Vegetable Tagine

magpie diner's Note:

Easy to prepare tagine which benefits from slow cooking. Use whatever veg is in season, things like green beans, potatoes, carrots and other root veg work well. Originally found on everyday-vegetarian-recipes.com, with a few minor tweaks. Serve over couscous or with some crusty bread, maybe both!

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• handful fresh basil, torn (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 fresh red chili, deseeded and chopped
• 1 lb of mixed seasonal vegetables, cut into large chunks
• 2 tablespoons dried apricots, chopped
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 (14 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• 3/4 cup vegetable stock
• 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• sea salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add in the onion and cook until golden, watching it doesn't burn. Add in the garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, dried basil (if using dried), cinnamon, chilli and orange zest. Stir well.
2. Next, add in the apricots and vegetables. Cover and cook on a very low heat for about 15 minutes or slightly soft. Keep an eye on the vegetables to make sure they don’t stick.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, stock, tomato paste, chickpeas and orange juice. Simmer gently for about 40 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent sticking. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh basil if using at the end.