Lamb Tagine with Dates, Almonds, and Pistachios

My first tagine. I fell in love.  What can I say. 

Lamb Tagine with Dates, Almonds, & Pistachios

If you want a dish that's sure to wow your friends, this is it. This is a very traditional tagine and it is so easy to prepare.  You need to allow time to cook this dish, but preparation is a snap. As with any tagine, part of the secret is slow cooking. 

Let's face it - I love any dish that gets me out of the kitchen to have cocktails with my guests.
  
Lamb Tagine with Dates, Almonds, and Pistachios
Serves 4-5 people

• 2-3 Tablespoons ghee (Or use 1 Tablespoon olive oil & 1 Tablespoon butter)
• 2 onions - chop in half then in 1/4" strips
• 2 teaspoons organic ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon organic ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons organic ground ceylon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon organic ras el hanout (optional)
• 2 1/2 lbs lean lamb from the shoulder next or leg cut into 1-2" pieces
• 8 oz pitted dates
• 1 Tablespoon honey

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 Tablespoon butter
• 2-3 Tablespoons slivered almonds
• 2 Tablespoons shelled pistachios
• 1 cup chopped cilantro or Italian parsley

Mix the turmeric, ginger, cinnamon  and ras el hanout, then pour over the lamb pieces. Add some salt and pepper. Stir and coat the lamb in the seasonings. Add the honey and stir more to coat the meat. 

Let the meat sit in the seasonings while you cut the onions. 
Turn on the burner or hotplate to medium-high, set the tagine bottom on it then add the ghee.  When the ghee is warm, add the sliced onions and cook until slightly browned.


Add the seasoned lamb to the tagine in a single layer on top the onions. Pour in about 3/4 cups water. When the liquid starts bubbling, put the lid of the tagine on and reduce the heat to low.  Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.


Add the dates then cover again and let simmer for another 30 minutes.


Heat the olive oil with the butter in a small pan. Stir in the almonds and pistachios and cook until they begin to brown. When the dish is finished, sprinkle the nuts and chopped parsely over the dish just before serving. 


Serve over couscous or quinoa.


Adapted from "Tagine Spicey stews from Morocco" by Chillie Basan
  

How to Season a Tagine

Clay or glazed tagines require a one time preparation called 'seasoning' before the first use. Seasoning your tagine strengthens it and removes any flavors from the clay. Your tagine should come with instructions, so I would follow those closely. If you're still thinking of purchasing one, this article is FYI so you don't plan a big dinner party for the day it arrives!

Remember also that clay tagines are sensitive to heat changes. Never plunge a hot tagine in cold water or expose it to high heat.

photo © Jules Kitano - Moroccan cooking pots, via Shutterstock

1. Soak the entire tagine in water at least 2 hours or overnight. I had a very large stock pot which it fit into, but you  may need two containers or bucket to do so. 

2. After the soaking period, let it dry for about 30 minutes, then rub the interior and exterior with oil.  My instructions said not to rub the bottom of the base in oil.

3. Place the tagine in a cold oven and turn the oven on to 300 F.

4. Leave in the oven for 2 hours, then turn the oven off and leave the tagine in it until cooled completely. 

Finally, Wash the cooled tagine by hand, let dry and coat the interior (not the exterior) with olive oil. It is suggested to coat the interior with olive oil before each use. Store a tagine with a bit of paper towel wadded up under the lid on one side so that air circulates in it.

Your tagine is now ready to party!!

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! 

Greek Hay?

A friend of mine asked recently what Fenugreek seed was used for. I wondered the same thing years ago when I got a spice set that included fenugreek. I think it sat on my shelf for 10 years..unopened! I'm so ashamed! Now this is one of my staples in my spice cabinet.

Fenugreek is used a lot in Indian cooking, and is often toasted, ground and blended with other spices. We use it in our custom blend Garam Masala. You'll also see it in pickling spices and curry blends. They are also used throughout Middle Eastern, North African, and even East African cooking.

Artificial maple syrup depends on it's smokey, caramel-like finish. When toasted, it is more like a burnt sugar flavor. I recently tasted some cheese with fenugreek seeds in it and it was lush! It's very unique and I don't know how I lived without it before!

The name?  Well you can blame Latin for that! The species name for fenugreek means "Greek Hay" - which refers to the smell of the green of the plant and it's Eastern Mediterranean origin. There - more than you ever wanted to know about Fenugreek! Hey - does that make me a Fenu-GEEK? hehe


ahem - the advertising part: Both Organic Fenugreek Seeds and Organic Fenugreek Powder are available at Red Onion Spice & Tea Company! 

Spice Up Your Life!

There’s a new trend in the country of cooking more at home and eating out less. Perhaps inspired by the economy, or just our ‘do it yourself’ attitude, there is an enormous collection of ‘closet cooks’ in Alaska.  We each have that special, closely guarded recipe received from a friend, who got it from their neighbor, who received it from a friend...and somewhere down the line was the actual artist who may have been lost in the chain.

But the most amazing part of these recipes are the overall increased use of spices and understanding that these ‘treasures’ are no longer under lock and key. We no longer limit ourselves to follow a recipe exactly – preferring instead to make a creation our own by adding a bit more of this or that.  Coupled with the increased awareness of ethnic foods, and decreased use of salt, spice consumption has increased dramatically in the US. A whopping 877 million pounds in the year 2000 showed an overall increase of 8% from the previous decade, and subsequent years show similar increases.

