Moroccan-Spiced Chickpea & Root Vegetable Tagine

Prepare the vegetables: Peel and chop 1 large yellow onion. Peel and mince 4 cloves of garlic and 15g of fresh ginger. Wash, peel, and cut 300g of carrots into 1.5cm thick rounds. Wash, peel, and dice 600g of potatoes into 2cm cubes. Roughly chop 60g of dried apricots.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large deep pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft and translucent.

Add the minced garlic, minced ginger, 2 tsp of ground cumin, 1.5 tsp of ground coriander, and 0.5 tsp of ground cinnamon to the pot. Stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes to bloom the spices in the hot oil until highly fragrant, ensuring they do not burn.

Pour in 400g of canned crushed tomatoes, 400ml of water, and crumble in 1 vegetable bouillon cube. Stir well to combine and dissolve the bouillon.

Add the diced 600g of potatoes and sliced 300g of carrots to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer gently for 25 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are tender when pierced with a fork.

While the tagine is simmering, drain and rinse 800g of canned chickpeas. After the vegetables have simmered for 25 minutes, stir in the chickpeas and the chopped 60g of dried apricots. Cover and simmer for an additional 7 to 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the chickpeas to heat through.

While the tagine finishes cooking, prepare the couscous. In a medium heatproof bowl, combine 300g of dry couscous with a pinch of salt. Pour 400ml of boiling water over the couscous, cover the bowl immediately with a plate or plastic wrap, and let it steam undisturbed for 10 minutes.

Fluff the steamed couscous with a fork to separate the grains, then gently stir in the juice of half a lemon and half of the chopped 15g of fresh cilantro.

Finish the tagine by stirring in the juice of the remaining half of the lemon. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. For Peter, serve hot sauce or red chili flakes on the side at the table to customize the heat level.

Divide the cooked tagine and couscous into two equal portions. Serve one portion tonight (consisting of 400g of cooked chickpeas, 300g of cooked potatoes in the stew, and 450g of cooked couscous).

Allow the remaining half of the tagine (containing 400g of cooked chickpeas and 300g of cooked potatoes) and the remaining 450g of cooked couscous to cool completely. Pack them into separate airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for tomorrow's lunch.