Moroccan Tagine Cooking

[Wolfert]

Do it until you like it. It really isn't important except to you.

I did it a few times and was happy with the results.

Richard, your tagine looks great as is. It was just an after-thought.

As for the bottom of the bottom. I rubbed the bottom with oil and placed it under the broiler to lightly 'char' it in places. This was just a cosmetic touch and totally to your own taste. You'll find as you cook in it it will get darker on the bottom anyway.

[peanutgirl]

Received my order from Tagines.com last Tuesday (minus this: Tangiers Cazuela ordered separately.

The jar of preserved lemons I ordered greatly disappointed me in both price of and size. I only ordered them instead of making my own because I had no idea what to expect taste wise. After seeing the jar... I promptly set out making my own as per Paula's recipe.

My very loosely based adaptation on Double-Cooked Red Chicken Marrakech-Style. I simplified a few steps to save time and added potatoes & carrots. I hope I haven't offended you Paula. The family loved it.

Served over whole wheat couscous (and pardon the fork please).

I received a bunch of books today, including: Cooking at The Kasbah by Kitty Morse... and 2 of Paula's: Couscous and Other good Food From Morocco and The Cooking of The Eastern Mediterranean.

Now... please induge me one final stupid question about curing the Rifi.I have it soaking now. Then I drain and dry it & rub it with the oil and ashes and bake. Do I soak it only the one time... or every time I rub it w/ oil,ashes and bake???

[Wolfert]

Looks like you are a seasoned Moroccan cook from the beautiful rendition of the tagine. You only soak it the one time.

The application of ash and oil is simply cosmetic. Do it until you get the 'look' of an aged tagine.

The lemons are easy to do and if you run out, there is a recipe for a quick one in my first book on Moroccan cooking.

Edited March 30, 2005 by Wolfert (log)

[Octaveman]

Hi Paula,

Well, after trying to digest the wealth of info regarding Tagines I'm more confused than I was when I first started when I knew nothing.

So far, i've come up with the fact that I want an unglazed Tagine and that I want a Tagra and either a Chamba casserole, Souss or Rifi Tagine. First item of business is where can I get the Tagra you posted HERE? It's great looking and I've been looking for a gratin dish too so this is perfect. BTW, would there be a transfer of flavor or aroma from cooking fish to a gratin? I did a search on google and came up with nothing.

Second round of quick questions is are there any notable differences between the remaining three choices above other than cosmetic? One stronger/heavier than the other? Advantages/disadvantages? I'm assuming they'd pretty much perform the same, correct? With the Souss only being available in 10" and the Rifi in 11", 12 or 13, what would be the ideal size for cooking for a whole chicken either intact or in pieces on a standard electric stove?

Last question is in regard to heat diffusers. I've never used one. At this website, what would be the better choice for Tagine cooking?

Thanks so much for your time and effort with all your posts. I look forward to getting my Tagra and one of the Tagines or Chamba so I could start cooking those great sounding and looking dishes.

Cheers,

Bob

[Wolfert]

So far, i've come up with the fact that I want an unglazed Tagine and that I want a Tagra and either a Chamba casserole, Souss or Rifi Tagine. First item of business is where can I get the Tagra you posted HERE?

I am sure Sami at tagines.com has tagras for sale. Ask him. He can bring them in if he doesn't have any in stock.

It's great looking and I've been looking for a gratin dish too so this is perfect. BTW, would there be a transfer of flavor or aroma from cooking fish to a gratin?

Fish might leave an odor. You know you can't wash unglazed pottery with soap. You use baking soda which is fine, but odors are hard to get out of the pores of some clay pots.

Second round of quick questions is are there any notable differences between the remaining three choices above other than cosmetic? One stronger/heavier than the other? Advantages/disadvantages? I'm assuming they'd pretty much perform the same, correct? With the Souss only being available in 10"

The souss is very strong and heavy, deep and will hold the same amount of food as the 12 inch riffi. The souss is a bad choice for an electric stove.

and the Rifi in 11", 12 or 13, what would be the ideal size for cooking for a whole chicken either intact or in pieces on a standard electric stove?

The 12 inch should do hold a 3 pound chicken

Last question is in regard to heat diffusers. I've never used one. At this website, what would be the better choice for Tagine cooking?

