Vegetarian Tagine Recipe
One of my favourite things to share with my family and friends are the flavours of the places I’ve travelled. This dish is a hit amongst the gang with its rich Moroccan flavours. You can add meat if you wish, but here is the vegan version that I cook at home.
This recipe is to be cooked in a tajine. If you do not own a tagine pot you can also cook this in a slow cooker.
Main ingredients
1/3 cup olive oil
2 onions
4 cloves garlic
4 small potatoes
4 carrots
4 small zucchini
1 handful parsley
1 handful coriander
1 chili pepper
1 small preserved lemon
1 handful olives
1 cup chickpeas (soaked)
1 tomato
Spices
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pinch saffron threads
Method
Slice the onion in rings, and tie the parsley & coriander into a bundle (saving a little for garnish).
Pour half of the olive oil into a large tagine. Distribute the onions over the bottom.
In a bowl, mix the spices together with crushed garlic.
Slice the potatoes, zucchini, carrots (into long strips) and mix together in a bowl with all the spices and left over olive oil.
Place your vegetables in the tagine pot in a circular pattern. Starting with potatoes, carrots and zucchini at the top. Layer the sliced tomato.
Top the vegetables with the bundles of herbs (parsley & coriander), chilli pepper (whole), olives and preserved lemon cut in quarters.
Add 1 cup of water to the bowl that you mixed the spices and vegetables in. Swirl the water around to collect all the flavour and pour the liquid on top of the tagine.
Cover the tagine and place over a medium -low heat, bringing it to the simmer. Once it simmers reduce the heat and cook for 2 hours. Add the chickpeas and water (if necessary) and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. Tip ** The longer you leave a tagine simmer for, the better the flavour.
Cook until all the vegetables are soft. Remove the herb bunch and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
Serve with bread and be sure to mop up all the delicious flavours at the bottom of the pot.
