MAXINE GORDON cooks a hearty and healthy recipe ready for autumn.

HEARTY stews with root vegetables are just what’s needed as the temperatures start to dip.

This recipe for a butternut squash tagine caught my eye from the latest in-store magazine at Asda.

A Moroccan spice mix of cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger and coriander add a heady, aromatic cocktail that makes this healthy, vegetarian meal something rather special.

Serve with couscous to keep the North African theme.

If you don’t have a Moroccan tagine, you can cook it in an ordinary casserole dish.


Butternut squash tagine
Serves 4

1tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
250g Chantenay carrots, tops removed, halved
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 level tsp each of cumin, cinnamon and turmeric
1 tbsp tomato puree
390g chopped tomatoes
Ten dried apricots, chopped
400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
350ml vegetable stock
25g flaked almonds (lightly toasted)
2tbsp fresh coriander
25g pomegranate seeds
couscous, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas mark 3. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan (choose one you can put in the oven later). Add onion and cook for four minutes.

Add butternut squash and carrots and cook for two minutes. Lower the heat and add the garlic and ginger, cook for one minute. Add all the spices and 2tbsp of cold water and cook over a medium heat, stirring for a minute. Add the tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, apricots and chickpeas and simmer.

Add the hot stock and heat to a simmer, cover and pop into the pre-heated oven for 45 minutes.

When ready, sprinkle toasted almonds, pomegranate seeds and coriander on top and serve with couscous.