This is a quick version of one of my favourite Moroccan dishes, Seven Vegetable Couscous. You can chuck in any vegetables that you have in the fridge so that nothing goes to waste. Start with the hard veggies like fennel and cauliflower and when they are getting tender, add any soft vegetables like courgettes and peppers. Once everything is beautifully tender, serve with fluffy couscous. Swap the spices for what you have in the cupboard and if you like chilli, add in as much as you like.
Method
- Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook stirring occasionally for 6-8 minutes until tender.
- Chuck the garlic, spices, tinned tomatoes and 200ml of water into the pan. Stir together really well and add the hard veggies (cauliflower, carrots, fennel). Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 40 minutes.
- Add any soft vegetables (peppers, aubergines, courgettes, cabbage) to the pan and mix really well. If it looks a little dry, add a splash of water. cover and continue to cook for 25-30 minutes until everything is tender. Add the coriander and mix well.
- Meanwhile, tip the couscous into a bowl and pour over enough warm water to cover by ½ a cm. Cover with cling film and set to one side. Fluff the grains with a fork and serve with the tagine.
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tin chopped tomatoes
600g vegetables cut into similar sized pieces– cauliflower, carrots, fennel
peppers, aubergines, courgettes, cabbage
300g couscous
A handful of finely chopped coriander leaves
Sea salt
Swaps
The spices for 3 tsp of ras el honout
Use any vegetables you have
Try any soft herbs you have
Replace the couscous with rice, grains or pasta
