Chick Pea and Beetroot tagine

Beetroot is a misunderstood thing. Gorgeously purple. and almost the entire plant is edible....but more on that at another time. Seeing as today we had potatoes at lunchtime (see "Roast Potato and Onion Soup) then it seemed too-much-of-a-good-thing to have a starchy vegetable at dinner time. Hence...beetroot.

Ingredients

• 2 medium beets. Top and tail, scrub and segment into smallish wedges
• 1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas ("garbanzo beans" if you're a seppo)
• 1 small onion. Thinly sliced.
• 1 clove of garlic. Chopped.
• 2 teaspoons of cumin powder.
• 2 teaspoons of ground pepper.
• Olive oil.
• Sesame oil.
• 2 tablespoons of light tahini.
• Water.

What to do..

• Preheat oven (I also put the empty tagine in straight away to begin to heat, while I get on with the preparation. As it is very heavy pottery it takes a long time for the tagine container itself to come to heat, and until it does the food inside is not cooking one little bit. Preheating the tagine can save you 30 minutes cooking time later)
  
• Combine all ingredients except for the sesame oil into a tagine. If you don't have a tagine then use any covered baking tray that is about 30cms in diameter.
  
• Add water until the level is about 1cm below the edge of your tagine.
• Bake on high for 45 minutes to 60 minutes
• Lightly drizzle on the sesame oil before serving

Nice with couscous (or other grain), or some steamed vegetables.