Butternut Squash with Chickpeas Tagine (Moroccan)

Once in a while, you come across a recipe that is so fantastic, it becomes a permanent part of your culinary armoire. Today, I want to share one such recipe with you.

I randomly stumbled upon this recipe while looking to make something unique for one my earlier not-a-dinner-parties where the secret ingredients were squash and chickpeas. Having travelled to Morocco, I am a big fan of the cuisine, especially tagines, so I couldn’t say no to recreating a cornerstone of the Moroccan cuisine. The results were fantastic and the dish was an instant hit. I have been making this dish ever since for special occasions, and it has never failed to impress anyone. The recipe also comes with instructions to making a basic couscous dish to accompany the tagine

The original recipe can be found here, but I will recreate the ingredients and directions on this page for the sake of convenience. My only piece of advice would be to use half the “medium” butternut squash, instead of the whole thing. Apart from that, make sure to follow the recipe to the tee…you won’t be disappointed!

Butternut Squash & Chickpea Tagine Recipe
(Serves 4)
1 can of chickpeas, drained & washed
10 vine ripened cherry tomatoes
1 medium Butternut squash, peeled & cut into 2 inch chunks
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbs of finely chopped parsley
2 tbs of finely chopped coriander and more for garnish
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp of tomato paste
1/2 tsp of sugar
1 1/2 tsp of sea salt
1 pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 cups of water

Method:

1. Finely chop the coriander and parsley. Set Aside. Peel the squash and cut into 4 x 4 cm pieces.
2. Finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat the oil in the pot and add the onion. Cook over a low heat until soft.
3. Add the garlic and cook for about 20 seconds, then add the cumin, turmeric and cayenne pepper. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring continuously.
4. Add the paprika, tomato paste, sugar and half the coriander, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir.
5. Add the tomatoes and the drained chickpeas. Stir and then add the pumpkin and the water, stir and then cover with the lid. Once simmering, turn the heat down to low and cook covered for 35 minutes.
6. Cook couscous according to packet instructions with vegetable or chicken stock.
7. Just before serving, garnish tagine with more coriander or parsley and serve with couscous.

Couscous Recipe
1 cup of couscous
1/3 cup of raisins
1 handful of Pinenuts
1 handful of chopped mint
1 cup of vegetable stock
Method:

1. Bring the vegetable stock to the boil. Add the couscous and stir once. Cover and take off the heat and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
2. Remove the lid and fluff the couscous up with a fork. Add the pinenuts, raisins and chopped mint.
3. Fluff the couscous again and then serve with the Tagine.