tagine is both the dish & the pot it is cooked in. the pot is important; clay, domed or peaked lid, tight fitting to collect steam, a moist stove-top oven of sorts is the effect. what else is important is time; for best results, take plenty of it.
quicker versions of tagine are possible, i prefer to allow the spiced marinade mixture to work its magic into the lamb by sitting round for a night, chillun in the fridge & mellowing in intensity thru the process, tenderising. in the cooking, again slow makes the difference, but so too is keeping away from the tagine while it cooks; dont mess with it. let it go for a good hour or so, more if you can, before lifting the lid on what is gently bubbling away. ok, so it's a nerve racking hour, but the right pot on a low flame you wont kill it. go get a wine :)
a dish transformed by traditional method, this week's fridaynightdinnerbox recipe is my own of many variations. originally i learned about tagines from an old friend, chef kurt sampson, who cooked for several years with well known lebanese chef, greg malouf, in melbourne. we had a temporary kitchen set up & cooked in the markets there, massive great tagines with fresh coriander, toasted almonds & lemon, bucketfuls of couscous to accompany...it's just such good food.
this recipe follows a similar fashion:
>cubed lamb/garlic/freshginger/cuminseeds/corianderseeds/saltflakes/whitepepper: cut the lamb to bite sized chunks & put the other ingredients into a mortar&pestle, working it to a paste. be generous with your quantites. once at smooth consistency, massage the paste into the meat, in a bowl, & gladwrap it up to sit overnight.
>next day carrots/onion/coriander&parsleystalks/salt/butter&oliveoil: roughly dice the veg & finely chop the herb stalks, sweat in the tagine pot with the lid on, low to moderate heat (ie about 1/3 strength flame) until onions are transparent, about 20mins.
> seasonedlamb/chickenstock: add lamb to the tagine, turn to mix all, cover with chicken stock, place the lid on & turn the flame low & walk away. do not lift the lid for at least 1 1/2 hours. do not lift the lid for at least 1 1/2 hours, did i say that already? finally, & this part is of particular importance: do not lift the lid for at least 1 1/2 hours. then, check to see you havent murdered it! if everythings ok, the lamb will be tender & flavoursome, & ready to take off the heat. allow tagine time to sit & cool, refrigerate overnight.
>next day (or later that same day) prunes: bring tagine up to temperature, enough that the stock turns to liquid & the meaty chunks can be removed. (try not to sample the lamb, or you will never stop). once removed, add to the broth about 1/3 weight of prunes to lamb, adding a little more stock if necessary, cover with a lid & simmer for a further 20mins. return lamb to the pot, simmer a little before serving with couscous.
>couscous/butter/saltflakes/oliveoil/boilingwater/lemonzest: combine a squirt of olive oil & a knob of butter to the couscous, then measure 1 to 1 ration of couscous to boiling water, cover, seal airtight with a lid or ith gladwrap, sit for at least 4 minutes then shake & fluff up with a fork, add lemon zest & mix thru.
i like to serve this tagine with fresh natural yoghurt & chopped coriander/parsley/toasted almonds.
quicker versions of tagine are possible, i prefer to allow the spiced marinade mixture to work its magic into the lamb by sitting round for a night, chillun in the fridge & mellowing in intensity thru the process, tenderising. in the cooking, again slow makes the difference, but so too is keeping away from the tagine while it cooks; dont mess with it. let it go for a good hour or so, more if you can, before lifting the lid on what is gently bubbling away. ok, so it's a nerve racking hour, but the right pot on a low flame you wont kill it. go get a wine :)
a dish transformed by traditional method, this week's fridaynightdinnerbox recipe is my own of many variations. originally i learned about tagines from an old friend, chef kurt sampson, who cooked for several years with well known lebanese chef, greg malouf, in melbourne. we had a temporary kitchen set up & cooked in the markets there, massive great tagines with fresh coriander, toasted almonds & lemon, bucketfuls of couscous to accompany...it's just such good food.
this recipe follows a similar fashion:
>cubed lamb/garlic/freshginger/cuminseeds/corianderseeds/saltflakes/whitepepper: cut the lamb to bite sized chunks & put the other ingredients into a mortar&pestle, working it to a paste. be generous with your quantites. once at smooth consistency, massage the paste into the meat, in a bowl, & gladwrap it up to sit overnight.
>next day carrots/onion/coriander&parsleystalks/salt/butter&oliveoil: roughly dice the veg & finely chop the herb stalks, sweat in the tagine pot with the lid on, low to moderate heat (ie about 1/3 strength flame) until onions are transparent, about 20mins.
> seasonedlamb/chickenstock: add lamb to the tagine, turn to mix all, cover with chicken stock, place the lid on & turn the flame low & walk away. do not lift the lid for at least 1 1/2 hours. do not lift the lid for at least 1 1/2 hours, did i say that already? finally, & this part is of particular importance: do not lift the lid for at least 1 1/2 hours. then, check to see you havent murdered it! if everythings ok, the lamb will be tender & flavoursome, & ready to take off the heat. allow tagine time to sit & cool, refrigerate overnight.
>next day (or later that same day) prunes: bring tagine up to temperature, enough that the stock turns to liquid & the meaty chunks can be removed. (try not to sample the lamb, or you will never stop). once removed, add to the broth about 1/3 weight of prunes to lamb, adding a little more stock if necessary, cover with a lid & simmer for a further 20mins. return lamb to the pot, simmer a little before serving with couscous.
>couscous/butter/saltflakes/oliveoil/boilingwater/lemonzest: combine a squirt of olive oil & a knob of butter to the couscous, then measure 1 to 1 ration of couscous to boiling water, cover, seal airtight with a lid or ith gladwrap, sit for at least 4 minutes then shake & fluff up with a fork, add lemon zest & mix thru.
i like to serve this tagine with fresh natural yoghurt & chopped coriander/parsley/toasted almonds.
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