I really like the new simmer mat.. It takes slow and low to new depths.

Hope all this has been helpful.l

Edited March 31, 2005 by Wolfert (log)

[peanutgirl]

All of your tips are a wealth of info for my new obsession!

I did use your recipe for preserved lemons after my dismay at the size of the jar I ordered:

Looks like you are a seasoned Moroccan cook from the beautiful rendition of the tagine. You only soak it the one time.

Thank you so much for the compliment . It means more than you know .

I baked my oiled / ashed / baked my Rifi today for the 1st time. I hope it turns out as lovely as Richard's did.

Can you point me in the direction of an all vegetarian tagine recipe for my daughter? Should I pick and choose veggies, and stay within the spice/ herb combos so the pot retains the basic flavor? She'll eat things cooked "with meat"... but not the meat itself.

Maybe something w/ potatoes, carrots, olives, onion, garlic, cumin, cilantro, eggplant, zucchini + the traditional spices... or am I straying too far?

I want to try to stay true to new cusines I try... but my experimental side usually prevails .

Edited March 31, 2005 by peanutgirl (log)

[Octaveman]

Very helpful, Paula, thanks. If I may indulge you, are there any reasons to choose a Rifi over a Chamba or vice versa? Fifi loves her Chamba and the Rifi is used by many so I was wondering about one over the other.

Thanks again for your help.

Bob

[Wolfert]

Bob,

I realized right after I posted a reply to you yesterday that I didn't address the chamba.

The chamba saute pan is beautiful for small sautes . Look somewhere in the clafoutis (France) thread for my posting of a cherry clafoutis. It is stunning, I think.

Nutierra.com also sells an oval two-handled pan which would stand in for the tagra and you can gently fry in it as well. When you call Nidia, ask her for details on the one I just bought.

The bean pot\braising pot that Judith and Fifi have is not for tagines. It is for stews . The sides are too high for a traditional tagine.

By the way, you don't need to ash and oil to make chamba look stunning. Just keep it oiled.

Peanutgirl:

Maybe something w/ potatoes, carrots, olives, onion, garlic, cumin, cilantro, eggplant, zucchini + the traditional spices... or am I straying too far?

I want to try to stay true to new cusines I try... but my experimental side usually prevails

I have a few vegetable tagines in my book. There is one with okra and another with potatoes.

I noticed you purchased the Kitty Morse cookbook. Kitty wrote a book on vegetarian tagines as well. That one will keep you busy for a long time.

Edited March 31, 2005 by Wolfert (log)

[peanutgirl]

I have a few vegetable tagines in my book. There is one with okra and another with potatoes.

I noticed you purchased the Kitty Morse cookbook. Kitty wrote a book on vegetarian tagines as well. That one will keep you busy for a long time.

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I haven't had time to read through all of the recipes... I ordered so many books at once .

Now I may have to get the other one you mentioned.

[Smithy]

I have a few vegetable tagines in my book. There is one with okra and another with potatoes.

I noticed you purchased the Kitty Morse cookbook. Kitty wrote a book on vegetarian tagines as well. That one will keep you busy for a long time.

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I haven't had time to read through all of the recipes... I ordered so many books at once .

Now I may have to get the other one you mentioned.

←

Peanutgirl, you don't mention eggs, but you don't mention not-eggs either. Before you go buy yet another book, take a gander at page 99 of Kitty Morse's Cooking at the Kasbah. There, if your copy is the same as mine, you'll find Tagine B'Beid (Egg Tagine with Olives, Onions and Cilantro". (I've had this book a long time. I don't know whether it's been updated.) I happen to have it bookmarked as one to try soon, now that I'm on a tagine kick. Since I haven't tried it I can't swear it's good, but I haven't tried anything from this book that wasn't good.

Cooking at the Kasbah also has at least one vegetarian couscous, and a recipe for roasted pumpkin with seasonings that look like they might almost redeem that misbegotten excuse for a squash. If your daughter likes pumpkin, you might consider this recipe too.

[Wolfert]

The book you might want is

Vegetarian Table : North Africa

by Kitty Morse, Deborah Jones (Photographer)

[fifi]

Heads up folks . . .

