Tagine
A Moroccan cooking vessel, and also the food cooked in it
A tagine is a type of cooking pot from Morocco.
Made from earthenware, it is a shallow bowl with a distinctive conical lid. The shape is designed to trap steam coming from the food, so keeping the contents moist.
The name tagine also applies to the dishes which are cooked in it.
A typical tagine recipe would combine meat with fruit, such as lamb with apricots, plus aromatic spices and a thick 'gravy ', to produce a typically Moroccan stew which would be served with couscous, rice, or cracked wheat, although tagines are versatile and are suited to most stew-like recipes.
Tagines are available in a variety of sizes, from a single portion size up to something more suited to a feast, and all sizes will make an impressive piece of tableware.
Tagines are suitable for using on the hob or in the oven, and a typical recipe will begin with frying ingredients on the hob for colour and flavour, before transferring to the oven for a long, slow cooking period which will tenderise even the toughest cuts of meat.
Seasoning a tagine
Although it is not essential to do so, it's traditional to 'season' a tagine before it is first used, both to strengthen it and to remove any lingering earthenware taste it has.
To season your tagine, first soak it in water for an hour or so. Dry it with a towel, then rub the inside with olive oil before putting it into a cold oven. Turn the oven on, set it to 150C (gas mark 2), and leave it for a couple of hours. Remove the tagine form the oven and let it fully cool, before washing it well in warm soapy water.
Comments from our visitors:
Alan Hook, 2007-03-05 15:59:09:I am looking for a recipe using a Tagine for cooking it in. All I can find is recipes for cooking a Tagine dish in the oven!
Recipedia, 2007-03-05 16:03:52:Hi Alan. As the oven-cooked recipes tend to be adaptations of a traditional tagine recipe, there's no real reason why you can't use one of the recipes you've found and simply cook in the tagine rather than in a casserole.
Two things to watch out for:
Quantities - you may have to scale down the recipe to fit your tagine.
Cooking time - you may find your recipe cooks more quickly in a tagine, so start checking for readiness at maybe halfway through. This is also a good idea as regular inspection lets you make sure the dish stays moist and doesn't burn or stick.
hi,
I saw these dishes on thre travel channel's Bizzare Foods program and I just have to have one.
Related Recipes
Spiced Bean Tagine
A quick to prepare vegetarian tagine dish
Read full recipe published at Unilever
Lamb Tagine with Apricots
A traditional-style tagine dish adapted for UK kitchens
Read full recipe by Ruth Holmes, published at St Albans Observer
