Butternut Squash & Chickpea Tagine

Ingredients

• 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Warm pitta bread, to serve
• 900 g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3cm cubes
• 400 g chopped tomatoes
• salt and black pepper
• 2 onions, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 400 ml vegetable stock
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 80 g dried apricots, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp ras el hanout
• 1 preserved lemon, pulp discarded, rind finely chopped
• 50 g flaked almonds, lightly toasted
• fresh flat-leaf parsley, to serve

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep-sided pan or casserole over a medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook for 12 minutes, stirring often, until deeply golden and fragrant.
2. Add the garlic, ras el hanout, cumin and cinnamon and stir for 2 minutes until the spices coat the onions and the kitchen smells intensely aromatic.
3. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and stir well, cooking for 4 minutes until slightly reduced and jammy. Add the butternut squash cubes and the red lentils, turning everything through the spiced tomato base.
4. Pour over the vegetable stock and add the apricots. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, giving it a stir halfway.
5. Remove the lid, add the chickpeas and the preserved lemon rind. Stir gently and cook uncovered for a further 10 minutes, until the squash is completely tender, the sauce has thickened around it, and the surface looks glossy.
6. Season generously with salt and black pepper. Taste — it should be fragrant, slightly sweet from the apricots, and bright with the preserved lemon. Add a splash more stock if you'd like it looser.
7. Scatter with toasted flaked almonds and parsley at the table. To batch: cool fully and freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months, reheating gently on the hob with a splash of water.