Autumn vegetable tagine

You can cook this dish in an overproof casserole before transferring it to a tagine for serving. If you prefer to cook in a tagine, however, use one with a cast-iron base and place it on the hob rather than in the oven. The liquid in the tagine condenses as it hits the cooler, conical-shaped lid, but if you place the tagine in the oven the lid will heat up and so won’t work in quite the same way.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• ½ tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Seeds of 2 cardamom pods
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 40g Lucy Bee coconut oil, melted
• 2 medium carrots, cut into wedges
• ½ butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
• ½ small cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 parsnip, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 aubergine, cut into 2cm cubes
• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
• 500ml hot gluten-free vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
• Himalayan salt and ground black pepper

To serve

• Plain yoghurt
• Chopped coriander or flat-leaf parsley
• Gluten-free flatbreads

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

2. Put the spices, garlic, lemon juice and coconut oil (you may need to melt it over a gentle heat first) in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste, then mix. Add the vegetables and mix thoroughly to coat.

3. Heat a large flameproof casserole over a medium heat, add the vegetables and sauté for a few minutes, stirring every now and then. Add the chickpeas, stock and sun-dried tomato paste, give everything a good stir, then cover and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and the flavours have infused. Switch off the oven, leaving the casserole inside to rest for a few minutes, then transfer to a tagine for serving.

4. If using a tagine, reduce the amount of stock to 250ml and leave to simmer on the hob at the lowest possible heat for 2½ hours.

5. Ladle into deep bowls and serve with a spoonful of yoghurt and a scattering of herbs on top, with flatbreads alongside.

From Coconut Oil: Nature’s Perfect Ingredient. Recipe text © 2015 Lucy Bee Limited.