Tofu, Sweet Potato, Chick Pea, Apricot and Spinach Tagine served with Lemon and Coriander Cous cous.

So with Autumn now howling at our doors with the nippiest air and chilliest breezes; I have decided that I definitely need some warming up and as such, last week saw the addition of a fluffy blanket to my bed; the donning of a hat, gloves and scarf set every time I ventured outside my front door and ofcourse the creation of a whole host of amazing Autumnal  dishes to fill my belly. Consequently, I have whipped up a weeks worth of hearty, warming Autumnal meals using all kinds of scrumptious seasonal ingredients to warm you up on the coldest of October nights which, I will be posting the recipes for throughout the coming week. 

We kick off the week celebrating meat free Monday although, as a vegetarian myself everyday of the week becomes a celebration of meat free! Nonetheless, hopefully even the most carnivorous of readers would enjoy this flavoursome dish although, if you are a devout meat eater and absolutely must have meat in your dish then my Mum and Dad do assure me that lamb is delicious in this tagine so, if you've got any left over from your Sunday roast, feel free to pop it in!

I must admit I am not a humungous fan of tofu myself and although I gladly golloped down this tagine with a smile on my face, I would probably make it with Quorn pieces next time just because I prefer their flavour and their ability to absorb all the yummy tastes of whatever dish they are added to. I also can't help thinking that some chunks of veggie or regular sausages in this recipe with a big ol' pile of buttery mash would make a bloomin' beautiful casserole. If you are a tofu fan though then this tagine will be right up your street, no changes needed; it is magnificent; full of flavour and healthy and the lemon and coriander cous cous is wonderfully refreshing, lemony and light and a fabulous contrasting accompaniment to the hearty, rich tagine. Sprinkle on the toasted almonds and you're good to go!

Recipe

Makes 4 portions of scrummy tagine!

For the Tofu Tagine:

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

400g sweet potato

2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 tbsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tbsp. runny honey

2x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

575ml vegetable stock

400g tin of chickpeas in water, drained and rinsed

100g dried apricots, cut into quarters

300g Tofu, cut into medium chunks (I used Cauldron Marinated Tofu Pieces, available from Sainsbury's) Note. alternatively use Lamb chunks, sausage pieces or Quorn pieces

200g spinach, fresh or frozen

pinch of salt and pepper to season

For the Lemon and Coriander Cous Cous:

300g cous cous

375ml hot vegetable stock

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

3 tbsp. chopped fresh coriander

Extra chopped coriander and toasted flaked almonds to garnish

Method

1. Start by preparing the tagine. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic, sweet potato, ginger, cumin, coriander and cinnamon and cook for a further 5 minutes.  

2. Pour over the chopped tomatoes, runny honey and vegetable stock. Add the chick peas and apricot and season well. Cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes, adding the frozen spinach and tofu for the last 10 minutes. 

3. Whilst the tagine finishes cooking, prepare the cous cous. Into a bowl, add the cous cous and pour over the vegetable stock. Leave for 5 minutes and fluff up with a fork. Stir through the lemon zest, juice and chopped coriander. 

4. Finally, serve a big dollop of tagine with a mountain of lemon coriander and coriander cous cous and scatter with toasted flaked almonds and chopped coriander. Tuck in!

Thank you for reading!

Thai Peanut, Butternut, Red Pepper and Spinach Curry.

Well, October is now well and truly upon us and my goodness has it turned chilly outside. To warm up last week I tantalised the old taste-buds with this very delicious Thai peanut curry which just so happens to be the perfect autumnal recipe to tuck into over the coming week as it is National Curry Week and there really is no more scrumptious dish to celebrate with. A creamy, subtle peanut sauce packed full of lovely butternut squash chunks, red pepper pieces and bundles of spinach; served alongside Thai jasmine rice and scattered with fresh coriander leaves and crushed salted peanuts. Perfection.

Recipe

Makes one piping hot pan full of Thai peanut curry to dive into and enjoy!

200ml boiled water 

2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 tsp. tomato purée
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp. light soy sauce 
1 tsp. light brown sugar
Small handful fresh coriander
2 red chillies, halved and deseeded
4 garlic cloves
1cm piece fresh ginger
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 red onions, cut into thin wedges
300g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks (not too big!)
200g red pepper, core and seeds removed
100g frozen spinach
400ml tin coconut milk

salted peanuts to garnish

Method

1. Stir the peanut butter into a jug containing 200ml hot water until it dissolves, then stir in the tomato purée, lime zest and juice, soy sauce and brown sugar and set aside.

2. Remove the leaves from the coriander and set aside as well. Chop the stalks as finely as you can and chop up the chilli, garlic and ginger nice and small too.

3. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or good-sized pan and fry the onions quite briskly for a few minutes, so that they catch slightly. As soon as this starts to happen, add the butternut squash and red pepper and stir-fry for a few minutes. 

4. Stir in the chilli, garlic, coriander stalk, garlic and ginger mixture for 1-2 minutes, then add in the lovely creamy coconut milk. Stir once more, then add the peanut butter mix and cook at a brisk simmer for 20-30 minutes, adding the frozen spinach half way through, until the sauce has thickened slightly, the spinach is cooked and the butternut squash is tender. 

5. Finally, serve alongside some Thai Jasmine rice and garnish with the reserved coriander leaves and some finely chopped salted peanuts. All done and dusted, now sit back, relax, snuggle up under a blanket, stick on the telly and enjoy!

Thank you for reading!