Wolfert

Most crockpot inserts are made of stoneware and are oven-safe. I think you will get the best glazing on top of the beans in the oven, so by all means you should place it in the oven..

Hi Dave, Your cassoulete looks fantastic! I've published more than a half- dozen recipes for cassoulet/cassoulete, and you are right, sometimes I don't include tomatoes. The fava bean cassoulet doesn't include them, but it's a recipe that predates the appearance of the tomato in Europe. In the updated version of the Cooking of SWF, the Toulouse cassoulet does include one plump tomato. You can see an abridged version of that recipe here : http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/toulouse-style-cassoulet

I am a big fan of a garlic-free muhammara because the mixture improves so much with advance preparation. For example: three day old muhammara is good; five day old muhammara is even better; and seven day muhammara is out of this world. I'm not sure the same would be true if garlic was in the mix.

The lemon is used in the marinade for the lamb shanks, not in the general cooking. In fact, it is discarded while all the other vegetables are reserved. I think the bitterness is due to the unsweetened cocoa or garlic in the almond-chocolate picada. I am leaning towards the garlic. In winter, you'll often find a green shoot protruding from each clove. It should be removed.

In Ma cuisine des champignons by Régis Marcon, the chef soaks dried cepes up to 24 hours without harm. He suggests adding a pinch of salt or sugar to the soaking water. After cooking from his book, I discovered that when preparing a quick saute of fresh and dried mushrooms, the 30 minute soak is ideal, but for long simmered dishes such as ragouts and daubes, the long soak produces a stronger flavored addition to the sauce.

I no longer have the directions that came with my simmer mat, but I THINK it was nobs down. Why not call the shop where you purchased the simmer mat and ask them which way it is supposed to be set on the glass top.

The simmer mat is supposed to work on all surfaces including glass. I think if you place the simmer mat with nobs facing downward you won't have a problem. And, of course, starting on low heat.

IMHO you should keep the porous parts of the tagine oiled.

The clay coyote pot is fantastic looking. Since it is made of stoneware it doesn't need to be seasoned.

I agree with Smithy. But after following all the curing advice above, if you still have a grainy texture on the interior of the tagine base, here is what you should do:Pour a good amount of whole milk into the tagine and place it in a cold oven; turn the oven to 300 degrees F.;let the milk simmer for about an hour; allow the milk to cool in the tagine in the oven;rinse the tagine and dry it well; and then lightly rub the interior with olive oil.

I hope this helps clear up the 'confusion' you experienced with the recipe. The method used to brown the meat in this recipe is a very popular one in some parts of the Mediterranean when dealing with fatty chunks of pork or lamb. First, the meat steams over high heat and the fat and some of the juices run out Second, the cover is removed and the meat "re-absorbs" the juices and browns in the extruded fat over high heat.

You make the yoga pose called "forward bend" or Paschimothanasanalynn and it looks like this.....

Muhammara is made in various ways in the eastern Mediterranean. In Lebanon, they often add yogurt, in Georgia, the pepper is muted and pomegranates and walnuts dominate, and in southeastern Turkey, where the dip has been equally popular it is sometimes made with tomato. The recipe printed on eGullet comes from the town of Homs in Syria via the Sahadi Family Grocery Store in Brooklyn, NY. In my book, the recipe is credited to Christine Sahadi. I chose to publish her version because it is uses roasted fresh bell peppers rather than dried Aleppo peppers which are costly and hard to find. Actually, most recipes call for the dried peppers. In the original recipe, the breadcrumbs used were made from bread rusks. I found that stone-ground wheat-thin crackers provided that same wheaty flavor. If you don't have the homemade, concentrated juice of an eastern Mediterranean pomegranate on hand, you will need to adjust the commerical kind with a little sugar and lemon.

There is no garlic in the mhammara recipe. Happy Gobble day!

I have made frozen parfaits and mousses one day in advance. You might want to add the berries just before serving.

Daubes benefit from an advance preparation. Jim Ainsworth writing in the London Observer (04/27/1997) describes chef Jean-Christophe Novelli's Five-day beef daube: the first day he seasons the meat; the following two days the meat is placed in a cooked red wine marinade; on day four he strains out the vegetables and cooks the meat in the remaining liquid marinade; and on day five he degreases the dish and reheats it for service.

I always thought daube cooking is a method not a recipe. Usually marinated meat and vegetables are packed tightly into a container, preferably earthenware, so that everything is completely wine-soaked during long slow cooking. The Provencal daubiere is ideal with its belly shape and its narrow neck which is fitted with a top that is deeply scooped-out and filled with cold water to insure a constant recycling of condensation during cooking on top of the stove or in the fireplace. If you cook your daube in the oven, you can use a sheet of crumbled parchment paper atop of the meat to insure recycling of moisture. Abra, rather than use your tagine, I would suggest a bean pot, a narrowish and tall casserole such as the Columbian black chamba pot, a dutch oven, or a four quart Chinese sand pot (www.gourmetsleuth.com) to keep the heat steady and low. In Provence, daubes are made with red or white wine marinated beef cheeks, shanks or shoulder, lamb shoulder or shanks, pork or wild boar shoulder, often teamed with olives, capers and anchovies, carrots or mushrooms, then served with pasta, rice or gnocchi. Tuna tummy and octopus are also cooked in daubes. In the French south-west, daubes are made with duck gizzards, onions, mushrooms, goose with radishes or turnips, or mixed parts of beef (cheek, shank and shoulder) with baby onions and prunes, or with Bayonne ham and piment d'espelette.

I have had fantastic results using an unglazed romertopf.

QUOTE(Wolfert @ Nov 1 2006, 11:11 AM) It depends upon the size of the tagine. I would add about 1/2 inch of water. * Thanks. Some more questions (sorry). 1) I read in an earlier post that coking times are increased in traditional tagines. Did I understand that correctly - perhaps in was in a conversation about braziers. I'm cooking over electric elements covered with heat diffusers. The lamb is delicious when cooked for an extra hour in a tagine. I would change the chicken recipe and use legs and thighs. The cooking time will be about one hour. T 2) I'm planning to prepare the filling for the bisteeya the day before. If possible, I'd like to do more that day. It's fine to prepare the three parts of the bisteeya in advance. Don't bake it until one hour before serving. your Harira II be made in advance. I could work it up to (and including) Step 4. The reheat the soup the next day and add the noodles and egg/lemon mixture. What do you think? I think it's fine. Can any part of the tagine recipes (Chicken Emshmel and Lamb with Prunes and Apples) be made in advance? I wouldn't cook the tagine in advance. I much appreciate your (and others') advice

It depends upon the size of the tagine. I would add about 1/2 inch of water.

The book was written back in the early seventies when very few olive varieties were available in the US market. I suggest you use Picholines when a Moroccan recipe calls for green olives. For the green-brown olives, I use Mustapha's Bigardier (red) olives from chefshop.com or Turkish red ta-ze from Taste of Turkey.com. Stephen, if you don't have the time to order the green-brown aka 'red,' then just substitute California Grabers.

Chunks of lamb neck and shoulder take about 3 hours, that is one more hour than over a stovetop. It depends on the size of the brazier. I remember our brazier as being half filled with embers. I think you should wait for the charcoal to die down to embers before adding the tagine.

Smithy. that about sums it up for unglazed tagines! The only other piece of advice: If you cook poultry or meat in your tagine it might be a good idea to avoid cooking fish in it. Welcome to Egullet.

Isn't Chinese fish maw from shark?

I think the nano is used for delicate seafood risottos from Venice. .