Baby courgettes with rose harissa, lime and tomato

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 2 to 3 medium sized shallots, cut lengthways
• Around 16 baby courgettes
• 3 cloves garlic, cut fine, lengthways
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• A cinnamon stick (optional)
• 2 to 3 tbsp tomato paste
• Himalayan salt, or sea salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp muscovado sugar
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) water
• 1 tsp rose harissa (if you can't find it, use ordinary harissa, and add 2 drops of rose extract)
• The juice of 1/2 small lime
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves (or 1 cup pre-cooked frozen spinach)
• Nigella seeds, for garnishing
• Freshly chopped parsley, or coriander, for garnishing

Method

Heat up your oil in a saucepan, and fry your shallots, until transparent. Then add your courgettes and garlic, and stir gently on a medium heat.

Now add the cumin, cinnamon stick, and tomato paste, and stir for a few seconds until they've combined.

Add the remaining ingredients, except for the spinach and lime. 

 When the baby courgettes have begun to soften (after about 25 minutes), add the spinach and cover - and simmer for 15 minutes.

When the sauce has thickened, the dish is ready.

Serve with warm pita bread sticks and/or rice and some houmous on the side.

Yasou: A Magical Fusion of Greek & Middle Eastern Vegan Cuisine by Miriam Sorrell (Greenhouse Publications) is out now.

Visit our vegan recipe section for more ideas, or try one of our other Middle Eastern recipes, including Arabic bread and carrot salad with cumin and preserved lemons.