I love my tagine. Why such gooey affection for crockery cookery, you ask, in a calm and reasonable tone?
Tagines, the Moroccan style of steam-boiling sauces and meats using a hat-shaped piece of pottery, allow me to have a really delicious and hearty dinner on the table in just over an hour, with minimal fuss and feathers. And mine has proven remarkably tolerant to my whatevs-in-the-fridge-and/or-cupboard approach to recipes, as the title for this post attests.
I already presented you with this delicious chicken dish with lemon. In fact, I probably use our stove-top tagine at least once a week, which is way more than I anticipated when I first boldly acquired yet another large new piece of specialized cookware.
One trick has been a side-investment in the most wonderful spice mix I’ve found — Ras el Hanout. It includes more than 20 spices: turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, fennel seed, anise seed, cardamom, star anise, cayenne pepper, garlic, nigella, paprika, ajwan seeds (marjoram), kalajeera (black cumin), ginger, lavender, galangal (a close relative of ginger), oris root, rose buds, monk’s pepper, Grain of Paradise, and mace.
The blend is mild enough to be acceptable to Maya and me, while also interesting enough to add enough depth to foods so that my husband, who prefers it very spicy, doesn’t drown the result of my modest efforts in sriracha. It’s a magical middle that had eluded me for years, and, as a bonus, it smells heavenly.
And, although the flavor variations are endless, the method for this style of cooking is fairly simple: heat the tagine over low heat, add oil, aromatics and spices, then the meat until it browns, then water or stock to about half an inch below the edge. Bubble until falling apart and delicious.
Lacking a tagine, you could try this combination in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, like my (almost) equally beloved enamel ones. If you do this, please let us know how your venture into uncharted territory turned out…
Ingredients:
(Grass-fed, organic) Beef, cut into bite-sized pieces (I tried to use a full roast at first, as you’ll see, which, er, didn’t work at all)
2 Tbl ras el hanout or as many of those spices as you can muster
2/3 cups oil-cured black olives (I know, these use intense chemical processing. But I can’t help it! If you know things I should know about these, please share.)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Generous Tbl or 2 of quince paste (also called membrillo)
1 cup (organic) peas, fresh or frozen
1 good-sized (organic) chopped tomato
1 C-shaped piece of ginger, chopped (JK, yours could also be L-shaped)
1 (organic) onion, chopped finely
3 TBL butter, grapeseed or coconut oil
Sufficient water or (organic) stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Brown rice or cous-cous for serving
Directions:
Heat oil, ginger, onions and eventually, the spices, including salt and pepper, on low until the onions are translucent. (If you don’t have ras el hanout, use your best approximation from what’s on hand. And then order some… it’s truly worth a try!)
Add the olives, almonds and peas, and stir.
Next, add the meat and brown on all sides. Do not make my mistake and foolishly think the tagine can conquer a roast, unaided by humans. Duh. Tagines are great. They’re not that great.
This…
…eventually became the more sensible stew format that the universe intended.
When the meat is well browned, add water or stock to about 1/2 inch below the edge and put the hat on.
Keep it at a high simmer for an hour or so, depending on the texture desired. Serve the stew over rice or cous-cous and enjoy for several days, until you feel compelled to tango with your tagine again.
Filed under: Recipes & DIY Tagged: almonds, beef, brown rice, cook, dinner, fall, Ginger, health, meal, meat, membrillo, Moroccan cuisine, Morocco, oil-cured, Olive, Olive oil, olives, quince, Ras el Hanout, slow-cooking, spices, stew, stove-top, Tajine
