Tagine

Last Sunday was my birthday and my son gave me a Tagine. If you have not heard of a Tagine before it is a pot which is formed of a natural clay, which is sometimes painted or glazed. It consists of two parts: a base unit that is flat and circular with low sides and a large cone-shaped cover that sits on the base during cooking. The cover is designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom. The tagine that I received can be used on all heat sources: gas, electricity, ceramic (halogen, radiant), and with an induction disk for induction hobs.
I have made a couple dishes in the Tagine so far. I used recipes that I thought would work in it that I have published before: Beef Rolls (Rinderrouladen) & Pork Chops in Tomato & Green Pepper Sauce.
A recipe that came with the Tagine called for “preserved lemon (beldi), cut into small pieces. Well, I had never heard of preserved lemons before so I checked on the Internet and found you could purchase them from a number of places, but I also found that you could make them yourself, so I thought I would go that route - but you have to wait three weeks for them to “pickle” - that’s why I’m trying other recipes in the mean-time. I always enjoy learning new things about different cuisines.

Chicken Tagine with Lemon

4 chicken legs
4 breasts cut into small pieces
2 T. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 T. tumeric
1 T. ginger
2 onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
2 T. honey
1 preserved lemon, cut into small pieces
juice of 1 lemon
3 1/2 oz. green olives
1 handful butter-beans
3 carrots
2 zucchini
1 yellow pepper cut into strips
1 few sprigs of fresh cilantro
salt
pepper
Put the Tagine over a medium heat and gently fry the onions and garlic in the hot olive oil.
Add the spices, chopped tomatoes, honey and preserved lemon, and leave to simmer for a few minutes.
Add the chicken pieces, mix together and pour over the lemon juice. Season well.
Bring together the chicken pieces in the middle of the dish to look like a pyramid, and place the vegetables and olives around the edges.
Check the seasoning and pour over a glass of water or chicken stock, and cover. Cook for 1 - 1 1/2 hours in the oven at 350 F. or over a low heat.
Sprinkle the fresh cilantro over the top just before serving.

Preserved Lemons

3 organic lemons - skin scrubbed well
2 - 3 T. Kosher salt
4 peppercorn
1/2 lemon - juice
Place the lemons, Kosher salt, peppercorns, and lemon juice in a quart jar and cover with water. Store chilled for 3 weeks - 3 months is better and up to a year.
Note: Preserved lemons are lemons which have been pickled in salt and their own juices. Also called pickled lemons, they add a salty, distinctive lemon flavor to Moroccan tagines, sauces and salads. In Morocco, they’re referred to as l’hamd marakad or mssiyar.
Cooking with Preserved Lemons:
Although they are essential to many Moroccan recipes, personal taste dictates how preserved lemons might be used. Some cooks always remove the flesh, for example, while others leave it on when adding preserved lemon to tagines and sauces. In salads, however, only the finely chopped rind is usually used. Both the saltiness and pungency can be controlled by how much preserved lemon is used, and when the lemons are added to the dish. The longer the lemons simmer in the sauce, the more salt and lemon flavor that will be released.

Fresh Vegetable Tagine

2 tomatoes, medium size
1 onion
2 carrots
2 fennel, small size
7 oz. stick celery
1 garlic clove
2 T. olive oil
1 t. Ras el Hanout (recipe follows)
4 sprigs fresh cilantro
4 sprigs flat parsley
salt
pepper
Deseed and cut the tomatoes into small cubes.
Peel and finely chop the onion.
Peel and slice the carrots.
Cut the fennel into 4, to make small slices (if the fennel is very big, cut it in half again).
Remove the stringy bits from the celery and cut into sticks.
Heat the olive oil in the Tagine (or frying pan if you don’t have a Tagine) and gently fry the onion.
Add the carrots, fennel, celery, garlic and Ras el Hanout. Sprinkle the tomatoes over the top and season.
Tip: Arrange the vegetables attractively in the dish, as they will not be stirred and therefore will be served as they are presented.
Pour over 2/3 cup of water.
Cover and cook for 25-30 minutes without stirring (the cooking time will depend on the size of the cut vegetables).
Sprinkle the finely chopped parsley and cilantro over the top before serving.

Ras El Hanout - Moroccan Spice Mix

Source: http://www.food.com

Ras el Hanout ( “top of the shop” ) is a spice mixture from Morocco that can contain anywhere from 10-100 different spices.
2 t. ground nutmeg
2 t. ground coriander
2 t. ground cumin
2 t. ground ginger
2 t. turmeric
2 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 t. sugar
1 1/2 t. paprika
1 1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. cardamom powder
 1 t. ground allspice
 1/2 t. ground cloves
Mix all ingredients in small bowl until well blended.
Seal in an airtight container and store in a dark dry spot in the pantry. It will keep for up to a year.

Moroccan Mint Tea

Source: www.food.com

Mint tea isn’t just a drink in Morocco. It is a sign of hospitality and friendship and tradition. Because this drink is so popular, it is served all day long, after every meal and with every conversation. Moroccans take great pride in their tea and will often ask a visitor who among their group of friends makes the best cup of mint tea.
10 sprigs of fresh mint, plus extra for garnish
3 teaspoons green tea
3 tablespoons sugar (or more to taste)
4 cups water
Boil the water and pour a small amount in the teapot, swishing it around to warm the pot.
Combine the mint and green tea and sugar in the teapot, then fill it with the rest of the hot water. Let the tea brew for three minutes.
Set out glasses for the tea. A shot-glass is close to the slender glasses used in Morocco.
Fill just one glass with the tea, then pour it back in the pot. Repeat. This helps to dissolve and distribute the sugar. Pour the tea.
You want a nice foam on the tea so always pour with the teapot a high distance above the glasses.
If you do not have at least a little foam on the top of the first glass, then pour it back into the teapot and try again until the tea starts to foam up nicely.
Garnish with the remaining sprigs of mint. Print this post