Vegetable Tagine

I love this dish.  It is quite  versatile and is amicable to a " kitchen sink" mix.  I often double the recipe and using it as a simmer sauce for tagines or poaching.  The image on the left is just such a doubling "kitchen sink".

So here is the "normal" recipe with the simmer sauce version at the end:-.

Serves 6 stand alone.    Preparation time 25 minutes.  Cooking time approx 40 minutes.

Ingredients:-

1 Tbs coriander seedsi
1 Tbs cumin seeds
1 Tbs caraway seeds
1 tsp - 2 tsp Harissa mix or paste:  Optional for extra zap!
1 Tbs olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 large brown onions (400g), finely chopped
2 tsp sweet paprika
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1 Tbs tomato paste or
2 cups (500ml) water
800g diced tomatoes (un-drained, if canned)
600g pumpkin, chopped coarsely
8 (240g) yellow squash, quartered:
200g baby green beans, trimmed and halved
300g chick peas, cooked (or canned, drained and rinsed).

Method:-

Crush coriander, cumin, and caraway seeds in a mortar and pestle.
Heat oil in large pan, cook garlic and onion, stirring often until onion soften.
Add crushed seeds (and Harisa Paste), paprika, salt, pepper and ginger and cook until fragrant.
Add tomato paste, water, tomatoes and pumpkin and bring to boil
Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
Stir in squash, beans and chick peas and simmer covered until squash is tender.

Server over couscous or rice.

My simmer sauce alternative makes about 8 liters, which can be jarred, frozen etc...

To make my famous simmer sauce, I omit the tomato paste, squash and green beans; double everything else above and use tomato puree, zucchini and eggplant as well; and simmer it down a little so that the pumpkin is almost  gone.

Simmer Sauce Ingredients:-

2 Tbs coriander seeds
2 Tbs cumin seeds
2 Tbs caraway seeds
2 tsp - 3 tsp Harissa mix or paste:  Optional for extra zap!
2 Tbs olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 large brown onions (400g), finely chopped
4 tsp sweet paprika
4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
700ml (680g) of tomato puree if doubling for a simmer sauce.
4 cups (500ml) water
1.6kg diced tomatoes (un-drained, if canned)
1.2 kg pumpkin, chopped coarsely
2 zucchini and
1 eggplant
600g chick peas, cooked (or canned, drained and rinsed).

Simmer Sauce Method:-

Crush coriander, cumin, and caraway seeds in a mortar and pestle.
Heat oil in large pan, cook garlic and onion, stirring often until onion soften.
Add crushed seeds (and Harissa Paste), paprika, salt, pepper and ginger and cook until fragrant.
Add tomato puree, water, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant and pumpkin and bring to boil
Reduce heat to slow simmer for 45 - 60 minutes or until pumpkin is almost gone.
Stir in chick peas and simmer covered until peas are tender.

Tonight, I did the simmer sauce, making 8 litres of sauce and then used approx 2 liters with 1 kg of chump chops, which I seared for a few minutes each side and then "targined" for 40 minutes on low simmer.  Delicious!  Enough for 3 of us and an additional serve for my aging mum.  The remainder of the sauce, I will refrigerate, share and take down south to Denmark...