Tagine is a Berber dish that shares the name with the pots in which they simmer. In Berber tajin means “shallow earthen pot”. For centuries pots like these have been used on desert fires to prepare hearty stews with meats, vegetables and spices. The conical shaped lids are ideal for the desert, where water is scarce and the meats are often tough, because the condensation drips back into the dish, creating a moist tender meal with a minimal use of liquids.
The good news? You don’t need to book a flight to Marrakech to stock your kitchen. Amazon has a surprisingly lovely selection, and I’ve rounded up my favorites.
I actually own several tagines, each with its own purpose. The all-blue one on the right is a classic clay-based pot — beautiful and functional. The one on the left has a heavy cast iron base, which is ideal for browning meats and vegetables before the slow braise begins. The decorative tagine in the center is what I’d call a “serving” tagine, and this one is particularly gorgeous — I bring it to the table filled with couscous, ready for ladling the main course over. And the mini tagines? Those have found a second life as the most charming salt cellars on my table.
I love the look of these exotic early slow cookers, almost as much as I love the complexly flavorful and colorful dishes they allow me to create with ease.
If you haven’t used a tagine before, it can feel intimidating to place the clay dish over the open flames, but it is well worth overcoming these fears because this is a great way to make an exotically flavorful meal with ease. Be sure to soak the pot in water for about an hour before the first use. Today I’m sharing with you my favorite tagine recipe, a classic made with preserved lemons, olives, spices and chicken.
Ingredients
5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 preserved lemons, pulp removed, rind sliced
1/2 cup cracked, pitted green olives
1/2 cup water
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
Marinade
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 big pinch of saffron threads, rub them between your fingers to break them up
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped {include the stems}
juice of one lemon
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
black pepper to taste
Preparation
To prepare the marinade combine the turmeric, ginger, sea salt, saffron threads, chopped onion, 1/2 of the minced garlic, lemon juice, chopped cilantro stems {and some leaves}, oregano leaves, 2 tablespoons olive oil, black pepper to taste in a large mixing bowl. If you’d like a shortcut, try this spice blend.
Here’s an easy way to finely chop an onion to your desired size, after cutting the onion in half and removing the core, slice it to the thickness of chop you desire.
then slice it in the other direction and voila! your onion is chopped.
Have you ever tasted cilantro or parsley stems? They have just as much flavor as the leaves, so save your stems, they are great in marinades, soups and stews. After washing the cilantro and trimming the bottom inch off of the stems I chopped up the rest to add to the marinade.
Reserving the tender leaves to chop and sprinkle on top of the finished tagine.
Ideally, the chicken should marinade in the mix overnight, or an hour or two.
I love a day when I know I have batch of chicken in the refrigerator soaking up all of these great flavors and tenderizing, all ready to plop in the tagine and turn into a quick easy dinner. But, if you don’t have the time you can put the mix directly in the tagine and it will still be splendid.
Place the tagine base on the burner over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then spoon in the chicken and marinade. Put on the lid and set your timer for 20 minutes.
While it’s cooking you can prepare the other ingredients. Hopefully, you’ve been able to make these Preserved Lemons, but if not, you can buy them at middle eastern stores or on amazon you can order these Moroccan Preserved Lemons.
Use a teaspoon to gently remove the flesh from the tender lemon rinds.
You can save the flesh to add to soups and sauces, but it will be quite salty so adjust your recipe accordingly.
Slice the lemon peels into narrow strips.
After 20 minutes turn over the chicken thighs, stirring the mix as you do, add 1/2 cup of water and the olives and preserved lemon slices. Replace the lid and cook for another 15 minutes.
When finished sprinkle with chopped cilantro leaves and serve from the pan with a side of cous cous.
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