Aubergine & Courgette Tagine

One thing that my husband has really missed since going meat-free at home is those long, slow-cooked meaty dishes. The boeuf bourguignons and Sunday casseroles. This rich veggie tagine is a great meat-free alternative to those dishes. And we just adore the sour kicks you get from those lush Moroccan flavours! 

In our house we can't manage particularly large portions but dishes were practically licked clean after this. After I posted a photo of the meal on Instagram, a friend asked for the recipe and so I thought I may as well share it here too! It's a corker. 

To serve 2, you will need:

5 baby Courgettes, sliced

2-3 baby Aubergines, sliced

1 large White Onion, roughly chopped

10 Cherry Tomatoes, quartered

500ml Veg Stock

1 Cinnamon Stick

Bulb of Garlic, separated into cloves

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 tsp Coriander Seeds, ground

1 tsp ground Turmeric

1-2 Preserved Lemons, finely chopped

10 Kalamata Olives (stone in)

Handful of fresh Coriander, finely chopped

Salt & Pepper

Heat oven to 190°c. In a large deep pan (or casserole dish you can put on the hob) heat a glug of olive oil and sweat onions for 7 minutes. 

Keeping on a low-medium heat, add all the spices, cinnamon stick and whole garlic cloves. Mix well then add the Courgette and Aubergine slices, followed by the Preserved Lemons and Olives. Coat everything well in the spices then throw in the Tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add the stock and season with salt and pepper.

Mix well, bring to the boil then decant into a casserole dish (no need to decant if you used casserole dish from the beginning). I used a tagine but I don't like to use it on the hob. Put in the oven and cook for at least 90 -100 minutes, stirring a couple of times during. Cook for longer to thicken sauce, I tend to remove the lid for the last 20-30 minutes of cooking to do this.

Once ready check the seasoning, remove cinnamon stick and mix through fresh coriander. I served with couscous with black pepper and coriander mixed through - lovely jubbly!