Serves 4

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- Juice of 1 lemon

- 1 tsbp tomato purée

- 2 tsp paprika 2 tsp ground cinnamon

- Salt and pepper

- 1 x 400g tin of plum tomatoes, chopped

- 2 red peppers, cut into small pieces (grilled and skinned peppers would be nicer, but this is more work)

- 75g unpeeled almonds

- 75g pitted prunes, roughly chopped

- ½ a thumb-sized piece of root ginger, peeled and chopped

- 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

- 2 medium courgettes, cut into medium-thin rounds

- 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained

- 1 tbsp honey

- 1 handful of coriander, chopped

Heat the olive oil in a casserole and stir in the lemon juice and tomato purée with the paprika and cinnamon, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chopped tomatoes and peppers, then cover the dish and cook over a very gentle heat on the hob, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 mins. Stir in the almonds, prunes, ginger and garlic and cook for another 15 minutes. When the peppers are good and soft, add the courgettes and chickpeas, giving them a good nuzzle in the sauce.

Cover the dish again and cook for about 10 minutes, until the courgettes are tender but not too soft. Finally, stir in the honey and throw on the coriander leaves at the end. Serve with couscous, rice, flatbread — whatever floats your boat.

...And what to drink

The richness of this tagine calls for a spicy, substantial wine such as syrah, the French original of the Australian shiraz. Alain Graillot, who creates top-notch syrah in the northern Rhône, also makes one in Morocco, called Tandem, which has a touch of slightly over-the-top fruitiness that goes down with the prunes, ginger and honey better than a French wine would (£9.95, The Wine Society; 01438 737700). Bob Tyrer

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