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Moroccan Tagine Cooking

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FlyingChopstik

FlyingChopstik

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I got my Sous tagine from tagines.com. It looks much better in person than in the photo on the website. Its also not a very huge tagine but you can totally fit a lot of food in it because of its deep bottom. Probably 2 small chicken a 3 to 4 pound chicken can fit.

I followed Paula Wolferts instructions and seasoned it by soaking it in water for 2 hrs, then after drying, i filled the bottom with milk, popped it in the cold oven and baked it at 350 degrees for 30 min. Turned the oven off and let the tagine cool in the oven. Then after rinsing and drying, i oiled it down inside and out with olive oil. It didnt get darker until after i cooked my first dish in it which is my favorite : chicken tagine with preserve lemons and olives. The dish tastes better then it looks! I have this bad habit of turning the cone top upside down when serving the food and all of the cooking juices run down the outside.image.jpg

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Edited by FlyingChopstik (log)
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Smithy

Smithy

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Nice! Thanks for posting on the size and your first results. Chicken, olives and preserved lemons are one of my favorite flavor combinations as well.

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Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
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mkayahara

mkayahara

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Glad to see a revival of this thread. I'm looking at (finally!) getting my first tagine vessel, and the information contained herein is very useful, especially the discussion of unglazed vs. glazed.

 

One thing that I'm still finding unclear, though, is the discussion of sizes. Tagines.com seems to measure the diameter of the base, while bramcookware.com gives a volume. Can anyone offer me guidance as to what size tagine I need? As I imagine many of you are, I'm mostly using the recipes from Wolfert's books, so that's the portion sizes I typically make. Thanks!

Matthew Kayahara

Kayahara.ca

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FlyingChopstik

FlyingChopstik

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Glad to see a revival of this thread. I'm looking at (finally!) getting my first tagine vessel, and the information contained herein is very useful, especially the discussion of unglazed vs. glazed.

 

One thing that I'm still finding unclear, though, is the discussion of sizes. Tagines.com seems to measure the diameter of the base, while bramcookware.com gives a volume. Can anyone offer me guidance as to what size tagine I need? As I imagine many of you are, I'm mostly using the recipes from Wolfert's books, so that's the portion sizes I typically make. Thanks!

Id consider how many people you plan to cook for. Usually i only cook for 2 people and the tagine contains enough food for leftovers over the next 2 days. Its also a good size to accomodate 4 to 5 people. The Souss tagine that i have can definitely fit 1 3 to 4 pound chicken with ample space for layering veggies. I would roughly guestimqte that its a little under 2 quarts.....

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Smithy

Smithy

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Glad to see a revival of this thread. I'm looking at (finally!) getting my first tagine vessel, and the information contained herein is very useful, especially the discussion of unglazed vs. glazed.

One thing that I'm still finding unclear, though, is the discussion of sizes. Tagines.com seems to measure the diameter of the base, while bramcookware.com gives a volume. Can anyone offer me guidance as to what size tagine I need? As I imagine many of you are, I'm mostly using the recipes from Wolfert's books, so that's the portion sizes I typically make. Thanks!

Wolfert indicated (in this post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/63502-moroccan-tagine-cooking/?p=884844) that a 12" rifi should be big enough to accommodate a 3-pound chicken. She also noted that the souss tagine, even though it's smaller in footprint, has about the same capacity as a 12" rifi because it's deeper.

I think I have the extra-large rifi, but I'm not sure. If I remember correctly I measured its total capacity at about 3 quarts; I used the simple expedient of a measuring cup and liquid almost to the brim of the inner bowl. That tagine is far away at present so I can't confirm the volume.

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
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"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

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mkayahara

mkayahara

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Thanks for your replies!

Id consider how many people you plan to cook for. Usually i only cook for 2 people and the tagine contains enough food for leftovers over the next 2 days. Its also a good size to accomodate 4 to 5 people. The Souss tagine that i have can definitely fit 1 3 to 4 pound chicken with ample space for layering veggies. I would roughly guestimqte that its a little under 2 quarts.....

Which Souss tagine do you have? It looks like tagines.com carries two sizes: an 11" and a 12".

 

 

Wolfert indicated (in this post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/63502-moroccan-tagine-cooking/?p=884844) that a 12" rifi should be big enough to accommodate a 3-pound chicken. She also noted that the souss tagine, even though it's smaller in footprint, has about the same capacity as a 12" rifi because it's deeper.

I think I have the extra-large rifi, but I'm not sure. If I remember correctly I measured its total capacity at about 3 quarts; I used the simple expedient of a measuring cup and liquid almost to the brim of the inner bowl. That tagine is far away at present so I can't confirm the volume.

Thanks for the cross-reference, and the information. There are a lot of pages in this thread so it's easy to miss things!

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Matthew Kayahara

Kayahara.ca

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

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I have one meal remaining of a tagine of lamb and dates from Paula Wolfert.  This time I modified the recipe to cook the lamb shoulder sous vide.  After the lamb sat in the refrigerator for about a month I simply cut open the bag and proceeded with the rest of the recipe.  Time was reduced to an hour or two of cooking, compared to the eight hours or so last time I made this dish.

