This was a big hit with TF. The Kidlet and I also liked it, but TF was especially enamored of it. Even though I wasn't able to get the proper boneless lamb shoulder and ended up using some discount loin chops instead. I think the only change I'd make in the future would be to double the olives (and maybe add a bit more preserved lemon).

Lamb Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemon

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp. saffron threads
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1kg boneless lamb shoulder, cubed
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 12-24 pitted green olives
• 1 preserved lemon, flesh discarded and peel minced
• 1-2 Tbsp. chickpea flour (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Heat the chicken stock until steaming.
2. Stir in the saffron and set aside to steep.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat (preferably in a tagine).
4. Season the lamb with the salt and pepper.
5. Add the lamb to the tagine and sear on all sides.
6. Transfer the lamb to a plate and set aside.
7. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil to the tagine.
8. Add the onion and cook until softened (5-10 minutes).
9. Add the ginger, paprika, cumin, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
10. Return the lamb to the tagine.
11. Add the bay leaf and the stock and bring to a boil.
12. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 90 minutes.
13. Transfer lamb to a serving platter.
14. Increase heat to medium and stir in olives, preserved lemon, and chickpea flour (if using).
15. Cook until sauce thickens slightly.
16. Pour sauce over lamb, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

We have an actual tagine, but I opted to cook this as written in a glass baking dish, in part because I didn't think I could fit all the ingredients in the actual tagine. It was decently tasty but not a favourite.

Fish Tagine with Carrots and Olives

Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan (p. 244)

Ingredients

• 4+2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• ¼ C chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½+½ tsp salt, divided
• ⅛+⅛ tsp pepper, divided
• 4 halibut or cod fillets, ~185g each
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• 500g carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 24 kalamata olives, pitted
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together 4 tbsp oil with the cilantro, lemon juice, garlic, ½ tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp pepper.
2. Add the fish and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes, turning once.
3. In another bowl, combine the remaining 2 tbsp oil, honey, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, ½ tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp pepper.
4. Add the carrots and toss to coat.
5. Arrange the carrot slices evenly in the bottom of a 9"×13" glass baking dish.
6. Layer half the onion and lemon slices on top.
7. Layer the fish on top of that, reserving the marinade.
8. Layer remaining onion and lemon slices on top of the fish.
9. Sprinkle over olives, then pour over reserved marinade.
10. Cover with tinfoil, leaving a small gap at the edges.
11. Bake at 375°F for 1 hour, or until fish flakes easily and vegetables are tender.

This tagine smelled amazing! The herbs... the lemon... the garlic... the saffron! It all makes a great combination. And the chicken did come out nice and tender. I feel like it smelled better than it tasted though. It's not that it was bad -- it was nice. But it just wasn't as nice as I'd hoped based on smelling it during cooking.

I only used 1/3 of the oil called for in the recipe and I still found the sauce/broth to be excessively fatty. I would have preferred a thicker, leaner sauce. This produced a very brothy dish with a thick layer of fat on top.

I think, next time, I'll skin whatever chicken parts I'm using first. The recipe specifically calls for skin-on bone-in thighs, but I might want to try it with a whole chicken that's been skinned and jointed. I figure I could just reserve the back and wings for making stock and use the legs, thighs and breasts for the tagine. I might need to split the breasts since they're pretty bulky and take longer to cook, but I think that a mix of skinless parts would probably produce a better result than the fatty, skin-on thighs did.

I'd also get a different variety of olives next time. The recipe didn't specify a type beyond "green". And normally that would be fine. I'd just go out and get a generic jar of green olives and call it a day. But since they were one of the key components of this dish and since the recipe called for such a large quantity of them, I went out to look for nice imported olives. I ended up picking up a jar of Cerignola olives as they most closely resembed what was shown in the photo of the finished dish. Having now tried them, they're not my favourite olive, but I like them well enough¹. But TF really isn't a fan. I figure maybe I can look for some high-quality Manzanilla olives or go to the Halal grocery store downtown and see what types they have available. (Maybe it would make a good excuse to finally get a jar of those little grilled olives that they have!)

Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/4 tsp. saffron threads
• 2 Tbsp. hot water
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 c. fresh cilantro
• 1/2 c. flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 c. lemon juice, divided
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 small chicken (1-1.5kg), skinned and jointed
• 2 preserved lemons, thinly sliced
• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 1 1/2 c. whole green olives

Directions

1. Pour the hot water over the saffron threads and allow to steep for 5-10 minutes.
2. Combine the onions, cilantro, parsley, 2 Tbsp. of the lemon juice, cumin, ginger, turmeric, salt, garlic, 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil, and saffron (together with its soaking liquid) in a blender or food processor and blend into a pulply purée.
3. Place the chicken legs, thighs, and breasts in a bowl and pour the marinade over them, tossing to coat. Reserve the back and wings for another use.
4. Cover and chill for 8-24 hours.
5. The next day, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil over medium-high heat.
6. Add the lemon slices and sear on both sides until browned (~2 minutes per side).
7. Remove the lemon slices from the pan and set aside.
8. Warm a tagine over medium heat. (If you don't have one, use a Dutch oven instead).
9. Add the chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes.
10. Add the chicken broth along with any residual marinade from the chicken and bring to a boil.
11. Once the sauce is boiling, cover the tagine, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through (~40 minutes).
12. Meanwhile, put the olives in a small pot with enough water to cover them and bring to a boil.
13. Reduce the heat (under the olives) to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.
14. Drain the olives and set them aside until the chicken is cooked.
15. Once the chicken is no longer pink inside, add the olives and stir in the remaining 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice.
16. Add the seared lemon slices to the tagine as well.
17. Cover and continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is very tender (~15 minutes longer).
18. Garnish with additional parsley and/or cilantro if desired.
19. Serve with roasted veggies and/or your preferred starch.

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¹ After they'd been boiled. I tried one straight out of the jar and it was nearly inedible, both gustatorially and physically. The flesh was hard and did not want to come away from the pit! After boiling, they'd softened considerably, the flavour was nicer, and the pit separated from the flesh much more easily. TF still wasn't a fan though. Hence the search for a different type of green olive for next time. ¹

Beef Tagine with Fresh Apricots

I was originally planning to make the apple and prune version of this tagine. But then I got to the grocery store and they had local nectarines on sale. And I momentarily forgot that the apricot version wanted apricots and not nectarines. So I got a bunch of nectarines and didn't get the prunes and figured I'd just make that version. Then I got home and realized my mistake. But I already had the nectarines, so I figured I'd just go for it anyway. Nectarines and apricots are basically the same fruit, right?

Beef Tagine with Fresh ApricotsNectarines

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• scant 1/8 tsp. saffron threads, crushed
• 3/4 c. hot water¹, divided
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
• 1 shallot, grated or finely minced
• 1kg beef short ribs (braising ribs), cut into individual ribs
• 500g stewing beef, cut into 4-5cm chunks
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 4-5 fresh nectarines², quartered and pitted
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

1. Set your tagine on a heat diffuser and melt the butter and oil over medium-low heat. (I tried out an induction cooker for this and set it to 600W.)
2. Pour 2 Tbsp. of the hot water over the crushed saffron.
3. Add the salt, pepper, ginger, and 1/4 tsp. of the cinnamon to the saffron water. Let stand for 1-2 minutes.
4. Pour the spice water into the tagine along with the shallot and mix well.
5. Once the spices have warmed through, begin adding the beef. Try to make sure each piece gets coated in the buttery spices.
6. Add the remaining water along with the cilantro, cover, and simmer for 2.5 hours. Check on it every half hour or so to turn the meat, remove any bones that have come loose, and make sure it's neither boiling over nor boiling dry.
7. After 2.5 hours the meat should be very tender and falling off the bone. At the point, add the onion, cover, and simmer for another 30 minutes.
8. Stir in the honey and remaining 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon.
9. Cook, uncovered, for another 30 minutes.
10. If possible, transfer the meat to a serving dish leaving the sauce in the tagine. Add the apricots/nectarines to the sauce and continue simmering until just heated through. Then pour the sauce and nectarines over the beef. Otherwise, just place the nectarines on top of the beef in the tagine, cover, and simmer for another 10-20 minutes until heated through.
11. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

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Variations

Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Apples

This version can also be made with beef if desired. Or the above version can be made with lamb. Mix and match as you see fit.

