I’ve been thinking a lot about Morocco this week, mainly because it’s coming up to a year since we were in Marrakech and when I woke today and peeped out…. There was a beautiful blue sky. It made me happy on a number of levels but in particular it made think of Morocco and those beautiful skies…

Now, our tagine is France, so I knew I didn’t have access to that, and in truth I didn’t really feel like eating meat this week. I’m home alone so as I worked through my list of things to be done, I dreamed up my supper.

I had bought some really great sour dough bread at the market on my way home from work and was thinking of something to mop it up with….

So, squash, gourds, pumpkin whatever you want to call them are in season and they seem to be everywhere. I’m easy to influence so the whole thing morphed into a bit of an early autumn comfort dish.

Just the thing for when the late September sunshine gives way to the evening chill.

Here’s how…

Ingredients – serves 2/3

1 cup of potato, peeled and chopped in 1 inch pieces

1 cup of squash, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces

2 onions peeled, halved and then each half being chopped into 6

2 red chilli’s, de-seeded and sliced lengthays

1 clove of garlic

2 table spoons olive oil

1 400g can of plum tomatoes, chopped.

1 400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed.

½ tsp each of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, chilli flakes, dried rose petals, toasted in a pan, then ground into powder.

1 stick of cinnamon

2 tsp rose harissa paste

1 tsp sea salt

2.5 cups of veg stock

1 egg, poached, chilled in iced water and set aside

Chopped spring onion and coriander to garnish

A little sumac, black pepper, olive oil and smoked paprika to garnish

Method

1. Add the olive oil to a pan and heat over a medium flame then add the onions and garlic, turning them over gently until they begin to soften.
2. Next add the ground spices and stir them through the onions and oil, before adding the cinnamon stick and the harissa paste.
3. Add the tomatoes, increase the heat and allow the heat to come back to a simmer, before adding the stock.
4. Now add the potatoes, squash and chickpeas and stir well, allowing the contents to reach just off boiling before reducing the temperature to low and add the salt.
5. Cover the pan, leaving just a little gap for some steam to escape and simmer for about and hour and a quarter (stirring occasionally) or until the veg is tender and the stew has a nice thick consistency. Then check and adjust the seasoning.
6. To a pan of simmering water, add the chilled poached egg and whilst the egg is warming through – about 30 to 40 seconds – plate up the spicy stew.
7. Place the warm poached egg in the centre of the stew and scatter sliced spring onions and coriander over the dish.
8. Now, split the egg open allowing the yolk to ooze out, sprinkle the egg with a little salt sumac, black pepper and smoked paprika.
9. Drizzle the stew with olive oil and serve with crusty bread.