Vegetable Tagine – Warmth from the Inside Out

They are finally here - those cold and wintry days. I myself am definitely a winter and snow person. This means I have to be ok with frost, cold and wet, which is a bit more difficult to deal with in the city than on a white, pristine piste, where I can indulge in my passion for snowboarding and enjoy snow-capped mountains all around.

Hailing from Vorarlberg, I certainly had more opportunity to practice my winter sports as a child than someone from a big city, but even in Vienna, this season is one I always really enjoy. It's the Christmas atmosphere, the small and big markets and the typically local "Gemütlichkeit" that I love, a word for which no translation exists, but which means something akin to coziness or home-like comfort. To brace against the cold, there aren't just thick jackets, coats and boots but also delicious stews like today's vegetable tagine. A tagine is a dish originally found in North African cuisine, but also the type of casserole pot it is cooked in. I used a similar stew/casserole vessel with a lid for my veggie tagine. The most important thing is a properly balanced heat distribution on the hob or in the oven. Of course you can also use a pressure cooker or steamer - I even tried a Thermomix tool for this tagine and was delighted at how quick and easy it was.
You can find the recipe below.

There are typical winter veggies in my vegetable tagine - fresh, delicious and full of essential substances - as well as a number of warm to fiery spices. All things that heat you up from the inside during the cold winter months.

Disclaimer: The products mentioned in this article were presented to me free of charge. The recipe was created in cooperation with others. 

logo

Vegetable Tagine with Couscous

2 people

Ingredients:

  • 150g couscous
  • 1 onion
  • 4 medium-sized potatoes
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 aubergine
  • 1 courgette
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 500g fresh tomatoes on the vine
  • 2 garlic clove
  • 1 TBSP SONNENTOR Habeshas Berberegewürz (a spice mixture containing paprika, ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, basil, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, onion, allspice and chilli)
  • 3-4 dried figs
  • 4 dried apricots
  • 2 TBSP sliced almonds
  • ½ bunch parsley
  • 1 TBSP butter
  • SONNENTOR Ayurvedisches Zaubersalz (Ayurvedic magic salt)
  • SONNENTOR Pfeffer (pepper)

Preparation:

  1. Peel and finely dice the onions. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1cm cubes. Wash the courgette, carrots and aubergine and cut everything into 1cm cubes. Wash, quarter and core the pepper and also cut into 1cm cubes. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Wash the tomatoes, remove the stalk by cutting around it in a wedge shape. Finely cube the tomatoes.
  2. Heat the oil in a casserole dish or tagine and sauté the onions until they are translucent. Add garlic and all the other vegetables and season well with salt, pepper and Habeshas Berberegewürz or other spice mixture. Steam over a medium heat. Cut the figs and apricots into small pieces and add to the mix. Put the lid on your tagine and let stew over a low heat for around 30-45 minutes.
  3. 10 minutes before the time is up, start preparing the couscous. Heat up lightly salted water in a pan, remove from heat, stir in the couscous, cover and let swell for 5-10 minutes. Then season with butter, salt and pepper.
  4. Wash, shake dry, pick and finely chop the parsley. Roast the almonds in a dry pan.
  5. Serve the tagine in a soup plate or bowl, garnish with fresh parsley and add the couscous, topped with almonds.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thermomix vegetable tagine

Preparation of the vegetable tagine:

  1. Add apricots and figs to the Thermomix, chop at speed 6, remove and set aside. Put parsley in the Thermomix and also chop at speed 6, then remove and set aside. Add onions and garlic to the Thermomix and chop at speed 5, then use a spatula to push the food down to the bottom.
  2. Add butter and steam for 3 minutes at speed 1.
  3. Wash the tomatoes, potatoes, courgette, pepper, carrots and aubergine and also add to the Thermomix. Chop for 10 seconds at speed 4 and push to the bottom with a spatula.
  4. Add 800g of water to the vegetable mix together with the herbs, salt and pepper as well as the apricots and figs. Cook for 45 minutes at speed 1.
  5. Check the potatoes and add more water, if needed. Remove the stew from the Thermomix and start preparing the couscous.

Thermomix preparation of the couscous:

  1. Add water and a vegetable stock cube to the Thermomix and cook for 6 minutes at 100°C at speed 1.
  2. Add the couscous and let it swell for 3 minutes at 90°C at speed 1.
  1. In the meantime, roast the almonds in a dry pan and serve the tagine on a plate. Garnish with parsley.
  2. Spoon couscous into a serving dish, top with almonds and serve together with the vegetable tagine.
Print recipe