Tagine

This is a nice warming winter dish with a taste of North Africa. Felt like we were on holiday when we were eating it!

 

Ingredients

 

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 large onion, diced

2 tbsp. veg oil

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

450 ml veg stock

12 dried apricots, chopped

2 red peppers chopped

200g tinned chickpeas

1 tsp honey

3 tbsp. chopped coriander

2 tbsp. chopped mint

 

Fry the onion in the oil until softened.(5 minutes)  Add the squash and spices and fry for 5 minutes. Add the stock and honey, season well, cover and simmer for 8 minutes.

 

Add the peppers and cook  until tender. Stir in the coriander and mint.

 

 

We served it with couscous:

 

Pour 450 ml of boiling water over 250g of couscous. Add 1 tsp of harissa paste and 1/2 tsp salt plus 200g tinned chickpeas. mix, cover and leave for 5 munutes. Sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds and serve.

 

 





You can vary the recipe to suite your taste. Prunes or sultanas can be used instead of  apricots. If you prefer your Tagine a bit hotter then add half a deseeded jalapeno pepper with the onion at stage one.

 

Enjoy!

 

 



Spicy Xmas chutney

Chutney is a great way of using up surplus veg from the plot. In the summer I make tomato and courgette chutney when they are in season. At this time of year carrots onions, beetroot and apples are aplenty so this recipe (with variations) is ideal and the resulting jars of product can be either eaten, stored or given as festive presents.

Recipe:

3 carrots, grated.
3 beetroot diced
3 onions diced
3 apples, peeled and grated
3 oranges - zest and fruit, chopped.
2 tbsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp ground cloves
700ml red wine vinegar
600g sugar
100g sultanas
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 jalapeno pepper, diced.

Add all the ingredients to a large pan.

Bring to boil stirring frequently.

Once the mixture is boiling reduce heat and boil gently for approximately one hour. Stir occasionally and check spice levels. If chutney requires more heat add a teaspoon of ground ginger.

After an hour remove from heat. Check beetroot is tender. Bottle chutney whilst hot into warm sterile jars and close lids tightly.

Do not use chutney until it is at least one month old. This recipe will improve with age and will keep for at least twelve months. Enjoy!