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Butternut Squash and Giant Couscous Tagine recipe

Our new food columnist, Sofia Gallo, shares her favourite cosy recipes for autumn and winter.

This week, we’re whipping up this tasty tagine…

A warming dish scented with Ras-el-Hanout, served to accompany a giant couscous salad and enjoyed with a warm flatbread. A vegetarian alternative to a more well-known meat recipe.

Butternut Squash and Giant Couscous Tagine recipe

Serves: 2

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Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 banana shallots quartered

1 garlic clove finely chopped

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200g butternut squash cubed (this is the weight after chopping. You may need 350g to clean)

500ml vegetable stock – I used a stock cube and freshly boiled water

200g chickpeas

75g giant couscous

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1 tbsp of Ras-el-Hanout

50g sultanas

Harissa paste to taste

To serve: fresh coriander and a mix of sunflower and pumpkin seeds

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Method:

  1. In a pan, heat your oil and add the shallots until translucent, then add your garlic and butternut squash and toast for about 5 minutes until browned.
  2. Add the spice and then cook for a further few minutes before adding 300ml of your vegetable stock. 
  3. Bring this to the boil, then lower the heat and let simmer until the squash is soft. 
  4. Add the harissa, sultana, chickpeas and their water and simmer until the liquid is reduced, but still coating all the vegetables.
  5. In the meantime, place the couscous in a bowl and cover with the remaining vegetable stock, making sure this is still hot, and any additional freshly boiled water if required. This will take a little longer than couscous, but I much prefer this texture.
  6. Serve the dish with plenty of freshly chopped coriander, sprinkle with pumpkin and sunflower seeds. I also enjoy with a serving of crème fraiche and harissa as a dip for the flatbread.

Sofia Gallo’s cooking journey has taken her from her family kitchen to becoming a multi-award-winning chef – reaching the quarterfinals of MasterChef UK 2021, where her signature dish earned her the iconic apron, and high praise from the judges. For more from Sofia, visit www.lamiacucina.co.uk or follow her on Instagram @in_cucinacon_sofia.

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