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• scant 1/8 tsp. saffron threads, crushed
• 2 3/4 c. hot water, divided
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
• 1 shallot, grated or finely minced
• 1.5kg bone-in lamb shoulder, cut into 4-5cm chunks
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 450g pitted prunes
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 4 Tbsp. honey, divided
• 4 tart apples (eg. Granny Smith)
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

1. Start as above with 2 Tbsp. each of butter and oil in a tagine over medium-low heat.
2. Proceed through the next four steps as directed above.
3. Once the meat is in the tagine, pour 2 c. of the remaining hot water over the prunes and set them aside to soak.
4. Pour the remaining water over the meat and add the cilantro.
5. Cover and simmer for 2 hours, checking on it every 30 minutes or so to turn and remove loose bones as above.
6. After 2 hours, add the onions, then cover and simmer for another 30 minutes.
7. Drain the prunes and add them to the tagine along with 3 Tbsp. of the honey and 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon.
8. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, quarter and core the apples (leaving the skin on).
10. Melt the remaining Tbsp. of butter with the honey and a pinch of cinnamon.
11. Add the apples, cut-side-down, and sauté until soft and glazed (~3 minutes).
12. Transfer the meat to a serving dish, pour the sauce over, then decorate with apples. Or, alternatively, place the apples on top of the meat and serve directly out of the tagine.
13. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

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¹ The original recipe called for adding hot water to "almost cover the meat". For me, this was the 2 Tbsp. used in the spice water mixture + 1 c. But I found the resulting tagine very soupy. Maybe that is as it should be. But I think I would prefer a less soupy result next time so I've reduced the water quantity somewhat here. ^Back
2The original recipe called for 900g of fresh apricots, "pitted and cored". I weighed out 900g of nectarines. This worked out to be 7 nectarines for me. I managed to fit four of them into the tagine before it was in imminent danger of overflowing. So I've written up this recipe to reflec that. If you want a fruitier final product (and have a larger tagine than I do), you may decide that you want to use more nectarines/apricots than this. ^Back

This is probably best done with lamb, but the recipe specified lamb or beef. And we have a lot of beef right now. So that's what I used. I liked the little meatballs. Although I wish the sauce was a bit thicker. I've been debating whether it would be nice to head it back up and add a little flour or cornstarch to turn it into a sort of gravy.

Kefta Tagine with Herbs, Spices, and Lemon

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

Kefta

• 450g ground beef or lamb
• 3 Tbsp. crème fraîche or grated beef suet¹
• 2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Sauce

• 3/4 c. hot water, divided
• 1/8 tsp. crushed saffron threads
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1/8 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter or ghee
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 c. chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions

1. Combine all the kefta ingredients. If you have a food processor, combine them in the food processor and process until everything is well mixed and broken down. If not, just mix it with your hands as best you can.
2. Form mixture into olive-sized meatballs. (The original recipe says this should make ~24 meatballs, but I got twice that number. I guess they have really big olives in Morocco!) Cover and chill until ready to cook.
3. Meanwhile, combine the saffron, cumin, ginger, pepper, cayenne, and turmeric and add ~1/4 c. of the hot water. Stir and set aside to steep while you chop the onion.
4. Place a tagine on a heat diffuser and warm over medium-low heat.
5. Add the onion, butter, and spice-water.
6. Rinse the spice-water container out with the remaining half cup of hot water and add that as well.
7. Add the salt and 3/4 of the cilantro.
8. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
9. Add meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
10. Turn the meatballs, cover, and simmer for 15 more minutes.
11. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.
12. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and serve with rice, couscous, and/or bread.

