Vegetable Tagine

Ingredients

2 Carrots (chopped into chunks)

2 Parsnips (chopped into chunks)

2 Tomatoes (chopped)

8-10 New Potatoes (quartered)

2 Sweet Potatoes (cut into chunks)

2 Peppers (chopped into chunks)

240g Chickpeas (cooked and drained)

1 Large Onion (diced)

3 Garlic Cloves (finely diced)

1tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1tsp Cumin Seeds

½tsp Fennel Seeds

1tsp Ginger

1tsp Ground Coriander

1tsp Paprika

1tsp Turmeric

1tsp Cinnamon

Handful of Raisins

10 Pitted Dates (roughly chopped)

Juice of 1 Lemon

1½ pint Gluten-Free/Yeast-Free Vegetable Stock

Fresh Coriander (to garnish)

Method

1. Heat the oil in large pan, preferably one with a lid, and fry the cumin and fennel seeds until they become aromatic – this should take around 30 seconds. Add the onions and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the rest of the spices and fry for a further 2 minutes then add all the other ingredients except for the stock, the chickpeas and the lemon juice. Sauté for 5-10 minutes then add the stock and lemon juice. Bring to the boil, stick the lid on, lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
3. 10 minutes before its ready, add the chickpeas and stir. Put the lid back on.
4. Garnish with the fresh coriander and serve.

I served this with Lemon, Chilli and Coriander Buckwheat and some fresh steamed Kale.

Now I know what you’re thinking, what a crazy long ingredients list; but they’re all pretty common vegetables and if you have a well-stocked spice cupboard there’s nothing too outlandish needed for this recipe.

I love Moroccan food, seriously, anything that tastes both sweet and spicy is right up my street. This recipe is delicious, and really versatile. You can make it with practically any meat; a personal favourite recipe of mine is to use really good sausages, like the ones from the Castle Terrace Farmer's Market, they're incredible! You may want to consider adding a teaspoon of honey to that recipe as you don’t get all the sweetness from the vegetables like you do here. Also, if you don’t fancy buckwheat (or you’ve never heard of it!), you can serve it with cous cous or rice, or pretty much anything to be honest.

It’s really important to simmer this dish for at least 30-40 minutes just to make sure all the vegetables are cooked all the way through and aren’t still hard. You can substitute the fresh tomatoes for tinned if you need to, the same goes for the chickpeas. Lastly, if you’ve got the time or patience this recipe is awesome in a slow cooker if you cook it on low for 8 hours after step 2!