Can you suggest a dish and perhaps provide a recipe for a Middle Eastern vegetarian main course?

Eric Hendry says: Here is a great vegetable tagine recipe...quite easy to make.

150ml olive oil
2 juiced lemons
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium sized carrots
1 small butternut pumpkin
2 small turnips
2 small parsnips
1 small eggplant
1 medium zucchini
100g chickpeas, cooked
4 small potatoes
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon ginger
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 cinnamon stick

300g cous cous*

Combine half the olive oil, spices, garlic and lemon juice.
Heat the remaining olive oil in large over proof casserole and sauté the vegetables until lightly colored, about five minutes,
Add the olive oil spice mixture and stir and coat vegetables evenly,
Add the chickpeas and splash of vegetable stock or water if it's looking a little too dry
Season with a sprinkle of salt and bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes at around 350 degrees F (180 degrees C)
Remove the casserole from the oven and check that all the vegetables are tender

*Note on the cous cous
The best thing to do for cous cous as a home cook is to follow the instructions on the package. There are a ton of different brands of cous cous and most will be slightly different in preparation.

Warm your cous cous in the oven with a little butter
Pour your vegetable tagine over the warmed cous cous
This dish benefits from a blob or yoghurt on the side to compliment the casserole.

What is your favourite fruit to serve with soft cheeses?

Jeremy Evrard says: With soft coat milk cheese, I will serve with a mix of orange and quince.
With soft cow milk, I will go for fresh figs and Pinot Noir grapes.

What is your favourite way to serve artichokes? And if I want to serve simply cooked how to I do this - boil, steam etc?

Paul McLoughlin says: One of my favourite ways to serve artichokes (in this case purple baby artichokes) is to clean the fresh artichokes by removing the outer leaves with a pairing knife until you reach the tender inner leaves, and trim the bottoms. Place them in acid (lemon water or white wine so they do not discolour) and then in a large casserole pot on medium low heat; sweat finely diced shallots, garlic, coriander seeds, bay leaves, fresh thyme, salt, white pepper, splash of white wine, in extra virgin olive oil until translucent. Throw in your artichokes and cover with chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, then when the artichokes are 3/4 cooked (take out and taste) add in tomato concasse (seedless, peeled, chopped fresh tomatoes) and cook for two minutes more, then remove from the heat, throw in a whole bunch of coriander (with stalks) to infuse (can take out when cooled). Can use right away or store in fridge with its cooking liquid.