The only recipe you'll need this autumn

I am spending far too much time debating 'jacket or coat?!' which means it's only gone and become bloody autumn hasn't it!

In all honesty, I love this time of year in the UK - it's cold, it rains, but you know where you stand. I can't help but quite liking the fact that we are no longer going to have to worryingly check BBC weather every time we have plans, proceed to then be disappointed and follow with crap small talk about 'how bad the summer's weather has been'... Joyus, I know.

Plus, there are so many delicious new seasonal veggies to enjoy and I generally find cooking and eating healthier (and cheaper!) in the autumn. As, like with this recipe, you can do so many one-pot wonders with just veggie ingredients.

So, this is my veggie tagine recipe, it is a complete winner for cooking on a Sunday and divving up for office lunches for the following week. It's comforting, super healthy, and thrifty. The holty grail

*Top tips

1. Do not cut your veggies up too small I beg you, keep them chunky! we want to taste the veg and it's texture. No mush is the no.1 priority.

2. Please don't pussy foot around the spice, this could quite easily just be a tomato sauce with chunky veg if not spiced enough. Get it loaded with spice and herbs and slather it in tahini and feta... it becomes something magical.

3. Get creative with your pairings, you could have this with a poached egg on top, have it in a baked sweet potato or turn it into pasta/ orzo dish for dinner! You could even add more protein by packing in some tinned beans.

Makes 6-7-8 portions (depends on how much ya eat)

You'll need:

• An oven

• A huge and deep baking/ casserole dish

• A huge saucepan / wok

• A hob

Ingredients:

• 1 Aubergine (chopped into big chunks)

• 1 Yellow pepper (chopped into big chunks)

• 1 Red pepper (chopped into big chunks)

• x3 small or x2 big red onions (quartered)

• 1/2 butternut squash (peeled & chopped into chunks)

• 1 large carrot (once again, big chunks)

• 1 leek cut into chunks

• 1 fennel (optional) cut into quarters

Sauce & seasoning:

• 1 tbsp harissa paste

• 2 tbsp paprika

• 2 tsp cayenne

• 2 tbsp olive oil, or rapeseed oil

• 1 tbsp ground coriander

• 2 tbsp ground cumin

• 1 tbsp garlic powder

• 2 tbsp dried oregano or thyme

• 1 large orange (zest & juice)

• 1 tube of tomato paste

• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes

• 1 whole tin of boiled water with 1 chicken stock cube

• Salt & pepper

• 1 tbsp mango chutney

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• salt n pepper!

Toppings:

• 1 large handful of fresh coriander

• 1/2 pack of feta

• Pomegranate seeds

• Tahini

• Spring onions
  

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°F

2. In your saucepan/wok heat your oil then and add your onions, ground garlic, ground paprika, and cayenne

3. Add the tomato paste and cook down a bit, add around 2 tablespoons of hot water to loosen it up

4. Add your butternut squash and your carrot, leave to cook for 5 mins

5. Add your cumin and coriander, your soy sauce, and your harissa paste

6. Immediately add your tinned tomatoes. Save one of the tins and refill with boiled water and crumble in the chicken stock to let it dissolve

7. Add your leeks, aubergine peppers and fennel at this stage

8. Mix well and turn the heat up, let the sauce bubble for 5 mins

9. Add the thyme/oregano, salt/pepper and mango chutney

10. Let it cook for 2 mins and then immediately pour into your baking dish, you want the veg to do most of their cooking in the oven!

11. Pop in the oven for 25 mins

12. After 25 mins, top the dish with big chunks of crumbled feta

13. Pop back in oven for another 10 minutes

14. Once cooked the top should be bubbling and dark, let it sit for at least 5 minutes and then eat!

15. Top with all the lovely bits you want (coriander, tahini, pomegranate seeds & spring onion are my faves!)
    

This will keep in the fridge for about 5-6 days but freezes like a dream :)