Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
JANET K. KEELERThe lid's off on the traditional Moroccan dish, which is easy to make and can satisfy the vegetarian and meat lover alike.
Tagine, the ancient stew of Morocco, is the ultimate melting pot.
The layers of flavors in this versatile melange owe their heritage to many places. Indian cinnamon and turmeric, Middle Eastern cardamom, Spanish saffron, French honey and Egyptian dates and other dried fruits are just some of the ingredients that found their way to northern Africa and into the tagine.
In the past few years, tagine has appared on restaurant menus in the Tampa Bay area and in other cities. Karim's Bistro at the Thunderbird in Treasure Island serves chicken and lamb versions, and the new Cafe Alma in downtown St. Petersburg is offering a tagine of lamb, artichoke and fava beans served over minty couscous.
As exotic as it might sound, tagine is easy to make at home and will satisfy a range of tastes. Vegetarian versions generally cook quickly, and there are recipes for lamb, chicken, fish and even beef tagines. It's the cooking, low and slow on top of the oven, and the flavorful spices such as saffron, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne, that are the hallmark of tagine.
"Tagine" (pronounced tah-ZHEEN) describes both the food and the cooking vessel. A two-part tagine vessel is traditionally a shallow, round glazed earthenware base covered with a tall conical lid made of the same material. The tagine is meant to be used over fire, though flames should not touch the base, or on the top of the stove over medium to low heat.
The conical lid traps the steam, keeping the heat moist. The shape of the vessel helps circulate the heat. Tagines also can be made in a dutch oven or cast-iron enamel casserole such as those made by Le Creuset. Le Creuset also makes a tagine, which costs about $100 compared with $40 or so for a rustic earthenware model.
I've been curious about tagines for a while, but a chance drive by a new shop in St. Petersburg that carries Moroccan housewares pushed me into experimentation mode. The Treasures of Morocco 1441 Central Ave.; (727 894-2422. Soon-to-be-launched Web site: www.treasuresofmorocco.com is filled with bowls and platters sized for tiny meals and grand repasts. (Also check out Miami's Berber Trading Company, call toll-free (877) 277-7227 or www.tagines.com. The Treasures of Morocco stocks some jewelry, shoes and textiles, but the space is taken up mostly by pottery with Islamic-inspired designs in colors of saffron and pomegranate.
Maria Yarane, who with her husband, Mourad Chehab, owns the shop, gave me a quick lesson in the care of a plain, earthenware tagine. The brightly painted versions are for serving and display rather than cooking because the glaze should not be heated.
Several years ago, the federal Food and Drug Administration issued an alert about lead in the glaze of some Moroccan tagines, but Chehab says those problems have been addressed.
"All tagines made in Morocco for export should have lead-free paint now," he says.
To prepare a tagine for cooking, it must be soaked in water for an hour. The porous clay draws in some of the water, which prevents the pot from drinking the cooking liquid, Yarane explains. The base and lid should then be rubbed with oil (olive or vegetable) and then heated in a 350-degree oven for about two hours. You'll have to remove one of the racks and move the remaining one to the bottom slot. This seasoning is done just once.
For my first foray into tagine cuisine, I made Tajine D'Agneau Aux Pruneaux (Lamb Tagine With Prunes) in my new exotic pot and the vegetarian Tagine Bil Hummus (Garbanzo Bean and Carrot Stew) in an enamel dutch oven. Both turned out fabulous, with a bonus being the aroma of cinnamon, cilantro and onions swirling throughout the house. Instant couscous accompanied the meal. (Chunky bread or warm pita can be used to mop up the flavorful sauce.)
It was a fitting menu for a chilly evening.
The vegetarian tagine was a no-brainer. I followed the recipe from Kitty Morse's The Vegetarian Table: North Africa (Chronicle Books, 1999, $16.95) to the letter. Carrots and onions are flavored by garlic, cilantro, turmeric, cinnamon and cayenne while braising in the reserved liquid from canned garbanzo beans. The garbanzo beans are added at the end.
I may cut the 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne in half the next time I make it to ease the heat, but for taste buds dulled by the same old thing, this dish issued a loud and clear wakeup.
Morse writes that Tagine Bil Hummus is a "country-style dish, served when times are hard and meat is scarce." But there was nothing paltry about the big flavor on my plate.