¹ I didn't have either, so I used 2 Tbsp. of tallow mixed with 1 Tbsp. of heavy cream. ^Back

I had originally been hoping to do a nian gao stir-fry for dinner tonight, but the Kidlet got sick last Wednesday, so we've all been trying to isolate just in case it's the COVIDs. (Her RAT came up negative but... given everything we know about Omicron, I figure there's still a good chance that's what she has.) She's double vaxxed and TF and I are triple vaxxed and she's bounced back really fast, so I figure we should probably be alright to start going out again by tomorrow. But that left me with nothing for dinner for tonight. So it was off to the Woks of Life blog with me to search for more dinner inspiration.

This clay pot rice dish sounded tasty and easy. We don't have a clay pot to cook it in, but I reasoned that the tagine would work well as a stand-in for a Chinese-style clay pot (it did). And it would allow me to use up the rest of the chicken thighs that I got in the last grocery order. Plus it would be an opportunity to try cooking with dried lily buds. (Which I have in the pantry, but hadn't gotten around to using yet.)

This recipe needs a little bit of advanced planning due to the soaking involved. But other than that, it's very easy and simple to put together. I like the one-pot nature of the dish, but I'd be curious to try the rice-less steamed version sometime too. I also realized (only after I actually began cooking everything -- that it's basically devoid of vegetables. So I would recommend having some vegetable sides on hand to serve with it. (In my case, I went for a quick cabbage stir-fry.)

Chicken and Mushroom Clay Pot Rice

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 6 dried shiitake (black) mushrooms
• 10g dried lily buds
• 5g dried wood ear mushrooms¹
• 200g skinless boneless chicken thighs, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1 Tbsp. light (regular) soy sauce
• 2 tsp. oyster sauce
• 1 tsp. 绍兴酒 (Shaoxing wine)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1 c. uncooked rice²
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1/4 tsp. salt³
• 1 slice fresh ginger, julienned
• 1 scallion, chopped, greens and whites separated

Directions

1. Place the shiitake, wood ears, and lily buds each in a separate bowl and enough boiling water into each to cover them. Set aside to soak for 2 hours.
2. Drain the shiitake, trim the stems off, and slice them.
3. Drain the lilies, trim the bottom 5mm of the stems, and place them in a bowl with the sliced shiitake.
4. Drain the wood ears, rinse them off, roughly chop them, and place them in the bowl with the shiitake and lilies.
5. Add the chicken to the bowl.
6. Add the cornstarch, soy sauce, oyster sauce, wine, sugar, sesame oil, and white pepper and mix to combine.
7. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.
8. Add the rice to the clay pot along with enough water to cover it by a few cm. Set aside to soak for ~30 minutes.
9. Drain the rice and add the stock, oil, and salt (if using).
10. Get out the chicken mixture and stir it up.
11. Layer the chicken mixture over the rice.
12. Sprinkle the ginger and the green parts of the scallions over the chicken mixture.
13. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat⁴ and cook for 2-3 minutes.
14. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 25 minutes.
15. Remove from heat, sprinkle with scallion greens, and serve.

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¹ I didn't have any wood ear mushrooms on hand, so I substituted an equal amount of Chinese black fungus. My understanding is that they're a bit smaller and taste a bit different than wood ear mushrooms, but I had to roll with what I had available. ^Back
2 The original recipe calls for jasmine rice. I opted to use long-grain brown rice. I have given the instructions for (white) jasmine rice here. You will need to increase both the liquid and the cooking time for brown rice. ^Back
3 If you're using commercial chicken stock, omit the salt. If you're using a homemade stock without too much salt, you will probably want to add the salt. ^Back
4 I'm always nervous about putting clay cookware directly on the cooking elements, so I use a flame tamer (or in this case a cast iron pan) under it to avoid hot spots. This however, did cause my tagine to take a little longer to heat up. Possibly this is why I found I didn't really need to extend the cooking time for my rice today. (Although I did use ~1/2 c. extra liquid.) ^Back

I love kefta. Any time I've gotten them at a restaurant around here though, they're always served dry. And they're usually formed into small patties rather than balls as well. So I thought it was quite interesting that Crocker describes kefta as "minced meat [...] formed into balls and poached in a tangy sauce". I quite enjoyed this version with the sauce. I'd also be interested in trying other versions as well though. I quite like the dry patties that I've tried before, so I'd love to learn how to do those ones too.