This looks like The Perfect Thing for cooking over charcoal. Looks like it would be handy for a lot of things. The grate is adjustable and swings out. Lodge has a similar thing though pricier.

[peanutgirl]

Thank you Smithy... she has no aversion to eggs or dairy or seafood even. Just MEAT. But as I've mentioned she'll eat just about whatever I make as long as I don't give her pieces of meat chunks. I will check out that particular recipe.

The book you might want is

Vegetarian Table : North Africa

by Kitty Morse, Deborah Jones (Photographer)

YUP... that's what I was looking at after you recommended another of her books.

My CC is going to explode!!! Thank you everyone for your input.

[slkinsey]

I've been to the mountaintop. I have seen the glory that is cooking in an unglazed tagine. I have tasted of it, and declared it good.

After curing my Souss tagine and rubbing plenty of olive oil into it over the course of several days, I finally had the time to put it to use. I made a beef and cauliflower tagine based on the recipe from Paula's book. Loved it! The striking thing was how incredibly tender the beef turned out. Some of this, no doubt, is due to the fact that I bought my beef chuck from a very good butcher who cut the pieces from a gigantic hunk of shoulder to order (they do this kind of thing as a matter of course). But I've made plenty of braised beef dishes with meat from these guys in the past that didn't turn out as tender and juicy as the meat in this tagine. There's definitely something special that the unglazed clay and gentle heat imparts. I wonder how much this may also be due to the fact that the meat is not pre-browned and comes up to temperature so slowly.

One question for Paula: I notice that the recipes in your book are really geared towards using regular Western cooking vessels, and that the cooking instructions seem to be designed with this in mind (bringing things to a boil at the beginning, generally shorter cooking times, etc.) -- all entirely sensible given the date of publication. Do you have any general instructions about "converting" these recipes for use with a tagine? I mixed the meat with the spices and grated onion and put all that into the cold tagine to slowly come up to temperature, then I added the cauliflower towards the end. Is this the general procedure for cooking in a tagine?

So tasty, and easy too. One could easiluy mix together the meat, spices and onion the day before and then just drop the whole thing into the tagine upon returning home from work. It requires very little watching.

[Wolfert]

converting" these recipes for use with a tagine? I mixed the meat with the spices and grated onion and put all that into the cold tagine to slowly come up to temperature, then I added the cauliflower towards the end. Is this the general procedure for cooking in a tagine?

My editor once told me, "the reason the book has remained in print since 1973 is that you didn't make any compromises." She forgot that I adapted every recipe to be used in a regular casserole because earthenware tagines were not available at that time.

What you did was perfect for cooking in an earthenware tagine. Always start cold and slowly come up to temperature.

I assume the wok stand worked perfectly. How low did you keep the heat?

By the way, grated onion plays a large part in developing' a rich sauce as well as tenderizing the meat in Moroccan tagine cooking. The only other country where I have found grated onion used as a 'bottom layer' in making a braise is Turkey.

Keep in mind that cooking in an unglazed pot develops a certain "chee" Each time you use the pot, the dish (same or another) will taste better than it ever did before.

[rancho_gordo]

Do you have any general instructions about "converting" these recipes for use with a tagine? 

I'm going through Couscous and Other.... recipe by recipe, one better than the next, but as mentioned previously, if the recipe calls for liquid, I find I can half the amount and it still seems like a bit too much.

There was some food science talk about unglazed pottery absorbing more liquid but I've found the opposite to be true with the tagine. I don't understand it but that's true for many things!

[Wolfert]

Good point.

The type of clay, the shape and the size of the tagine make a difference. The Souss tagine is very round at the bottom and will hold a different amount of liquid than the Riffian tagine.

I remember that there was always too much liquid when I 'played' back my recipes in Morocco. That is why every recipe in the book suggests the option 'by way of boiling, reduce to a napping consistency'

[slkinsey]

I assume the wok stand worked perfectly. How low did you keep the heat?

