Vegetarian tagine recipe
With the classic Moroccan tagine flavours of both hot and fragrant spices combining with sweet and sour fruit, this stew also has the contrast of slow-cooked vegetables and the quickly stir-fried okra at the end. Okra divides people like few vegetables can. If you are not a fan, try some green beans or broccoli instead.
Ingredients
- 400 g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed
- 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for tossing and cooking
- 200 g courgettes, halved lengthways and thickly sliced
- 1 large red onion, halved and thickly sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic sliced
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 6 green cardamom pods, seeds only, lightly crushed
- 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes, juice included
- 200 ml vegetable stock
- 2 oranges, rind only cut in large strips
- 10 dried apricots thickly sliced
- 2 tbsp dried cherries
- 400 g tin of chickpeas, drained
- 115 g whole fresh okra
- 2 fresh green chillies, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
- 2 lemons for squeezing
Details
- Cuisine: Moroccan
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 30 mins
- Cooking Time: 110 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
- In an oven dish, toss the squash in a little olive oil and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, until tender and beginning to caramelise. In a separate dish, do the same with the courgette, but roast for just 10-15 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy flameproof casserole dish and sauté the onion for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the garlic and spices, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the stock, orange rind, dried fruit and chickpeas. Bring to the boil, cover the pan and place it in the oven to simmer for 40-50 minutes.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the okra and chillies, and fry for 2 minutes, until the okra is tender but still firm and lightly coloured.
- Remove the pan from the oven and stir in the chopped herbs, and the roasted vegetables. Serve the tagine with some lemon juice squeezed over each portion.
- Serve with the okra, a chunk of fresh or grilled bread on the side or, more traditionally, put a little couscous in the bottom of the serving bowl to soak up the juices
Recipe taken from For the Love of Food
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