Sluttishly Vegetarian: Winter Tagine

If you're after a comforting, healthy dinner for winter evenings but you're sick of chilli and curry, then get your tagine on. It's a rich, Moroccan stew, normally made with meat - this version substitutes the hearty chickpea instead. Cook it in a traditional tagine if you have one; the cone-shaped lid cleverly re-condenses the steam as it rises, keeping the dish tender. It's a slow cooked dish, so if you're lucky enough to own a slow cooker, simply put all the ingredients in and leave for several hours.

You should really add chopped apricots and raisins, but I hate stealth fruit in my dinner so I've left them out. A tablespoon of honey adds some sweetness, but you could always ditch this and add more chilli powder if you want a more fiery dish.

You will need:

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 courgette
• 1 stick of celery
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 carton of passata
• 2 tsp harissa paste
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tin of chickpeas, drained
• 500ml vegetable stock
• Handful of fresh coriander, chopped
• Small handful of flaked almonds

Make it!

1. Crush the garlic and chop up the rest of the vegetables. Heat a little oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, throw in all the veg and cook for 8-10 minutes until softening.
2. Add the ginger, cumin and cayenne pepper and stir well to coat the vegetables. Pour in the passata, then stir in the harissa paste and honey.
3. Add the chickpeas and then the vegetable stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover the pan and leave it for 20-25 minutes until the sauce has thickened, the chickpeas are hot and the vegetables are soft. 
4. Sprinkle over the coriander and almonds, then serve with cous-cous, rice, baked potatoes or enormous amounts of fancy bread.