October - Apricot, Squash and Chickpea Tagine

(Serves 4)

October brings the best of autumn’s produce — hearty squashes, dried fruits, warming spices — making it the perfect time for a slow-cooked tagine. This recipe combines sweet apricots, tender squash and chickpeas with harissa and aromatic spices for a richly flavoured one-pot dish. Serve it over couscous or brown rice with a dollop of yoghurt for a comforting yet vibrant meal that’s easy to adapt to whatever you have on hand.

Ingredients

• 1–2 tbsp olive oil

• Approx. 1 kg chicken thighs or lamb neck (bone-in) or keep vegetarian by omitting the meat and adding extra chickpeas

• 2 red onions, cut into chunks

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 tbsp apricot harissa paste (Belazu recommended, or to taste)

• 1 tbsp honey

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 500 ml chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarian)

• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks (sweet potato or carrot also work; pre-roast if you like for extra flavour)

• 100 g dried apricots, quartered (dates or prunes also work)

• 1 × 400 g tin chopped tomatoes

• 1 × 400 g tin chickpeas, drained (jarred beans are great; any beans work)

• 2–3 tbsp balsamic vinegar or pomegranate molasses

• Salt and black pepper

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, coriander or mint

• Lemon juice to taste

• Natural yoghurt, to serve

• Couscous, brown rice or quinoa, to serve

Method

1. Brown the meat (if using):

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan over high heat.

• Add the chicken thighs or lamb neck and brown well on all sides (about 10–15 minutes) until nicely caramelised. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2. Cook the aromatics:

• Reduce the heat to medium, add a little more oil if needed and cook the onions for about 5 minutes until softening.

• Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.

• Stir in the harissa paste, honey, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, turmeric and balsamic or pomegranate molasses. Cook for another 1–2 minutes to bloom the spices.

3. Simmer the tagine:

• Return the browned meat to the pan (if using) along with the stock, apricots, chopped tomatoes and squash. Season with salt and pepper.

• Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 3 hours until the meat is tender and falling off the bone. (If vegetarian, reduce cooking time to 45 minutes and add squash earlier so it softens fully.)

4. Add chickpeas and finish:

• Stir in the drained chickpeas and cook for a final 10 minutes to heat through.

• Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, lemon juice or honey as needed.

5. Serve:

• Scatter over the chopped fresh herbs.

• Serve hot with couscous, brown rice or quinoa and a dollop of natural yoghurt on the side.

Tips & Notes

• Make it vegetarian: Skip the meat and double the chickpeas or add lentils.

• Make ahead: This tagine tastes even better the next day as the flavours develop.

• Seasonal swap: Replace apricots with seasonal dried figs or medjool dates.

• Batch cooking: Freeze in portions for up to 3 months.