If you don’t already have a tagine in your kitchen armoury – I highly recommend adding it to your Christmas list. Yes, you can use a shallow Dutch oven, but it doesn’t steam and cook the vegetables or meat the same way the tagine does. It’s quick, super easy to use, and so helpful in making an original and inexpensive mid-week meal. The original clay versions take a long time and need careful handling, so the modern cast iron version is a great compromise.
This fragrant root vegetable tagine recipe is gingery and spicy; I’ve paired carrots and parsnips with ginger, garlic, a touch of saffron, coriander and apricots. Use butternut squash, turnips, beetroot, fennel, sweet potatoes, celery root (celeriac), and kohlrabi – the list is endless. I have also used the more traditional chickpea combination but swap those out for butter beans if you prefer. The vegetables are coated in a basic chermoula which, with the help of a pestle and mortar (or mini blender), comes together in a couple of minutes. And, of course, if you have homemade stock, it will taste twice as delicious. Plus, the best raz el hanout spice your budget can stretch to.
Start by putting the saffron in a little warm water to bloom and peeling and slicing all the vegetables (including the ginger) into thin strips lengthways. Put a generous dash of oil in the bottom of the tagine and set it over low heat. Add the onions and let them gently braise. While the onion is cooking, make the chermoula. A small bunch of parsley and fresh coriander, two tablespoons of ras el hanout, a couple of cloves of garlic, a tablespoon of oil, the saffron and half a preserved lemon (rinsed and chopped). Pound the ingredients together until you have a thickish but pourable sauce. Add more oil to achieve the right consistency. If you haven’t preserved lemon in the store cupboard, use a generous teaspoon of lemon zest instead. You will also need to add salt.
Add the chickpeas and toss them in the onions. Place your vegetables in alternate layers in the tagine, tucking in the ginger and apricots as you go; pour over chermoula and 400-500ml of stock, bring it to a brief boil, then turn the heat down to as low as possible and cover. Slow and low is the mantra for tagine. If, on low heat, it is still bubbling too fiercely, use a heat diffuser. Check halfway through and add more stock if necessary.
If you are working with a cast iron tagine – the vegetables will be soft in 30-35 minutes. However, we like them soft but firm – so keep cooking for longer if you prefer even softer vegetables. Again add more stock to keep it saucy😁.
Serve with flatbreads, olives, fresh coriander and toasted flaked almonds.
Fragrant Root Vegetable Tagine
Equipment
- 1 tagine or shallow Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 large onions thinly sliced
- 1 tin (400g) chickpeas
- 2 large parsnips
- 4 medium carrots
- 3 cm piece of fresh ginger
- 5-6 dried apricots – halved
- 500ml warm stock of your choice
- handful toasted flaked almonds (to serve)
- freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil
- fresh coriander to serve
Chermoula
- 1 handful fresh coriander
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp ras el hanout
- ¼-½ preserved lemon – rinsed and rough chopped or 1½ tsp lemon zest and ½ tsp salt
- 3-4 cloves garlic – roughly chopped
- pinch saffron threads
- 3 tbsp olive
Instructions
- Put the saffron with a tbsp of warm water into the pestle and mortar (or mini blender) and set aside.
- Start by peeling and slicing all the vegetables (including the ginger) into thin strips lengthways.
- Put a generous dash of oil in the bottom of the tagine and set it over low heat. Add the onions, season generously with freshly ground black pepper and let them gently braise until golden in colour.
- While the onions are cooking, make the chermoula; using your pestle and mortar (or mini blender), pound all the chermoula ingredients together with the saffron until you have a thickish but pourable sauce. Add more oil to achieve the right consistency. If you haven't preserved lemon in the store cupboard, use a generous teaspoon of lemon zest instead. Add ½ tsp of salt to compensate for the preserved lemon saltiness.
- Add the chickpeas and toss them in the onions. Place your vegetables in alternate layers on top of the chickpeas and onion, tucking in the ginger and apricots as you go.
- Pour over the chermoula paste (saving a little to serve) and 400-500ml of stock, bring it to a brief boil, then turn the heat down to as low as possible and cover. Slow and low is the mantra for tagine. If, on low heat, it is still bubbling too fiercely, use a heat diffuser. Check halfway through and add more stock/chermoula/salt. If you are working with a cast iron tagine – the vegetables will be soft in 30-35 minutes.
- Serve with flatbreads, olives, fresh coriander and toasted flaked almonds.
Reader Interactions