Ah, the late-January Blahs, effects of grey skies, chilling winds, and the endless scraping of car windshields -  and I know I’m not the only one that spends long afternoons daydreaming of sandy beaches, bright summer clothing, and plus-zero temperatures. But, instead of wishing for warmth and colour outside, why not bring it inside? Enter tagines, the simple Moroccan cookware that inspires recipes chock full of colourful ingredients.

Admittedly, I had no idea what a tagine was until recently, when I came across the book easy tagine by Ghillie Basan. This book is a great resource, and is full of fantastic recipes, cultural anecdotes, and beautiful photographs of every dish.

A tagine is a stew of meat (lamb, traditionally), poultry, or vegetables, simmered in sauces with fruit, honey, herbs, nuts, and chillies. It is also the name of the vessel in which the stew is cooked – a shallow earthenware dish with a funny, cone-shaped lid. (The lid is designed to circulate the air and steam within the vessel). Traditional tagines have a hole in the top of the lid, designed to release steam while cooking. Many modern tagines don’t have this feature; thus, it is advised to lift the lid periodically during cooking to release some steam, (and prevent the stew from boiling over!)

Tagines come in many different colours and materials, from unfinished clay to vibrant works of art, hand painted and glazed. Typically, these fancy numbers are used for serving, while the plain ones are used for cooking the stew. Some of the newer, factory-produced clay tagines are not heat stable and will form cracks when used over an open flame. Le Creuset, however, makes a lovely, glazed model with a cast-iron base that is more durable (although pricey). 

You don’t need to own tagine to prepare these Moroccan recipes, though. I use a large, stainless-steel saucepan with a fitting lid, about 4-inches deep. When used over a gas stove on medium-low setting, it simmers perfectly (just remember to let the steam escape once in a while!) The stew can be baked in the oven, as well, in either an earthenware tagine or a metal saucepan, just set your oven temperature to 375°F. (Note: Air is not a good conductor of heat, so the tagine will not bake as quickly in the oven as it would directly over an open flame or element. Baking time will be about 1.5-2× what the recipe states. For example, if the recipe says to cook for 30 minutes, bake for 45-60 minutes. This is especially true when cooking hard vegetables like potatoes, carrots, or squash.)

Here is a recipe from easy tagine that I tried out for a family dinner a few nights ago. I served it with couscous (but flat bread such as pita or naan would be great, too!) It was quick and simple to make and got rave reviews.

I have put some of my own variations and suggestions in italics.

CB

fish tagine with preserved lemon and mint
serves 4

1 quantity Chermoula (recipe follows)
2 lbs. fresh fish fillets, cut into large chunks (I like tilapia)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 preserved lemon (or the peel of one fresh lemon), finely chopped
1 14-oz. can plum tomatoes with their juice
2/3 cup fish stock or water (or vegetable stock)
2/3 c white wine
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
leaves from a bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped

Reserve 2 teaspoons of the Chermoula for cooking. Toss the fish chunks in the remaining Chermoula, cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours.

Heat the oil in a tagine (or a heavy, shallow saucepan with a lid). Stir in the onion, carrots and celery and sauté until softened. Add the preserved lemon (reserving a little for sprinkling) with the reserved 2 teaspoons of Chermoula and the tomatoes and stir in well. Cook gently for about 10 minutes to reduce the liquid, then add the stock and the wine. Bring the liquid to the boil, cover the tagine, reduce the heat and simmer 10-15 minutes.

Toss the fish in the tagine, cover and cook gently for 6-8 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the preserved lemon and the shredded mint leaves and serve immediately.

Chermoula

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 fresh red chilli, chopped (or 2 tsp chilli paste, such as Sambal Oelek)
1 teaspoon sea salt
a small bunch of fresh cilantro
1 pinch of saffron threads (I omitted this)
1-2 teaspoons ground cumin
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon (use the same lemon that you peeled for the tagine)

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground chicken, local, free-range or  organic preferably
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
2 egg
1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Extra breadcrumbs or cornflake crumbs for breading
2 tsp EACH thyme and parsley
1 tsp ground pepper
Pinch of salt


Instructions:

1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a metal pan on medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft & translucent. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.

2. Place chicken in a bowl and add onion & garlic, egg, Worcestershire, breadcrumbs, thyme, parsley, pepper and salt. Mix well.

3. Form into 24 balls (about 1 oz each) and flatten slightly. Place extra crumbs on a large plate and coat both sides of the nugget in crumbs.

4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the nuggets on the sheet. Bake at 425° for 20 to 25 minutes until crispy  and cooked throughout.

5. Serve with veggies & tzatziki or in a pita or wrap with salad.

Much love & good eating,

Stephanie