Jewelled couscous with spiced root vegetable tagine

Preparation time
less than 30 mins

Cooking time
30 mins to 1 hour

Serves
Serves 4

Dietary
Vegetarian

By Matt Tebbutt
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

For the tagine

2 tbsp olive oil
2 red onions, cut into 8 wedges
2 heads garlic, peeled and separated into whole cloves
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped into chunks, around 3cm/1in
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into chunks, around 3cm/1in
1 fennel bulb, sliced
150g/5½oz harissa paste
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
150g/5½oz dried apricots
3 preserved lemons, sliced
500ml/18fl oz vegetable stock
400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 lemon, for squeezing
fresh coriander sprigs, to garnish

For the jewelled couscous

500g/1lb 2oz couscous
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp smoked paprika
100g/3½oz golden raisins
½ pomegranate, seeds removed
100g/3½oz pine nuts, toasted
100g/3½oz pistachios
3 spring onions, chopped
2–3 tbsp olive oil

Method

To make the tagine, heat the oil in a tagine or large casserole and fry the onion and garlic cloves for a few minutes. Add the spices and root vegetables and then add the harissa paste, tomatoes, apricots, preserved lemons and stock. Simmer for 30 minutes and then add the chickpeas and lemon juice.
To make the couscous, place the couscous, salt and spices in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover the bowl and leave until the water is absorbed and the grains are fluffy. Stir in the remaining ingredients and some olive oil.
Garnish the tagine with the coriander and serve with the couscous.