Spiced Kefta in Tomato Sauce

Slightly adapted from 150 Best Tagine Recipes by Pat Crocker

Ingredients

Kefta¹

• 450g lean ground beef
• 1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. berbere
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt

Tomato Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 onions, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. ras el hanout
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 fresh red Thai chile, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 375-400mL tinned diced tomatoes
• juice of 1 lemon
• flesh and rind of 1 very small or 1/2 large preserved lemon
• 2 c. frozen chopped spinach

Directions

1. Combine all kefta ingredients and mix well.
2. Form into 2-Tbsp. balls and set on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Kefta can be set aside until sauce is ready or, if not making sauce immediately, place tray in freezer. Once meatballs are frozen, remove from tray and place in a bag in the freezer.
3. Heat oil over medium heat.
4. Add onion and ras el hanout and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add garlic, chile, and ginger paste and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Add tomatoes, lemon juice, and preserved lemon and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
8. Add spinach and simmer for 5 minutes.
9. Gently nestle keftas into the sauce, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, turning once or twice during cooking.
10. Once keftas are cooked through, serve in the sauce alongside crusty bread and/or rice.

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¹ If you don't feel like making the kefta from scratch, you can simply simmer a ready-made meatball of your choice in the tomato sauce. ^Back

Spiced Honey Lemon Beef Tagine

This tagine sounded really promising. The onions were excellent. But, overall, I found the dish a little bland. A generous dollop of harissa on top perked it up nicely though.

Honey Lemon Beef Tagine

Slightly adapted from 150 Best Tagine Recipes by Pat Crocker

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. pomegranate molasses
• 4 tsp. garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp. ras el hanout
• 450g stewing beef
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, cut into eighths
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 c. beef broth
• juice of 1 lemon
• flesh and rind of 1 very small preserved lemon (or 1/2 large preserved lemon), chopped
• 1 very large (or 3 small) parsnips, chopped
• Harissa, to serve

Directions

1. Combine honey, sesame oil, pomegranate molasses, garlic paste, and ras el hanout to make a marinade.
2. Toss beef with marinade, cover, and chill for up to 24 hours.
3. After meat has had at least half and hour to marinate, heat oil over medium heat and add onion and bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add broth, lemon juice, and preserved lemon and bring to a boil.
5. Stir in parsnips, beef, and marinade.
6. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour.
7. Serve over couscous with harissa.

This tagine came out quite well. And it seems like it should be reasonably flexible as well. I ended up using tinned cherry tomatoes rather than fresh. Because the recipe was expecting fresh tomatoes, I only put the exact number called for and held back the juice. Next time I think I'd just put the whole tin in, juice and all. I think I'd also up the feta next time and sprinkle it over the whole tagine, rather than just the portobello caps. And while I have no objection to the cannellini/white kidney beans, they didn't have much presence. I think, if you want a mild, unassuming bean that isn't going to stand out, stick with the cannellini beans. If you want something that's going to have a little more chew and be more noticeable, swap them out for some chickpeas.

Mushroom Tagine with Eggplant and Squash

Slightly adapted from 150 Best Tagine Recipes by Pat Crocker

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. ras el hanout
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 227g cremini mushrooms, chopped
• 2 Asian eggplants (long, skinny, and pale purple), peeled and diced
• 1 c. diced squash or pumpkin
• 1 dried cayenne or arbol chile, crumbled (optional)
• 18 fresh cherry tomatoes, halved or 1 (400mL) tin of cherry tomatoes
• 1 (400mL) tin cannellini/white kidney beans or chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• 1 c. chopped kale, Swiss chard, cabbage, or bok choy
• 2 portobello mushroom caps
• 1/4 to 1/2 c. feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion, garlic, and ras el hanout and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
3. Add butter, cremini mushrooms, eggplant, and squash and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Add cayenne, tomatoes, and beans.
5. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Stir in kale.
7. Nestle portobello caps into vegetables, gill-side-up.
8. Sprinkle with feta.
9. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
10. Cut portobello caps in half to serve.
11. Serve over rice or couscous with condiments of choice: chermoula, tamarind-date chutney, cilantro-mint chutney, fried onions, etc.

