This time last year, I was scrambling to wrap up work and leave for our two-week trip to India. I cannot believe that amazing trip across the country was almost two years ago. And as much as we have tried to take trips to the surrounding states of Wisconsin and Michigan to mix things up during the pandemic, I am counting down the days until I can get vaccinated, get on a plan and go somewhere far away.

On the top of my list is visiting Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. I plan most of my trips based on the food I like to eat or want to learn more about and man, do I love Moroccan food! Our neighborhood in Chicago has a vibrant Moroccan and North African community, which means some top notch Moroccan restaurants. Moroccan food is diverse but perhaps the most well-known dish is the tagine. To make a real tagine, you would have to use a real tagine, a clay cooking vessel with a long funneled top. I don’t have room in my kitchen to buy yet another cooking vessel so I made do with a regular pot and focused on the flavors.

Tagines are similar to North Indian curries - turmeric, warming spices like cloves and cinnamon, and a base of onions and garlic. I loaded mine up with vegetables and also decided to add in some pumpkin purée. That was a little risky because that is not traditional but wowowow. Was that a stroke of genius! It of course made the sauce creamy and rich and the flavor was perfect with the warming spices. If you’re American, you’re probably used to pumpkin purée as a baking ingredient but pumpkin is a common addition to stews all over the world; this is just the puréed version.

If you have access to preserved lemons and olives, those are traditional add-ins, add some brightness. But if not, lemon juice will do just fine! Serve with couscous, rice, or flatbread.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 cup sliced white or yellow onions

• 1 tbsp minced garlic cloves

• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp turmeric

• 1/4 tsp cayenne or another chile powder

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp ground coriander

• 1 potato, cubed (about 100 grams)

• 1-2 carrots, cubed (about 100 grams)

• 1-2 zucchini, cubed (about 150 grams)

• 5-6 olives

• 1.5 cups vegetable broth

• salt to taste

• lemon wedges to serve

• parsley to garnish

Method

In a pot, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onions and cook for 10 mins over medium-high heat, until you see some browning. Next, add the minced garlic and sauté for another 5 mins.

Now add the ground spices and toast for 3 mins - cloves, cinnamon, cayenne, turmeric, cumin, and coriander. Next add in the potatoes, carrots, and pumpkin purée and mix well. Add one cup of the broth, cover, and cook on medium heat, undisturbed, for 25 mins until the vegetables are softer.

To finish, add in the olives, zucchini and remaining half cup of broth, cover, and cook for an additional 10 mins. Remove the lid, season with salt to taste

Garnish with parsley and serve with a wedge of lemon!