 

For cooking vessels I have an unglazed tagine from bramcookware, this one, I believe:

http://www.bramcookware.com/product_info.php?products_id=1084&osCsid=17066c2e94d94113fe33f39c39b45f6d

 

I also have an iron tagine from Le Creuset.  The unglazed lid of the bramcookware tagine fits perfectly on the base of the Le Creuset, and that is how I normally configure it to cook.

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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Hassouni

Hassouni

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a month?

 

 

 

So, for those making tagine-type dishes in a normal pot, does one need to add water? I understand that when cooking in a tagine, one doesn't add any because the ingredients release their liquid, making a thick sauce. Whats the MO for making a tagine in something else?

Alchemist/mixologist/proprietor at the Green Zone, serving craft cocktails with the flavors of the Middle East

 

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Smithy

Smithy

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So, for those making tagine-type dishes in a normal pot, does one need to add water? I understand that when cooking in a tagine, one doesn't add any because the ingredients release their liquid, making a thick sauce. Whats the MO for making a tagine in something else?

Hassouni, my experience has been to add some liquid in either case, but to add less in a "standard" (non-porous) pot. An unglazed tagine loses some liquid by evaporation through the pores; that concentrates and reduces the total liquid in the final sauce. I wrote about a side-by-side test I did in this post: #58. I'd also be leery of trying to start a tagine-style dish with no liquid in a pot that could burn the meat easily; the liquid would help control the heat. As a starting point, I'd say to cut the liquid in half if you aren't using an unglazed clay pot. If you're assuming that the basic recipe doesn't call for any liquid to be added (in which case "cut the amount in half" is not helpful :-D) then I'd suggest trying enough liquid to cover the pan bottom to, say, 1/4" deep.
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Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
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"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

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Smithy

Smithy

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I love that cookbook, but have never gotten around to trying any of the prune-contained tagines. Do you like the flavor? What do you think the prunes bring to the dish?

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

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"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

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mkayahara

mkayahara

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Gah, these tagines are so cheap, I just need to find space to store one.....

Too bad they don't ship to Canada. I've got lots of storage space...

 

I seem to recall reading something from Paula Wolfert herself saying that, when making a tagine in enameled cast iron, you should reduce the liquid, since the porous clay of a traditional tagine allows the liquid to reduce during the cooking time. That certainly reflects my experience of using her books; I almost always end up with too much liquid, which needs to be heavily reduced at the end.

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Matthew Kayahara

Kayahara.ca

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

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a month?

 

 

 

So, for those making tagine-type dishes in a normal pot, does one need to add water? I understand that when cooking in a tagine, one doesn't add any because the ingredients release their liquid, making a thick sauce. Whats the MO for making a tagine in something else?

 

Yes, a month.  The bag of lamb was fully pasteurized.

 

As to your other question, Paula calls for added water in most of her tagine recipes.  For information on cooking these dishes without an actual tagine see her book Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco.  The recipes in that book were modified and tested not to require a tagine.

 

Better yet, don't be so cheap.  Go out and get yourself a proper tagine or two.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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Zoe Potts

Zoe Potts

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I've not long returned from Morocco and I bought myself a tagine. Having got it home in one piece (along with 3 others as pressies for others!), I now need some advice. 

 

Mine is what I think is classed as a glazed tagine. It's glazed inside and out but not on the base or on the lip at the top of the base. I've read about seasoning it and there appear to be several ways of doing it, which would be best for mine? 

 

Also, and it's something I never gave a second thought to when I bought it, I have an electric hob. It's not an electric coil hob but a glass top one. I've seen that heat diffusers are not suitable for these, what could I use instead? I'm dying to get cooking!!

 

Thanks in advance :)

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FlyingChopstik

FlyingChopstik

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I've not long returned from Morocco and I bought myself a tagine. Having got it home in one piece (along with 3 others as pressies for others!), I now need some advice. 

 

Mine is what I think is classed as a glazed tagine. It's glazed inside and out but not on the base or on the lip at the top of the base. I've read about seasoning it and there appear to be several ways of doing it, which would be best for mine? 

 

Also, and it's something I never gave a second thought to when I bought it, I have an electric hob. It's not an electric coil hob but a glass top one. I've seen that heat diffusers are not suitable for these, what could I use instead? I'm dying to get cooking!!

 

Thanks in advance :)

Before proceeding with this you may want to get a lead testing kit since many tagines in Morocco have lead based glazes and the glazes are not regulated as they are here in the States.

This is from Paulas clay pot book. She says to soak the bottom dish in cold water for 12 hours. Drain ane wipe it dry. Cut a clove og garlic and rubbed the inside with it. Then fill the dish with water until its about a half inch from the rim. Add a 1/3 cup of distilled vinegar, set on a heat diffuser and slowly bring dish to a boil. Simmer until only half of the liquid remains.remove from the heat, allow to cool and then dry.

As for the stove, im not so sure, but look up the SIMMER MAT. I use this on my gas stove and its great. I believe that it is ok for glass stoves but check out the website and you can call them too since they may be more familiar with your type of stove.

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