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Variations

Vegan

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. ras el hanout
• 2 Tbsp. margarine
• 227g cremini mushrooms, chopped
• 2 Asian eggplants (long, skinny, and pale purple), peeled and diced
• 1 c. diced squash or pumpkin
• 1 dried cayenne or arbol chile, crumbled (optional)
• 18 fresh cherry tomatoes, halved or 1 (400mL) tin of cherry tomatoes
• 1 (400mL) tin cannellini/white kidney beans or chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• 1 c. chopped kale, Swiss chard, cabbage, or bok choy
• 2 portobello mushroom caps
• 1/4 to 1/2 c. vegan feta

We still have a lot of beef left in the freezer, so I though it'd be nice to try out one of the beef tagine recipes to use up the next bit of squash. I was just planning on doing the two squash tagines, but I may have gone slightly overboard with the squash purchases, so I think there may be a third squash tagine appearing in the near future. Hopefully they're all different enough that we won't get completely sick of squash before we eat it all. Worst case, I guess I parboil and freeze some of it. But, in the meantime... Tagines!

Beef Tagine with Squash and Beets

Slightly adapted from 150 Best Tagine Recipes

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. ras el hanout
• 500g stewing beef, cubed or sliced
• 4 tsp. garlic paste
• 1 fresh Thai chile, chopped¹
• 1-2 slices crystallized ginger², chopped
• 4 medium beets, quartered³
• 2 c. diced squash
• 1 c. beef broth
• 2 oranges, cut into segments⁴
• 2 c. chopped kale or Swiss chard
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro or (flat-leaf) parsley

Directions

1. Add oil to tagine and heat over medium heat.
2. Add onion and ras el hanout and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add beef, garlic paste, chile, and ginger. Stir to coat beef and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add beets, squash, and broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 45 minutes.
5. Add oranges and kale/chard, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Check beef for tenderness. If too tough, continue to cook for another few minutes.
7. Garnish with cilantro and serve over couscous.

NB: catalyst didn't care for the orange in this one. TF didn't object to the orange specifically, but felt that it had too much pith which ended up sort of tough and bitter. Personally, I quite liked the orange. But it appears not to have been a hit overall. I'd say I'd leave it out next time but, realistically, I'll probably just pick a different tagine entirely. So, I guess... caveat emptor orange is not for everyone.

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¹ This tagine was tasty, but I didn't find the chile came through at all. Next time I think I'll try to alternative suggested in the cookbook and use 1 dried, crushed cayenne instead. ^Back
2 The original only calls for a single slice of candied ginger. I used two slices because, historically, I have not noticed a very strong ginger presence when using candied ginger in tagines. Even with two slices, I still couldn't really taste the ginger -- and that's with extra gingery ras el hanout! I do find myself wondering if I'm using the right kind of candied ginger. I suppose next time I could try using some stem ginger (the kind the comes in thick syrup). I think the flavour of that ginger tends to be much stronger than that of crystallized ginger. But stem ginger doesn't normally come in slices (at least not that I've seen). It comes as large chunks or knobs. Since the recipes specifies "slices" of candied ginger, I figured it must want crystallized ginger. The tagine still comes out tasty, even without a strong ginger presence. If you really want to be able to taste it though I'd probably suggest either using candied stem ginger or using 1-2 slices of crystallized ginger and a tsp. or so of ginger paste. ^Back
3 I used sliced frozen beets for this. I cut them in half to make them easier to eat. So, rather than having beet quarters, I had halved beet slices. I'm sure quarters would've been fine too, but I actually quite liked the slices. ^Back
4 I decided to slice my oranges (crosswise) and then divide the slices into segments. (I liked the idea of having lots of small pieces of food rather than a few larger ones.) ^Back

