Tagine Tangent

So, I'm the type of person who is adverse to kitchen gadgets, but when I first saw a tagine I just knew I had to have one! I'm also really bad at spending money on myself so for months I just looked at it online and sighed. Long story short, my wonderful husband surprised me with one and I am now totally addicted.

Okay - so what's a tagine?  It's one of those words that can mean multiple things really.  It can either describe the meal itself, or the cooking vessel in which it is prepared or served. It is primary associated with Morocco or the North African region known as Maghreb. 

Le Souk Tagine

A tagine produces a gloriously tender, moist, succulent dish due to the shape of the cooking vessel.  Recipes only call for a small amount of liquid as the steam rises to the tops of the cone then slides back into the dish, so the slow cooked meat is nothing like from the oven or a crock-pot. 

Big note here - if you are going to purchase a tagine, there are TWO types! One type is for cooking in and other other is only used for serving. Pay close attention when you purchase or you could end up with the wrong type. I have a cooking tagine which is also beautiful to serve in. 

A second note is regarding your cook-top. If you have a gas stove-top, you will probably find it necessary to purchase a single burner hotplate as this is a slow cooking process and most tagines are not made to sit on a flame. Even with electric burners you may need a diffuser in order to minimize hotspots. Some tagine dishes may call for finishing in the oven to finish off or brown. Read your instructions that come with your tagine to determine the maximum temperature.  Mine is 350 degrees and no broiling. I have never had to use the oven yet for a dish. 


Over the next few posts I'll share some tried and true recipes for cooking with a tagine. Lush spices combined with lamb, chicken or pork are combined with other foods such as dates, pistachios, honey, and almonds.  Once you have a dish cooked in a tagine you'll truly become addicted! 

ahem - the advertising part: Check out our Moroccan spice section at available at Red Onion Spice & Tea Company!