Fancy trying Meat Free Monday? This delicious vegetable tagine recipe from Jamie Oliver full of fresh and healthy ingredients to start your week right!
Jamie says: “In the summer I grow most of these vegetables, and I’m always eager to pick, wash and race to cook this dish – the flavour is just extraordinary with tender, delicate veg.”
MORE: The best vegetarian lunch ideas to buy on the high street
WONDERFUL VEG TAGINE
With Saffron, Preserved Lemons, Apricots, Fluffy Couscous & Toasted Almonds
Serves 6, Prep & cooking time 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
• 1 pinch of saffron
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 4cm/1 1/2in piece of ginger
• Olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ras el hanout
• 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
• 2.5kg/5 1/2lb mixed veg, such as aubergines, courgettes, carrots, cherry tomatoes, red onion, butternut squash, mixed-colour peppers
• 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
• 100g/4oz dried apricots
• 1 preserved lemon
• 300g/11oz couscous
• 1/2 a bunch of mixed fresh herbs, such as dill, mint, flat-leaf parsley (15g/1/2oz)
• 20g/3/4oz flaked almonds
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Put the saffron into a jug, cover with 500ml/18fl oz of boiling water and leave to infuse.
2. Meanwhile, peel and finely slice the garlic and ginger, then place in a large casserole pan over a medium heat with 2 tbsp of oil, the cumin, cinnamon and ras el hanout. Add the tomato paste, fry for a few minutes, stirring regularly, and then pour over the saffron water. Trim and prep the veg, as necessary, then chop into large chunks, adding them to the pan as you go. Tip in the chickpeas (juices and all), roughly chop and add the apricots and preserved lemon, discarding any pips, then season with sea salt and black pepper. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.
3. When the veg are almost tender, just cover the couscous with boiling water,season with salt and pepper and pop a plate on top. Leave for 10 minutes, and then fluff and fork up.
4. Pick the herb leaves and toast the almonds. Serve the tagine and couscous sprinkled with the almonds and herbs. Delicious served with harissa rippled yoghurt.
This recipe is from Veg by Jamie Oliver published by Penguin Random House © Jamie Oliver Enterprises Ltd (2019 Veg) Food photography: David Loftus. Portrait photography: Sam Robinson. You can buy Veg by Jamie Oliver on Amazon now: here
Meat Free Feasts
In a fast-paced world where meat is so convenient and available on every corner, it’s easy to buy and cook the same foods week in, week out. Now with Veg, Jamie Oliver wants to break the mould, making it easy for herbivores and carnivores alike to embrace the new and discover the huge bounty of glorious veg, fruit, herbs, spices and pulses on offer. Whether you are looking to embrace a meat-free day or two each week, live a vegetarian lifestyle or just want to try some brilliant new flavours, Veg by Jamie Oliver (published by Penguin Random House © Jamie Oliver Enterprises Ltd (2019 Veg), food photography David Loftus and portrait photography by Sam Robinson) ticks all the boxes, with more than 140 super-tasty, brilliantly simple, but wonderfully inventive veg dishes. You can buy Veg by Jamie Oliver on Amazon now: here