I’m bigging up glorious veg in this warming, fragrant tagine – the vegetables absorb the essences of the harissa, ras el hanout and the tomatoey stock for a warming bowl of deliciousness.
Prick the whole aubergines all over with a fork, then place directly over a flame on the hob or under the grill, turning regularly with tongs until softened and blackened all over. Place in a bowl, cover with a plate and leave for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large casserole pan on a medium heat. Peel the onion and finely slice with the parsley stalks (reserving the leaves), add to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, until golden, stirring regularly.
Stir in the harissa and ras el hanout and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Scrunch in the plum tomatoes with ½ a can of water, then pour in the chickpeas, juice and all.
Roughly chop and add the dried apricots and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper
Peel off most of the aubergine skin and roughly chop the flesh, then stir through the tomato sauce.
For the Moroccan Spiced Couscous add 300ml of boiling water to the couscous in a bowl. Cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil separating the grains with a fork. Serve the tagine with couscous, finely chopped parsley leaves and lemon wedges for squeezing.
