Stir the pungent ras el hanout into a little honey, combine it with root vegetables and roast, then add some vibrant green pistachios, juicy pomegranate seeds and a slick of garlic and herb-flecked yogurt and you could almost be on a camel to Cloud Nine.
Ingredients
- 10½ oz (300 g) celeriac/celery root, peeled and diced
- 10½ oz (300 g) parsnips, cut into batons
- 10½ oz (300 g) carrots, cut into batons
- 5½ oz (150 g) baby turnips, cut into wedges
- 7 oz (200 g) beetroots/beets, cut into wedges
- 7 oz (200 g) butternut squash, cut into wedges
- 7 oz (200 g) shallots, peeled
- 3½ tbsp (50 ml) olive oil
- 2 tbsp ras el hanout spice mix
- 1 tbsp runny honey (or brown rice syrup for a vegan version)
- 1¾ oz (50 g) pistachios
- 1 pomegranate seeds
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- fresh parsley, to garnish
For the Ras el anout Spice Mix
- ⅓ oz (10 g) coarsely ground black pepper
- ⅓ oz (10 g) ground coriander
- 1 tbsp (5 g) ground ginger
- 1 tbsp (5 g) smoked paprika
- ½ tsp each allspice, ground nutmeg, ground turmeric and cayenne pepper
- 2 green cardamom pods seeds
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp dried rose petals
For the Yogurt Dressing
- 6¾ fl oz (200 ml) sheep’s milk yogurt
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
- a handful of freshly chopped coriander/cilantro
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F) Gas 4. For the ras el hanout spice mix, grind the spices together using a pestle and mortar. Store in a screw-top jar.
- Toss the celeriac/celery root, parsnips, carrots, baby turnips, beetroots/beets and butternut squash together in a large sheet pan. Add the shallots. Mix the olive oil with the ras el hanout spice mix, and stir in the honey. Pour this over the vegetables, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and toss to coat everything evenly. Roast for about 30–35 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and charred a little here and there. Remove from the oven, transfer to a warm serving dish and scatter over the pistachios and pomegranate seeds.
- For the dressing, mix the sheep’s milk yogurt with the grated garlic and chopped coriander/cilantro, and spoon a little of the mix here and there. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm.