For the lamb recipe, from Jessica A. Harris' The Africa Cookbook: Tastes of a Continent (Simon & Schuster, 1998, $27), I had to do a little improvisation. The recipe calls for the dish to be made in a heavy saucepan, rather than a tagine.
Yarane explained to me that when Chehab, the family taginemaker, cooks at home, he puts olive oil in the bottom of the dish, then adds the pieces of meat, then layers on the vegetables and tops it all with spices. Though many recipes call for dried fruits, Yarane says her family reserves those for special occasions and holidays, and serves them separately.
Indeed, the lamb with prunes tagine is probably more appropriate for breaking the fast of Ramadan in a Muslim Moroccan household rather than a weeknight dinner.
I tried to adapt Chehab's technique to the recipe, which called for browning the lamb in a heavy saucepan. I gave up on this because I didn't want to turn my glass-topped stove burner on high for fear of cracking the pottery. Without the high heat, the lamb wouldn't brown. (Tagines work well on electric stoves, but are more problematic on gas. A ring, similar to what is used for a wok, is needed to keep the base well above the flame.)
Instead, I mixed meat, spices, onions and water and cooked them for the prescribed hour. The meat was tender and flavorful, though perhaps not as complex tasting as it would have been if browned. On a second go-round, I'd reduce the 1 pound of pitted prunes to maybe half. Or increase the meat. There were a few too many "dried plums" for my taste.
In Morocco, tagines have regional variations. Garbanzo, lima and fava beans are more prevalent in the south, and camel or even wolf might be eaten in remote areas of the country. Preserved lemons and olives are also found in many tagine recipes.
The beauty of tagine, whether in traditional vessel or contemporary equipment, is that it showcases seasonal ingredients. In spring, it's another way to cook lamb and asparagus; artichokes become fodder for fall meals and root vegetables are the focus in winter.
I've found a new way of cooking in the new year and resolve to do it again.
Tajine d'Agneau aux Pruneaux
Lamb Tagine With Prunes (Morocco)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2-1/2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 3-inch piece cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon saffron
1 cup water
1 pound pitted prunes
1/2 cup dark raisins
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup toasted almonds
Heat the butter and olive oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the onion, lamb, salt, pepper, cinnamon stick and saffron. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring so the lamb is browned. Add the water, and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat and cook for 1 hour or until the lamb is tender.
While the lamb is cooking, soak the prunes and raisins in water to cover for 20 minutes. Transfer them with the soaking water to a small saucepan, add the sugar and cinnamon, and simmer for 10 minutes.
When the meat is done, remove the cinnamon stick and add the prunes and raisins to the cooked lamb. Mound the dish in a tagine or on a serving platter, and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and toasted almonds. Serve hot.
Serves 6 to 8.
Source: "The Africa Cookbook: Tastes of a Continent" by Jessica B. Harris (Simon & Schuster, $27).
Tagine bil Hummus
Garbanzo Bean and Carrot Stew
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
12 fresh cilantro sprigs, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
3 carrots, peeled and cut into diagonal slices, 1/4-inch thick
2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, drained and liquid reserved
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste
Minced fresh cilantro for garnish
In a small, enameled cast-iron casserole or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the oil and cook the onion, stirring occasionally until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, cilantro, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne, carrots and reserved liquid from the garbanzo beans. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook until the carrots are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the garbanzo beans, pepper and salt. Heat through. Before serving, sprinkle with the cilantro.
Serves 4.
Source: "The Vegetarian Table: North Africa" by Kitty Morse (Chronicle Books, $22.95).
Fresh Vegetable Tagine
3 carrots, peeled, cut to 1/2 inch
3 zucchini, peeled, cut to 1/2 inch
5 ribs celery, cut to 1 inch
2 red or green bell peppers, seeded, cut in 1/2-inch dice
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, seeded, chopped
1 cup canned whole or diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
Freshly ground pepper
10 ounces couscous, cooked (see note)
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup toasted coconut (see note)
Cook carrots, zucchini, celery and bell peppers in boiling salted water 2 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Drain well.
Transfer vegetables to large bowl; add garbanzo beans. Set aside. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in heavy nonreactive casserole on medium heat. Cook garlic and onion, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in jalapeno and tomatoes with liquid; heat to boil. Add cilantro; cook 5 minutes. Puree tomato mixture smooth; add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over vegetables in large bowl; toss to coat. Mix couscous, curry powder and olive oil; mound in center of tagine. Top with vegetables. Garnish with coconut.
Serves 6.
Source: Chicago Tribune.