58limited
Well-known member
I recently bought two and have prepared several delicious meals with them. For those who are unfamiliar with a tagine (or tajine), a tagine is a clay cooking vessel from North Africa, namely Morocco, although it is used elsewhere too. It has a shallow flat base and a tee pee shaped lid. The clay tagine is seasoned with olive oil and imparts an earthy flavor to the foods cooked in it. The food, usually a stew, prepared in this vessel is also called a tagine. The food is cooked at a low simmer for hours. The lid keeps the moisture in and the meats prepared this way are moist and tender.
Moroccan tagines are made with fresh ingredients and are very healthy. Here is a recipe that I made last weekend. I'm making it again today with a few changes. It serves 6-8 people, so you might want to cut it in half. Also, you can substitute turmeric for the expensive saffron. I had to order two ingredients off of the internet since my area has very few stores that carry international foods ("International Food" here means Mexican or Asian food). Link posted below. You can buy tagines there too.
Preserved Lemon Chicken Tagine
This has a "tropical" flavor: sweet and fruity. Harissa (a type of spicey salsa from North Africa) is often added as a condiment and cuts the sweetness. You can also delete the honey if you wish.
6 skinless chicken thighs (large) or chicken breasts (chopped into large cubes)
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 large onions, roughly chopped
4 cups chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned tomatoes
3 cups chickpeas (tinned not dried)
1 inch piece fresh gingerroot, minced
5 ounces dried apricots
2 tablespoons tomato puree
3 tablespoons good quality honey
1 pint boiling water*
1 chicken stock cube, Maggi*
1/4 teaspoon saffron strand, crumbled
4 teaspoons ras el hanout spice mix**
salt
1 small preserved lemon**
1 tablespoon best quality olive oil
fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped to serve
* I used canned chicken stock
** Ras al Hanout and preserved lemons are essential to Moroccan cooking. I ordered them from the website below.
I decided to add the following ingredients to the tagine I'm cooking today - all are used in Moroccan cooking:
1 bell pepper
olives - 3-4 oz.
dates - handful, pitted
capers - 1 oz.
Directions
1. Put the olive oil in the bottom of the tagine and gently color the onion and minced garlic.
2. In a large jug mix 1/2 pint of boiling water with 1 chicken cube and set aside. (OR, simply use chicken broth)
3. To the tagine add the ginger, ras el hanout, saffron, tomato puree and honey. Mix well.
4.Add the chopped tomatoes, chick peas, stock and the apricots to the tagine and season well with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well with a wooden spoon and cover with tagine lid.
At this pint I added my extra ingredients too. Add the chicken pieces, add chicken stock if it needs more fluid, and cover with tagine lid. Remember, as the tagine heats up, the fluid level may rise, so you might want to wait until it is simmering before adding the stock.
5. Bring to a low simmer gradually (over a period of about 20 minutes). Cook on a low heat for 2 hours (low simmer). Remove the lid and add preserved lemon - rinse lemon well under cold tap. Remove and discard half of the flesh and finely slice the remaining flesh and peel. Add this to the tagine before replacing the lid and cook for a further 30 - 45 minutes or until the sauce is thick and well flavoured and chicken is ready to fall apart!
6. Add a little stock or water to the sauce if it seems a little dry or too thick. Cook a little longer of not thick enough or the chicken is not at falling point.
7. Finally, serve in the tagine base dish with fresh coriander sprinkled over the top. Serve with fresh baked bread or steamed cous cous.
Moroccan tagines are made with fresh ingredients and are very healthy. Here is a recipe that I made last weekend. I'm making it again today with a few changes. It serves 6-8 people, so you might want to cut it in half. Also, you can substitute turmeric for the expensive saffron. I had to order two ingredients off of the internet since my area has very few stores that carry international foods ("International Food" here means Mexican or Asian food). Link posted below. You can buy tagines there too.
Preserved Lemon Chicken Tagine
This has a "tropical" flavor: sweet and fruity. Harissa (a type of spicey salsa from North Africa) is often added as a condiment and cuts the sweetness. You can also delete the honey if you wish.
6 skinless chicken thighs (large) or chicken breasts (chopped into large cubes)
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 large onions, roughly chopped
4 cups chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned tomatoes
3 cups chickpeas (tinned not dried)
1 inch piece fresh gingerroot, minced
5 ounces dried apricots
2 tablespoons tomato puree
3 tablespoons good quality honey
1 pint boiling water*
1 chicken stock cube, Maggi*
1/4 teaspoon saffron strand, crumbled
4 teaspoons ras el hanout spice mix**
salt
1 small preserved lemon**
1 tablespoon best quality olive oil
fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped to serve
* I used canned chicken stock
** Ras al Hanout and preserved lemons are essential to Moroccan cooking. I ordered them from the website below.
I decided to add the following ingredients to the tagine I'm cooking today - all are used in Moroccan cooking:
1 bell pepper
olives - 3-4 oz.
dates - handful, pitted
capers - 1 oz.
Directions
1. Put the olive oil in the bottom of the tagine and gently color the onion and minced garlic.
2. In a large jug mix 1/2 pint of boiling water with 1 chicken cube and set aside. (OR, simply use chicken broth)
3. To the tagine add the ginger, ras el hanout, saffron, tomato puree and honey. Mix well.
4.Add the chopped tomatoes, chick peas, stock and the apricots to the tagine and season well with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well with a wooden spoon and cover with tagine lid.
At this pint I added my extra ingredients too. Add the chicken pieces, add chicken stock if it needs more fluid, and cover with tagine lid. Remember, as the tagine heats up, the fluid level may rise, so you might want to wait until it is simmering before adding the stock.
5. Bring to a low simmer gradually (over a period of about 20 minutes). Cook on a low heat for 2 hours (low simmer). Remove the lid and add preserved lemon - rinse lemon well under cold tap. Remove and discard half of the flesh and finely slice the remaining flesh and peel. Add this to the tagine before replacing the lid and cook for a further 30 - 45 minutes or until the sauce is thick and well flavoured and chicken is ready to fall apart!
6. Add a little stock or water to the sauce if it seems a little dry or too thick. Cook a little longer of not thick enough or the chicken is not at falling point.
7. Finally, serve in the tagine base dish with fresh coriander sprinkled over the top. Serve with fresh baked bread or steamed cous cous.