Actually, I didn't end up using a wok stand. I thought of using a wok stand because I had assumed that my Souss tagine would be more or less wok-shaped with a fully curved bottom. But the tagine I got had more or less a flat bottom. So I ended up using a heat diffuser (~3 mm thick aluminum disk). That worked fine. I kept the heat on my crappy NYC apartment stove on low, but could have gone lower. I was under some time constraints and wasn't able to go as low/slow as I might ultimately like to do. Next time, I plan to try it on the lowest heat setting all the way.

Keep in mind that cooking in an unglazed pot develops a certain "chee"  Each time you use the pot, the dish (same or another) will taste better than it ever did before.

Yea, I'm really looking forward to that. Actually, considering how inexpensive these tagines are (my kitchen is full of very expensive stainless lined heavy copper), so maybe I have a peculiar perspective, I may pick up another one. I can see how two tagines would really be best for dinner parties, and that way I could use each tagine for different styles. Perhaps I'll buy a Riffi tagine for poultry and use the Souss tagine for beef and lamb. Is duck used in Moroccan cooking?

I'm going through Couscous and Other.... recipe by recipe, one better than the next, but as mentioned previously, if the recipe calls for liquid, I find I can half the amount and it still seems like a bit too much.

Interesting. I found that using no liquid at all worked perfectly for me. I looked at those recipes and thought, "these seem to call for reducing the liquid at the end -- something that isn't really easy to do with a clay tagine. . . so I'll just use no liquid at all and probably end up with the right amount/consistency of sauce." So far, so good on that score.

[Wolfert]

undefined, "these seem to call for reducing the liquid at the end -- something that isn't really easy to do with a clay tagine. . . so I'll just use no liquid at all and probably end up with the right amount/consistency of sauce." So far, so good on that score

Once the clay tagine is hot you can boil down liquid. If you're worried then by all means transfer to another pot.

I'm in love with my simmer mat for all my claypot cooking. I finally can walk out of the kitchen for a couple of hours without worrying about spill-overs or too fast reductions. It is worth the money. Fantes.com and chefscatalog.com sell them on line.

Interesting you didn't need any liquid at all. I've found that fatty meat throws off liquid then reabsorbs it during the first part of the cooking.

I've never busted a tagine in 40 years. It is important to follow the rules of not putting hot on cold or visa versa.

Quail, guinea hen and partridge are all used in tagine cooking. I've seen recipes for duck in tagines, but never saw a duck for sale in the market when I lived in Morocco.

[Bond Girl]

Ahh, the shad roes finally arrived. I am armed with my souss tagine and a copy of Paula's Coucous and.....Any tips before I began?

[Wolfert]

In the book the shad roe is deliberately overcooked at low temperature in earthenware to achieve a certain melding of components. When you overcook the shad itself, it passes through stages of toughness and then becomes soft again. YOu might not like the roe that way.

I would test midway for doneness, remove the pan from the heat, and let it finish cooking in the reduced heat.

[Bond Girl]

You are absolutely right. I definitely wouldn't like shad roes done that way...I will check for doneness part way....But, will it still meld the flavors if the earthenware is removed from heat?

[Wolfert]

Here is what I would do.

Following the recipe on page 177: Marinate the shad roe for about an hour in half of the charmoula.

Meanwhile, rinse and dry the thin-sliced potatoes (red bliss). Oil the inside of the tagine, sprinkle with a bit of the charmoula, layer onions, potatoes and tomatoes twice, adding a little charmoula here and there. Set the tagine on the middle oven rack, turn the heat to 400 F and bake for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender.

Remove the tagine to a wooden work surface. Use a flat spatula to turn the potatoes, tomatoes and onions once. Nestle the shad into the center. Return the tagine to the oven to bake for 10 minutes. Raise the oven heat to broil. Baste the shad with some of the oily drippings and finish the cooking under the broiler, about 2 minutes. Serve directly from the baking dish with some lemon wedges.

[Octaveman]

Here's my Rifi tagine after curing and aging. After washing and soaking for four hours, I oiled it, but it was a week before I had time to do the aging.

I then baked it with EVOO and ashes twice, with a trip under the broiler in between. After this treatment, it soaked up about four applications of EVOO.

←

Hi Richard, great looking Rifi. What size is it? Looks huge in the pic. You got it at Tagines.com?

Thanks.

[Richard Kilgore]

Yes, from tagines.com. It is the 12 inch size.