i was in a creative mood the other day and decided to put together a tagine of sorts. the recipe is inspired by m who cooked it for a week night dinner. i've made it from memory but have made a couple of changes. m used white onion, i put in red instead (i like the slightly caramelised sweetness that sauteed red onions add). i also added a hint of paprika to give it a slightly smoky flavour and some honey to compliment the thick slices of sweet potato.
you'll need a generous glug of vegetable oil
a small red onion, cut into thin rings
half a tsp of salt and a tsp of cumin powder
a pinch of paprika
one sweet potato peeled and cut into thick slices
a can of chick peas (don't drain them)
a can of chopped tomatoes
a tsp of tomato paste
a bay leaf
a cinnamon stick
a tbsp of honey
a small handful of raisins
saute the onions until they soft - don't let them go brown. once softened add the salt, cumin, cinnamon stick and paprika and stir fry. then add the chickpeas with the water and let the water come to a boil. when this is done put in the can of chopped tomatoes, the tomato paste and add the slices of sweet potatoes. make sure that the sweet potatoes are covered with the liquid. tuck in the bay leaf and let simmer till the sweet potato is cooked. i like the sweet potato to hold it's own rather than be cooked to disintegration. in the end stir in the honey and the raisins.
i served this with cous cous (cooked to the instructions on the packet) with lots of roughly chopped dill.
