Is there any vegetable more regal than the Crown Prince Squash? With its pale blue skin, deep orange flesh and sweet, chestnutty flavour, it really is the King of the Cucurbita! So when we were invited by The Sheffield Cookbook to design a recipe that showcased some of our produce, it was the obvious choice. This tagine is a great, hearty dish – perfect for this time of year!
2020 may have been a dud year, but it threw up plenty of Crown Princes, and they’re now filling the shelves at Beanies, just waiting to be made into a warming, gently spiced tagine…
Recipe
For the paste:
2 red onions, chopped
5 garlic cloves
100ml lemon juice
2 sticks celery
1 tbsp each paprika, cumin, ras el hanout and pomegranate molasses
½ finger piece fresh turmeric root, peeled (or 1 tbsp ground)
1 tsp hot chilli powder
1 thumb-size piece fresh root ginger, peeled
1 tbsp vegan honea or maple syrup (optional)
2 jarred roasted red peppers
75g prunes, dried figs or dates
Handful of chopped coriander
For the Tagine:
1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
1 squash, deseeded and cut into chunks (peeled, if you like)
3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
3 red, yellow or orange peppers
1 large courgette
1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
2 sprigs mint, leaves only
Method
For the paste:
Blitz the paste ingredients in a blender or food processer with 50ml water.
For the tagine:
Preheat the oven to 220°c/fan 200°c/gas mark seven .
Heat the oil in a large heatproof casserole dish on a medium heat and lightly brown the tagine vegetables for about 5-7 minutes.
You will probably have to do this in batches.
Add the paste to the pot along with 400ml water and the bouillon powder.
Cover with a lid and cook for 45 minutes.
Give the dish a stir and top up with more water if it’s looking dry (it will depend on how much liquid your vegetable combo releases).
Reduce the heat to 180°c/fan 160°c/gas 4 and cook for another 45 minutes.
To serve, check the vegetables are cooked (give them another 15 minutes if necessary) and add salt and/or pomegranate molasses to taste.
Sprinkle with the mint and serve with accompaniments of your choice.