It hasn’t even been a week since I’ve left Morocco, and I’ve already started craving tagine! I made my own homemade version yesterday, and it was simply delicious. While this recipe is not traditional (ex: tagine is called tagine because of the cookware it is made in, and I don’t have this at home), it is relatively easy to make and still tastes delicious. I served the tagine over a bowl of plain quinoa (again not traditional, but still healthy and yummy!)

Here it goes:

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks,
• 1 eggplant, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 zucchini, halved lengthways and cut into half-moons
• 1 yellow squash, halved lengthways and cut into half-moons
• 1 bell pepper, stalk and seeds removed, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 5 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 400g tin of chopped tomoatoes
• 3 tsp of tagine seasoning (or substitute 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, and 1 tbsp harissa paste)
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 1/2 cup of cooked chickpeas (or 400g canned chickpeas)
• 1 tbsp of raisins (or chopped dried apricots)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup of vegetable broth (or 1 cup of water)

Instructions:

1. Mix sweet potato, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, bell pepper and carrots in a large bowl. Drizzle over 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with plenty of salt and pepper
2. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the vegetables in batches and fry, stirring and turning regularly, for 3-4 minutes, or until lightly browned.
3. Heat the remaining oil (1 tbsp) in another large, non-stick frying pan. Add the onions and fry until the softened, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and tagine seasoning and fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, honey, raisins and chickpeas until well combined. Add the vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes
5. Cover and cook for 30 min on medium heat. Then stir in vegetable broth until well combined and heat for another 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
6. Serve with freshly cooked couscous, rice or quinoa and enjoy!