I've mostly been turning to my ATK Complete Vegetarian Cookbook for dinner recipes lately. And I've been pretty happy with that. I suddenly got a craving for Moroccan though, so I figured maybe it was time to bust out the tagine cookbook. Squash is in season and on sale right now and I have sweet potatoes left from the gratin that never got made, so a squash and sweet potato tagine made for a natural choice.

Sweet Potato & Squash Tagine

From 150 Best Tagine Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. ras el hanout
• 2 c. cubed sweet potato
• 1 c. cubed squash¹
• 1/2 c. orange juice
• 2 c. cooked chickpeas
• 1 c. dried apricots, slivered

Directions

1. Melt butter with oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion, garlic, and ras el hanout. Cook until onion has softened.
3. Add sweet potato, squash, and orange juice.
4. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 45 minutes, adding more liquid as necessary.
5. Add chickpeas and apricots, cover, and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes.
6. Serve over couscous with condiment of choice. (I recommend chermoula, harissa, tamarind-date chutney, or cilantro-mint chutney.)

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Variations

Vegan

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. ras el hanout
• 2 c. cubed sweet potato
• 1 c. cubed squash¹
• 1/2 c. orange juice
• 2 c. cooked chickpeas
• 1 c. dried apricots, slivered

¹ I used a white swan squash for this. I'm sure butternut or delicata would also work well. The recipe also recommends turnip in place of squash. ^Back

Eggplant and Lentil Tagine

This was tasty but didn't blow me away. The eggplant and the lentils were both good, but I think my brain wanted those chunks of eggplant to turn out to be sausage or something similar.

Eggplant and Lentil Tagine
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
2 onions, quartered
1 Tbsp. berbere
3 Asian eggplants, cubed
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 c. chicken broth
500mL cooked lentils (I used French lentils, but brown lentils would probably also work well)
1/2 c. raisins or dates, chopped

1. Heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add onion and berbere and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Add eggplant and garlic, reduce heat to medium low, and cook for 7 minutes.
3. Add broth, lentils, and raisins.
4. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for another 7-12 minutes.

Fiery Beef Tagine with Vegetables

I think this is my favourite of the tagine recipes we've tried so far. So, so tasty! It has a nice mix of meat and vegetables and includes both bebere and harissa. (For best results, serve with even more harissa as a condiment at the table!)

As with other tagine recipes, the preferred method is to cook it in an actual tagine. Barring that, a Dutch oven is probably the next best option.

Fiery Beef Tagine with Vegetables
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 slice candied ginger, chopped
1 Tbsp. harissa
2 tsp. berbere
1 lb. stewing beef, cubed or sliced
3 tomatoes (preferably roma), quartered
1 preserved lemon, finely chopped
2 c. diced squash
2 c. green peas, fresh or frozen
2 c. Balkan-style yogurt
1/2 c. fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, chopped
extra harissa (optional)

1. Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook for 5-7 minutes.
2. Add ginger, harissa, berbere, and stewing beef and cook for 7-10 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, lemon, and squash.
4. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes.
5. Add peas and cook, covered, for another 15 minutes.
6. Serve over couscous garnished with yogurt, cilantro, and extra harissa.

Beef Tagine with Peaches and Raisins

I've been on a bit of a tagine kick lately. My brother got us a phenomenal tagine cookbook a few years back and I've made shamefully little use of it so far. Better late than never I suppose!

This tagine is relatively easy to throw together, especially if you already have some chermoula on hand. And it results in lovely, tender beef in a meaty, slightly sweet-and-sour gravy. The sesame seeds make a nice garnish and complement. I think next time I would try adding a few tsp. of popped mustard seeds along with the broth. I am very fond of the mustard-peach flavour combo and think it'd work quite well here.

