Step 1

Heat up the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot that you have a lid for.

Step 2

Add the diced onion and fry it gently until almost translucent (for about 7 minutes), stirring from time to time.

Step 3

Add the chopped garlic. Keep on frying gently until the onion is translucent and the garlic softens completely and releases its beautiful aroma (approx. 5 minutes).

Step 4

Stir all the ground spices into the onion-garlic mixture. Fry them off on a very low heat for a minute or two (stirring the whole time as if they burn they'll taste bitter).

Step 5

Add the chopped tomatoes, 2 tins worth of water, saffron, cardamom pods, bay leaves, preserved lemon, raisins and salt to the pan. Simmer, covered, until the tomato chunks fall apart and the sauce looks more or less homogeneous (about 45 minutes).

Step 6

Remove the lid and keep on cooking the stew on low-medium heat to allow excess water to evaporate so that the stew thickens.

Step 7

You can cook the butternut squash in the stew (it takes about 20 minutes), but I prefer to do so separately as it allows for greater control over its 'doneness'. Bake in a 200° C / 390° C oven for about 25-30 minutes or steam for 30 minutes.

Step 8

Once the sauce thickens, taste it and season with a generous amount of black pepper, more salt if needed and add some date syrup (or sugar) if you find the dish too acidic.

Step 9

Chuck in the chopped kale for the final 10 minutes and cover the pot with a lid to allow the kale to cook in the sauce. You could also steam it separately for 10 minutes and add it to the tagine at the end.

Step 10

Finally, stir in the cooked chickpeas and let them warm through. Serve over cooked couscous (or rice), sprinkled with toasted almond flakes and pomegranate seeds.