermoula paste (from the deli fridge at your local supermarket)
500ml chicken stock
15ml tomato paste
150g couscous
20g almond flakes
1 lemon

Method

1. Peel and dice the onion, sweet potato, and aubergine.
2. Cut the lemon into wedges.
3. Grate the ginger, it is not necessary to peel it.
4. Peel the garlic clove and chop it finely.
5. Heat a heavy-bottomed pot to medium heat with most of the olive oil, turmeric, cinnamon, and fennel seeds.
6. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and fry for 3-4 minutes.
7. Add the sweet potatoes and aubergine, half the chermoula paste and the tomato paste.
8. Fry, stirring often, to brown the vegetables and coat them in the spices.
9. Add about half a cup of the chicken stock and scrape any stuck-on bits off the bottom of the pot.
10. Add the remaining chicken stock, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered with a lid, for 10 minutes.
11. Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
12. Add the dried apricots, baby carrots, chickpeas and remaining chermoula paste. Stir to dissolve the chermoula paste.
13. Simmer for another 15 minutes, taking the lid off for the last 10 minutes.
14. Cover the couscous with boiling water to about a centimetre above the level of the couscous and add a slice of lemon and 10ml olive oil.
15. Give it a quick stir and cover the bowl with clingfilm or an upturned plate. Set it aside.
16. Remove the cinnamon quill.
17. Dish the tagine onto a bed of couscous, top with the flaked almonds and a squeeze of lemon juice.