Hearty Chick Pea, Apricot and Almond Tagine

I've been a little slack of late but today I've decided to make a winter warmer of a supper. A few weeks ago we went to visit Nel and Duncan in Nottingham and Nel cooked this lovely tagine for us. So Nel today I'm attempting to copy your gorgeous dish. It's rich and comforting packed full of Moroccan flavour.

I've also chosen a nice Chianti to go with it- which I must admit I chose based on the lovely label. Think I might start collecting wine labels to make a cool montage. A hommage to my favourite wines in a nice big artwork in the nice big kitchen that I always aspire to own (along with a sausage dog) . One day!

It's actually a very easy dish to make. First, I chopped some carrots and put them in a roasting dish with some paprika. I roast these for 40 minutes on 180 degrees. You could just add the carrots to the dish when you add the potatoes, but I prefer to roast them.

Meanwhile, Fry the onions and garlic until softened. Then add all of your spices, tomato puree, potatoes, peppers, chick peas, almonds, apricots,  finishing with a can of tinned tomatoes, harrissa paste and vegetable stock cube. You'll need to add water as well. I used my empty tomato can and filled it half way.

When the carrots are ready, stir them into the stew. Then it's just a waiting game. Put the lid on and let it cook on a low heat for an hour or so, letting the flavours all infuse.

Occasionally I had a taste to make sure it was seasoned correctly, and I added a bit of salt as well as a few teaspoons of Marmite (which is completely optional but added a savoury twist). I also added some balsamic vinegar to add some acidity to the sweetness. Just before serving I added some fresh parsley and a handful of rocket.

Serve with Cous Cous or Bulgar wheat. It's a great dish to have on a lazy Sunday as there's not a lot of work involved. Or you could easily serve it at a dinner party with a nice green salad, adding a rack of lamb on the side perhaps for the meat eaters of the party.

Ingredients (serving 4 roughly):

1 red onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 potato, pealed and chopped.
2 carrots
1 red pepper
1 can of chick peas
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons of harrissa paste
1 and a half handfuls of flaked almonds
10-15 dried apricots
half a teaspoon of paprika
shake of mixed herbs
good shake of celery salt
half a teaspoon of ground corriander seeds
1 large cinamon stick (add this at the end so it doesn't snap)
fresh parsley
1 vegetable stock cube and water
1 hand full of rocket to add just before serving