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Moroccan ratatouille with dates

Similar to a French ratatouille, this delicious dish is spiked with a touch of rasel-hanout and sweetened with succulent dates. Serve it with bread or Plain, Buttery Couscous or as an accompaniment to a tagine, grilled meats or fish.

INGREDIENTS

• 4–5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, halved lengthways and sliced crossways
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and halved lengthways and sliced crossways
• 1 aubergine, halved lengthways and sliced crossways
• 2 courgettes, sliced
• 225 g ready-to-eat stoned dates, halved lengthways
• 2 × 400-g tins chopped tomatoes
• 1–2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons ras-el-hanout
• leaves from a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Plain, Buttery Couscous, to serve (optional)

Serves 4–6

METHOD

1. Heat the oil in a tagine or a heavy-based casserole. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes until they begin to soften. 
2. Add the pepper, aubergine, and courgettes and cook for a further 3–4 minutes. Add the dates, tomatoes, sugar, and ras-el-hanout and mix thoroughly. Cover and cook for about 40 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. 
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle the chopped parsley over the top. Serve hot with Plain, Buttery Couscous or as a vegetable accompaniment to a tagine, grilled meats or fish.

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