aixcentric

I cut this recipe out of La Provence two weeks ago and served it up to friends this week.  We all enjoyed it and liked the fact that it makes use of all the earthy, fragrant root vegetables which are on the market stalls at the moment.  The recipe specified Jerusalem artichokes and swede which my local market hadn’t got, so I’ve made some substitutions.  It’s a nice dish on these cold evenings.

Ingredients:  250g couscous;  can of chick peas; 1 or 2 sweet potatoes; 2 turnips; 4 red and/or yellow carrots; 2 parsnips; 1 onion; 75cl stock; 4 tablespoons oil; 30g raisins; 1 tablespoon ras el hanout; lemon juice; parsley and possibly spring onions; seasoning.

1.  Chop all the vegetables                                                                                 

2. Fry the onion in 1/2 the oil and the ras el hanout

3.  Add all the diced vegetables and stir for a couple of minutes

4.  Pour on the stock and cook for 15 minutes

5. Stir in the chick peas and raisins and cook for another 5 mins.

The couscous should be prepared as per instructions on the pack but benefits from stirring in lots of lemon juice, the rest of the oil, chopped spring onions and parsley.

The La Provence recipe says that a whole bunch of coriander should be added to the tagine but I think this would overpower the distinctive tastes of all these different vegetables.  We did however accompany it with a jug of very fiery harissa for those with spicy palates!

Bon Ap’!