I made this with the expectation that Mr Bite wouldn't really like it, and so served his portion on the small side with naan bread and mango chutney to accompany his meal. To my surprise and delight, he did enjoy it and claimed he could have eaten more. Usually he doesn't like dried fruit in savoury dishes, or lentils in large quantities, but I am happy to take this as an exception to the usual rules. It may also mean that if you aren't a fan of sweet things in savoury dishes, you could like this too.
I cooked this in two stages, first on the stove top and then in the oven. I recommend that approach if you have time, as I think it enhanced the texture and flavour of the vegetables. However, if time is short, you could probably skip the oven phase.
Despite giving Mr Bite naan bread with his meal, this doesn't really need any accompaniment. However, you could pair it with rice or couscous if you desire and to give a heartier overall meal.
Lentil and apricot tagine
A full-flavoured meal for 4
Vegan, gluten free and low in fat
Author: Bite-sized thoughts
Ingredients
Drizzle of olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp piece of fresh ginger, crushed or finely diced
2 tbsp garam masala
1/2 tsp mixed spice (or cinnamon)
1/4 tsp salt
Few cracks black pepper
2 large potatoes, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 large bell pepper, sliced
1-1/2 cups cooked green or puy lentils
10 dried apricots, chopped
Approximately 1/4 cup water
Method
Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the onion, lemon juice, ginger, garam masala and mixed spice. Cook, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes or until the onion is golden.
Reduce heat to medium-low and add the salt, pepper, potatoes, carrots, bell pepper, lentils and apricots. Allow to cook uncovered for approximately 15 minutes, then add the water and cover with a lid or aluminium foil and cook for a further 15 minutes.
While cooking, heat your oven to 160'C.
Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish, ideally with a lid, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 160'C.
Submitted to Healthy Vegan Fridays.
Do you enjoy tagine-style dishes?
I happen to love a bit of fruit in savory dishes! This looks and sounds lovely.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! Thank you :-)
DeleteI adore dried fruit in savoury dishes. I am glad that Mr Bite liked this one - it sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cakelaw :-)
DeleteI love fruit in savoury meals and this looks really good - in fact I made a tangine with dried apricots last year but it was totally different to this and I would love to try it
ReplyDeleteI hope you like it if you do!
DeleteSo many people say they don't like fruit in savoury dishes but how often do they try - i was one of those people until I actually made a tagine and was converted. So its good that Mr Bite approved. I like your tagine, who cares if its not made in a tagine.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad my flexible approach to 'tagine' use gets your approval :-)
DeleteI am definitely one of those people that doesn't really like fruit in savoury dishes, though it's probably more accurate to say I don't like it the way I cook it. I think I just need to find the right recipe to show me where I've been going wrong - I'm bookmarking this for future experimenting!
ReplyDeleteI hope it helps convert you!
DeleteThis sounds yum, I love a tagine - I don't think you need a proper tagine dish, a heavy pan or casserole dish will work just as well :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
DeleteI'm not usually a fan of sweet things in savory dishes either so I'll have to try it. The dish sounds really good and I've never had a tagine before.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for linking up with us for Healthy Vegan Fridays! I’m Pinning and sharing!
Thank you Mary Ellen!
DeleteI typically don't like sweet things in stew like this, but it actually sounds like a rather lovely combination. I'm willing to give it a shot. And I think I would make the extra oven time as it would help the flavours meld more.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I can convert you to dried fruit in savoury dishes :-)
Delete