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servings
Harissa chicken and vegetable tagine
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- Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan.
- Tip the aubergine, squash, courgette, bell pepper and red onion into 2 separate roasting tins. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over each and toss to coat. Season well. Roast for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 190°C/170°C fan.
- Meanwhile, make the harissa rub for the chicken. Put the star anise, juniper berries, cloves and cinnamon stick in a coffee mill or small blender and whiz to a fine powder. Tip into a small bowl and mix with the harissa paste.
- Spatchcock (butterfly) the chicken: put it on a board and turn it breast-side down. Use a sharp knife to cut along one side of the backbone – you may need a pair of heavy-duty scissors to help with this bit. Do the same on the other side of the backbone, then discard the bone. Turn the chicken over and press the heel of your hand along the breastbone to flatten.
- Put the chicken in a roasting tin. Season well, then rub it with the harissa mix, drizzle over a little oil and squeeze over the lime. Pour 100ml water into the base of the tin. Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp oil in a large ovenproof casserole dish. Add the grated onion, garlic and spices, including 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Place over a medium heat and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, until the onion is softened but not coloured.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, dried fruit, almonds, soaked saffron, stock, honey, chickpeas and roasted veg. Give everything a really good stir and season well. Bring up to the boil.
- Cook in the oven underneath the chicken for 45 minutes. Check the chicken is cooked by piercing the thickest part of the thigh, and making sure the juices run clear. Stir in the herbs and serve with the chicken, couscous, lemon wedges and any juices from the chicken drizzled over the top.
To serve with couscous alongside, put 200g (1 cup) of couscous in a bowl. Add 200ml of hot stock. Cover and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Fork through, season and add a squeeze of lemon juice and drizzle of olive oil.
Veggies to feed? Boil a couple of eggs until hard, then quarter and serve on top of the vegetable tagine.
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