Beef Tagine with Peaches and Raisins
1 1/2 lbs. stewing beef, cubed or sliced
1/4 c. chermoula
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. warm water
20 threads saffron
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1/2 c. beef broth
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. mustard seeds, popped in 1 Tbsp. of oil (optional)
1/2 c. raisins
4 fresh peaches, sliced (or equivalent frozen)
3 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

1. Toss beef with chermoula and flour. Set aside.
2. Add saffron threads to warm water. Set aside.
3. Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, and cook for 5-7 minutes.
4. Add beef and cook, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes.
5. Add broth, vinegar, mustard seeds and oil (if using), and saffron with its soaking water.
6. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
7. Add raisins and peaches, replace lid, and simmer for another 20 minutes.
8. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Ideally this should be (as the name implies) cooked in a tagine. That said, I think it would work reasonably well in a Dutch oven with a good, tightly-fitting lid.

Fruited Salmon with Mushrooms and Mustard Sauce

Another 150 Tagines recipe. It comes together quite easily, and quickly for a tagine. We served it over noodles, but it would probably go well with couscous as well -- in which case you may want to start cooking the couscous first, as it will take longer than the tagine if done properly.

We did find it rather excessively tart. symbol suggests replacing the lemon next time; either a sweeter lemon hybrid, or a non-lemon citrus such as blood orange.

The recipe calls for a frozen or preserved lemon, and we had neither; instead we peeled a standard lemon and added the wedges to the tagine, then squeezed the flesh out and removed the skin of the wedges as it was cooking.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 lb cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 pear, chopped
• ½ frozen or preserved lemon, finely chopped, with juice
• 1 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
• 1-1½ lb salmon filet, skin on one side

Procedure

1. Heat the oil in the tagine.
2. Add onion and sautee for five minutes.
3. Add garlic, butter, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms soften and release their juices, 5-7 minutes.
4. Add pear, lemon, and mustard, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
5. Place salmon on top of vegetables, skin side up (you may need to cut it into pieces to fit it all in the tagine). Cover tagine and cook until fish is opaque and flakes easily when attacked with a fork, 15-20 minutes.

Beef & Cauliflower Tagine

I actually got to try out my new tagine this past Saturday...

It's so perdy!


...I just haven't really felt up to writing a post 'til now. I'll try to keep this short since the froglet is likely to demand my full attention sooner rather than later.

Beef Tagine with Roasted Cauliflower
Adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert
1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
5 Tbsp. olive oil
2 lbs. stewing beef
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 small onions, grated
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 (2 lb.) cauliflower
pinch red pepper flakes
1 (14 oz.) can of flame-roasted diced tomatoes

1. Place the tagine bottom on a heat diffuser and gradually increase the heat to medium-low. Mix 1 tsp. salt, black pepper, turmeric, and 1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil and add to the tagine.
2. Add the beef and cook gently until lightly browned. Cover the tagine and cook for 15 minutes. No peeking!
3. Add the paprika, ginger, cumin, onion, 1 Tbsp. cilantro, 1 Tbsp. parsley, and 1/2 c. water. Cover and simmer gently for 3 hours. (I turned the heat down to low for this, but I think I'd leave it on medium-low next time.)

4. Cut the cauliflower in half, then slice lengthwise into 1/2"-thick slices. Brush a jelly roll or roasting pan with 3 Tbsp. of olive oil. Mix the remaining 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil with 1/2 tsp. salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes and toss with the cauliflower.
5. Place the cauliflower in a single layer in the oiled pan and roast for 15 minutes at 400F. Turn the slices and roast for another 15 minutes.
6. (My tagine wasn't big enough to hold the cauliflower and the meat simultaneously, so I switched to doing things in the roasting pan at this point.) Add the tomato, 1 Tbsp. cilantro, and 1 Tbsp. parsley to the cauliflower. Combine the meat and cauliflower and bring to a boil.

7. Correct seasoning as needed with salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and/or lemon juice. (I chose to serve over couscous. Not necessarily traditional, but definitely delicious!)