Vegan Butternut Squash, Freekeh and Cashew Tagine

It’s the last week of #WorldVeganMonth 2018 and we wanted to warm you to the heart with our Butternut Squash, Freekeh and Cashew Tagine. It’s the perfect deliciously flavoursome winter warmer.

Vegan Butternut Squash, Freekeh and Cashew Tagine

Ingredients:
100g of cashew nuts – roasted
200g of freekeh, barley or quinoa – half cooked
6 tbsp of rapeseed oil
2 onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2cm knob of fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp of tomato purée
400ml of passata
250ml of vegetable stock
1 tbsp of sherry vinegar
1 tsp black treacle
50g of currants
2 tsp saffron strands, soaked in 1 tbsp of warm water for 10 minutes 1 butternut squash, cut into cubes
1 bunch of coriander, chopped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Spice Mix:
2 tbsp of cumin seeds
1 tbsp of fennel seeds
1 tbsp of yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
2 tbsp of plain flour
1⁄2 tsp salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large casserole dish over medium heat. Add the onions and salt. Sauté for about 10 minutes until they are soft but not coloured.

Add the garlic and ginger for the last 3–4 minutes, then add the tomato purée, passata, stock, vinegar, treacle, currants and saffron and remove from the heat.

Heat a large frying pan over high heat and, when hot, add the spices for the spice mix and stir them for 2 minutes until fragrant. Transfer the spices to a mortar and crush with the pestle. Mix with the flour and table salt in a bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the frying pan and place back on the heat.