This modern adaptation of the traditional Moroccan cooking pot is used for cooking a stew of the same name. The base is shallow and the lid is conical, allowing the steam to circulate and keep the food moist.
‘Two-bowl Tagines’ are a new design. Place your meat in the bottom of the base pot, top with vegetables and cook as usual. At the table, invert the lid, spoon the vegetables into it, and serve from the two bowls. Can also be used as a pair of salad bowls.
Caring for your tagine:
Never subject it to extreme temperature changes, or the pot may crack. Place the tagine in a cool oven and allow to heat slowly to 140`C –180`C. Don’t add cold liquid to a hot pot, or hot liquid to a cold pot. After a while, earthenware glaze may develop a crazed surface. This is natural and does not affect the performance of the dish. Tagines should not be used on the stove, on coals or in the microwave oven. Never place a hot tagine on a cold surface. Allow your tagine to cool before washing in warm soapy water with a sponge. Don’t use steel wool or a scouring powder.
Once dry, store your pot in a well-ventilated area, as earthenware clay remains porous after firing. With careful use, clay cooking pots last for years.
Aromatic spices, vegetables and fruit can be added to meat, which is slow cooked in the oven, with little or no added liquid.
Meat may be browned in a pan before being placed in the tagine, or it can simply be tossed in a blend of spices before being added to the vegetables. Adding salt to meat before cooking draws the juices out, resulting in tougher meat.
Accompany the tagine with couscous, rice or a potato dish, and spice, sauces, dukkah or salt blends according to taste.
Tagines are a simple, no fuss style of cooking. Experiment and have fun. A few of my favourite recipes follow. Quantities, times and temperatures may vary. All recipes are for four people. Oven temperature 140`C-18’C
Tagine Recipes
Spice blend: In a mortar and pestle, blend one teaspoon each ground ginger, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, chilli and cinnamon. Toss with meat or vegetables before cooking
Chicken and vegetables
Line the base with washed lemon leaves. Cover with chicken thighs or drumsticks. If using drumsticks, arrange in a ring, with the thin part inwards. In the lid, mix coarsely sliced carrots, celery, onion, or similar firm vegetables with a spice blend and salt.
Arrange on the chicken. Pour over a few tablespoons lemon juice mixed with peppadew sauce or chilli to taste. Cover and cook in a slow oven for 1½ – 2 hours. At the table, invert the lid, spoon the vegetables into it and serve from the two bowls, with rice or couscous.
Tagine of lamb knuckle with tomato
Two cups fresh cooked tomato or 1 tin chopped tomatoes, mixed with
1 tablespoon chilli oil, or 1-2 chopped fresh chillies and poured into base of shallow tagine 1 kg lamb knuckles, sliced. Lay flat on tomato, to cover entire base
Cover with lid, and cook in a slow oven for two hours. After an hour, add 2 red peppers, coarsely sliced. Put the lid at a slight angle to allow steam to escape if necessary.
Optional: Half a cup stoned olives added half an hour before end of cooking time and a tablespoon fresh thyme.
Serve with couscous
Sweet potato tagine
6 sweet potatoes. Scrub and cut into pieces the size of half an egg
A thumb of ginger, peeled and sliced. Toss together in a tagine, with coarse salt.
Dot with a tablespoon butter. Cook in a slow oven for 45 minutes
Combine 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon coarse mustard in a microwave safe jug. Warm, pour over potatoes, toss gently and return to oven for half an hour, stirring occasionally, and with lid at an angle to allow steam to escape.
Pork fillet and vegetable tagine
2 fillets cut into 3 cm slices
1 cup carrots cut into 2cm slices, 1 cup celery cut in 3cm slices, 1-2 onions coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon each fennel seeds, whole coriander, chopped rosemary
Toss together, place in tagine
Sprinkle coarse salt, ground black pepper and 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar over. Cover, cook for 1½ to 2 hours
Optional: replace carrots and celery with chunks of peeled butternut and a tin of drained chickpeas, and replace the herbs with 2 tablespoons fresh sage added just before serving.
Recommended recipes: Clay-pot cooking by Jennie Shapter
