Baked Beetroot with Quorn and Lemon Tagine

Ingredients

for the beetroot

• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 500g beetroot,

for the tagine

• 2 tsp rapeseed oil
• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp ras el hanout
• 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 50g red lentils
• 300ml vegetable stock using 1 low-sodium vegetable stock cube
• 280g Quorn vegan pieces
• Black pepper, to taste

to serve

• 2 large ripe pears
• 1 tsp rapeseed oil
• 2 small lemons, halved
• cooked wholewheat couscous
• Small bunch flat-leaf parsley, stalks and leaves chopped

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Peel the beetroot and cut into 3cm chunks and place on a large baking tray. Drizzle the oil over the beetroot and roast for 35-40 minutes until the beetroot is tender, turning halfway through.
2. Prepare the tagine by brushing the interior of the lid and base with oil.
3. Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion for 5 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the carrot and pepper and cook for a further 3 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, paprika, ras-el-hanout and cook for a minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, lentils and stock, bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
5. Stir in the Quorn pieces and simmer gently with a lid on for 12 minutes until the Quorn is piping hot.
6. Slice the pears into thin slices and brush lightly on both with oil. Heat a griddle pan, then chargrill the pears, in batches, for 1-2 minutes on each side. Add the lemon halves to the pan and cook for 2 minutes until charred.
7. Remove the tagine from the heat and season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.
8. To serve: Divide the tagine between 4 warm plates along with the couscous and baked beetroot. Garnish with the griddled pears, charred lemons and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.