Vegetarian Moroccan Tagine

I love the flavours of Morocco.

Within our Relish Mama’s Moroccan cooking classes, I find myself adding more and more to the flavour-packed menu while finding it near impossible to remove any other dishes. No one seems to complain about the jam-packed menu, and the fact that we stop to munch on our homemade pittas with our harissa, and enjoy a glass of wine halfway through makes us work that little bit harder for the feast yet to come.

The meat tagines seem to dominate, they are always the favourite by the students who attend. However, this vegetarian tagine deserves a little more of a boost as it is more than simply the side dish. It is a star itself and so perfect for a Meatless Monday.

This Vegetarian Moroccan Tagine has such warmth and flavour. Colourful, rich and spicy stews from Morocco are a wonderful example of dishes that savour and celebrate the vegetable. This dish is beautifully rich and aromatic, wonderfully vibrant in colour – just like Morocco itself.

Vegetarian Moroccan Tagine

Chermoula is a beautiful spice mix that is used often in Moroccan cooking for great depth of flavour. It is commonly used for marinating fish & chicken. Here, we use it to marinade our delightful array of vegetables for the Vegetarian Tagine.

Chermoula

3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
4 tablespoons of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped (extra, as a garnish, to serve)
4 tablespoons of coriander, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons of fresh mint, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon of dried chilli flakes or use 1 small red chilli, chopped
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

To make the chermoula, mix the garlic, herbs, spices, chilli, lemon juice and vinegar and ‘whizz’ in a food processor.

Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and process until you have a smooth paste. Season with salt & pepper.

Tagine

8 shallots
1 large sweet potato (approx. 400g)
1 fennel, cut into quarters
4 kipfler potatoes
2 red capsicums, cut into thick-ish strips
1 eggplant, sliced
1 zucchini, cut into six pieces
4 Roma tomatoes, quartered (use tinned tomatoes when not in season)
1 cinnamon quill
1 bay leaf
2 cups vegetable stock
12 pitted prunes
1 tin of chickpeas, rinsed
Couscous for serving

Toss the shallots, sweet potato, fennel, potatoes, capsicum, eggplant and zucchini in chermoula marinade to evenly coat well. Lightly fry the vegetables in a heavy-based pot or tagine.

Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, bay leaf, stock and prunes. Mix well and cover to cook for approximately 1 hour or until the vegetables are tender. Add the chickpeas and cook for a further 20 minutes.

Serve with couscous and a well-deserved glass of wine.

Moroccan Cooking Classes at Relish Mama