We’re also getting hotter!  Reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture say that compared to the 1970s, Americans now consume 600 percent more chili pepper, 300 percent more cumin, and 1,600 percent more ginger.

Most of us consume over 3 pounds of spices annually!  Many have noted this trend as we turn from meager grocery store offerings and search out ‘gourmet’ spices, blends and the newest trend – organic spices.  Why organic?  Well, if you are trying to cook healthier, why not?  Many non-organic spices and herbs are treated with pesticides, exposed to gamma radiation and can contain fillers or additives of lesser quality.  According to the FDA, food products using irradiated spice as an ingredient do not have to be labeled!

Of similar concern is tea.  Buying bagged tea may seem more convenient, but did you know that typically, tea bags use fannings which are the left-overs after larger leaf pieces are gathered for sale as loose tea? Purchasing organic, loose leaf tea means you are getting the whole, unadulterated taste of the tea – not just the left over dredges!

So whether you’re preparing that fresh King Salmon or creating some other culinary masterpiece, thinking twice about the quality of your seasonings and spices can add to the overall success of your final product. Oh, and remember that spices DO expire! Time to clean the cupboard?

Amazing Mace

No, it’s not the same as the stuff in a can that is used for self-defense!  We’re talking spices here! 

So what exactly is mace you ask? Mace is the lacy jacket or aril surrounding the seed of the nutmeg fruit. The seed is what we commonly call ‘whole nutmeg’ as this is what is milled to make ground nutmeg.  When fresh, the mace is bright red in color and beautiful against the dark brown seed. When separated from the seed and dried, it becomes a light orange color. It is then sold as whole or ground mace.

As you might guess, this native of Malaysia and Indonesia has a flavor much like the nutmeg seed it protects, yet milder. Its aroma is a combination of pepper and cinnamon and it must be crushed or ground before use in order to release its essential oils. 

Although widely used in baking here in the US, mace is a prominent spice in savory dishes and curries in Indian, Caribbean, Moroccan and Asian cooking. One of the best known Moroccan blends utilizing mace is Ras ElHanout which means “top of the shop”, or “head of the market”.

In medieval times, mace and nutmeg were so valuable that the Dutch waged a war to control the island of Banda, the major nutmeg production in the Spice Islands.  The English and French all vied for control of this prime real estate, one of the few locations able to sustain the growth of nutmeg. 

Once thought to fight the plague and found only in the kitchens of nobilities, this fine spice is easily available now and is ready for your next gastronomic adventure.

Put some spice in your life!

Photo by Eileen Delhi, Licensed and used by permission of E. Delhi

Perplexing Pink Peppercorn

In my latest travels to the Caribbean (like I go there all the time!) I was overjoyed when my husband located a spice vendor just before we left St. Maarten's. And there they were - those perfect little dried red berries screaming at me to "take me home"! How could I resist their beauty, and the exotic name I've never heard of; Baies Rose. Thrilled, I grabbed three small bags at about $5 each and she threw in a Jamaican Jerk blend which I will try and dissect later.

Although it was very nice to be totally unplugged for a few days, I was about to start frothing at the mouth by the time we reached internet... ...err...Miami again so I could start researching. No time for that though as our arduous trip home began early the next day. To make a long story short, travel to Alaska anytime of year can get interesting, and it took an extra day to get home - where I promptly became ill. But at least I have time to research my little beauties now! Moving on....

Baies Rose turns out to be known as "Pink Peppercorn" here in the US. The species name is Schinus molle L. or Peruvian peppertree. There seems to be much confusion over it's relative, the Brazilian peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolius). The two berries look almost identical so you really need to see the leaves, which are quite different...which of course were not included in my purchase. So the question is ...do I trust that I really have Baies Rose?

It's important to know the difference between the two species as the Brazilian peppertree (think "B"razilian = bad) can cause allergic reactions which can include respiratory issues. This of course does not sound like any fun ...so I'd rather avoid a mistake!

As I read for hours, what follows may only be interesting to me. So you can stop now and just say, "wow - what a great article!" and move on.  Still with me?  Okay!

So by now you may have noticed one thing - it's not a peppercorn at all!  Baies Rose (la baie rose de Bourbon) is a berry grown on the island of Reunion once known as Ile Bourbon, near Madagascar. They also are in Mexico and Australia. They were introduced in the US and now appear in California, Florida, Hawaii, Texas and Puerto Rico. (Hmmm - not St. Maartens...).

The flavor sounds intriguing and is described as having a mild citrus zest with the flavor of sweet berries. (I really want to try these....).

The bad dude, the Brazilian peppertree, was introduced into Florida as an ornamental sometime in the 1920's. By the 1950's the alarm started sounding as it not only grew well there, but became invasive. A 1997 report from the Brazilian Pepper Task Force (I want a t-shirt that says that) notes that "Brazilian pepper thrives on disturbed soils created by natural disruptions such as hurricanes." Between birds spreading the seed and hurricanes, I think they've got their work cut out for them!

The USDA site has tons of information on both species: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SCHIN and was a major help in untangling some bad information out on the web. If you note any errors here please let me know!

Now I think I will go shop for some pink peppercorns.  Oh, maybe I'll just try one of these that I bought....I'll let you know if I survive!

Put Some Spice in Your Life! 
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