• Make the Tofu Cultured Cream by blending all the ingredients together. The texture should be completely smooth and creamy, like thick yoghurt with not visible grain. Cover the cream and chill for at least 30 minutes whilst you make the Tagine. The flavour will deepen as the acids work on the tofu.
  100 g silken tofu, 1 tbsp sauerkraut brine, 1½ tsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp nutritious yeast, ½ tsp white miso paste, ½ tsp lemon juice, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp olive oil

Prepare the vegetables

• Cut the onions into slender petals. Diced onion would be quite wrong. Cut the squash into thin batons. Cut the red pepper into julienne strips. Cut the garlic into very thin slices so that it melts rather than browns.
  250 g brown onion, 3 cloves fresh garlic, 1 red pepper, 500 g squash

Heat the pan correctly

• Choose a wide. heavy-bottomed pan – wide for good evaporation, heavy for even heat. Even heat = even cookery.

  Add the olive oil and warm it over medium heat until it runs easily when you tilt the pan.
  2 tbsp olive oil, 1 pinch salt, 2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chilli flakes, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 1 cinnamon stick, ½ tsp ground black pepper, ½ tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp hot paprika, 1 tsp ras el hanout

Build the base flavour

• Add the onion, squash and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and the edges begin to caramelise. This step lays the flavour foundation for the tagine; colour equals depth.

Add the garlic and bloom the spices

• Stir in the sliced garlic and cook for 1–2 minutes so it turns fragrant but not brown. Add all the ground spices and the cinnamon stick. Stir for 30 seconds to coat the vegetables, then loosen with a splash of water so the spices toast without burning. You should smell warmth, not heat.
  1 tbsp water

Deglaze and simmer

• Pour in the lemon juice to lift the fond (brown bits) from the bottom of the pan. Add the stock, red pepper and lemon zest. Bring to a gentle, smiling simmer – just a ripple on the surface – then lower the heat. Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes so the flavours meld and the sauce begins to thicken naturally. Avoid stirring too often; let the liquid clarify.
  3 tbsp lemon juice, ½ tbsp lemon zest, 400 ml stock

Add chickpeas and thicken the sauce

• Add the chickpeas to warm through. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

  Add the cornflour to the water to make 'cornflour slurry'.

  You aren't meant to pour cornflour into a simmer sauce because it will clump into lumps. But if you pour the slurry over a spoon that is stirring small circles in the simmering sauce, using the spoon to 'slow' the cornflour, you can add cornflour without taking the pan off the heat.

  If your sauce becomes too thick, add a splash of stock.
  200 g chickpeas, ¼ tsp salt, 1 tsp cornflour, 2 tsp cold water, 2 tbsp fresh coriander

Finish and balance

• Stir through the maple syrup and rosewater. Taste again – you’re looking for gentle sweetness and perfume, not dominance. Fold in the coriander just before serving so it keeps its colour.
  ½ tsp maple syrup, ¼ tsp rosewater

To make the Zesty Greens

• Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook until the onion softens and the edges caramelise.
  1 tbsp olive oil, 160 g red onion, 1 pinch salt
• Add the garlic and cook for another 1–2 minutes until aromatic.
  2 clove fresh garlic
• Add the shredded greens and toss well. Cook for 3–5 minutes until just wilted – they should stay bright and slightly firm.
  300 g spring greens
• Stir in the orange juice and the zest from half the fruit. The steam will carry the citrus through the greens.
  1 orange
• Serve topped with a little more orange zest and some flaked almonds.
  1 tbsp flaked almonds

To serve

• Serve the tagine with the orange-zested greens and a spoonful of the tofu cultured cream. Add lemon wedges and fresh lemon zest for extra brightness.
  4 lemon wedges