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–+ servings

Fragrant Root Vegetable Tagine

An easy, tasty midweek supper with carrots, parsnips, ginger and apricots and fragrant saffron-infused chermoula.
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Course: main course
Cuisine: Morrocan
Keyword: healthy, vegetarian, winter vegetables
Prep Time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings:2 people
Author: The Wild Epicurean

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.

Notes

I think it's fair to say this makes a very generous meal for two or a side dish for four.