InGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp olive oil plus extra for drizzling
• 2 red onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 thumb size chunk fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 aubergine, cubed
• 2 tbsp almonds, roughly chopped
• 1 sweet potato (approx 300g), cubed
• 2 carrots (approx 250g), cubed
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1  400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 x 400 g tin chickpeas
• 100 g dried apricots, roughly chopped
• 10 black kalamata olives, pitted & halved
• 1 lemon
• 1 handful mint leaves, chopped
• 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oil in a large pan on a medium heat. Add the red onion and fry for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan and fry for another 5 minutes. Stir in the spices and fry for a minute stirring continuously to prevent them from burning. 

Add the tomato paste and aubergine and fry for 5 minutes stirring regularly (add an extra splash of water if the spices are sticking to the bottom of the pan). Add the tinned tomatoes, carrot and sweet potatoes, salt and vegetable stock. Put a lid on the pan and gently simmer for 30min, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. 

While the stew cooks put a small frying pan on a medium heat and dry toast the almonds for a few minutes until lightly browned. Make sure you stir them regularly as they do burn easily. Set the toasted almonds aside.

Add the chickpeas apricots and olives to the stew saucepan. Cook for 10 minutes. Zest the lemon and set the zest aside. Squeeze the juice from half of the lemon in to the saucepan. 

Divide the stew in to 4 bowls. Top with the toasted almonds, mint and lemon zest. Finish with a final squeeze of lemon from the remaining lemon half.