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namhod
1991
Nov 13, 2017
That tagine is super intriguing. I know nothing about them, don't even know what they are for. I know I could Google, but where is the fun in that?
Anyone have any awesome recipes or mind blowing uses for tagines?
josh.russell
236
Nov 13, 2017
namhodGreat for slow cooking with a lot of spices.....chicken always good when made in a tagine.....stays moist and, by simmering in a tagine, the spices and water you add, as well as some olive oil allow a sort of braising within the tagine. Morrocan chicken - yum. The dishes I have had before usually include spices like saffron, cumin, paprika, etc. I'll see if I can find the original recipe I used for the chicken I made. Oh - and it had cinnamon in it. Delicious.....
namhod
1991
Nov 14, 2017
josh.russellThis sounds awesome. So Middle eastern style chicken slow cooker, is what I am dumbing your statement down to. :D
namhodIt will generally run a little hotter than a slow cooker, think 350F/175C. It's for a technique similar to braising, like a Dutch oven. However, the conical shape is there to return moisture back to the bottom, and creates a moist environment for anything that isn't submerged. Meat gets tenderized, flavors meld, the aroma stays contained.
Funnily, some Dutch oven manufacturers try to accomplish the same thing by putting spikes protruding down from the lid (Staub innovated this, Calphalon uses dimples). The tagine predates the Dutch oven by around a thousand years.
You can see in this recipe it calls for a Dutch oven or a tagine: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016987-daniel-bouluds-chicken-tagine
It looks fantastic when served directly from a tagine, though!
CraigLewis
260
Nov 14, 2017
namhodClassic dishes in a tagine use pieced meat...stews, chicken parts, flat roasts (brisket should work, but not a rib roast). As josh noted, the point is to have the savory liquid circulating all around the food.
My favorite is chili. Also working up some beef stews. Sure, the North African seasoning blends are the classic, associated ones, but they're by no means the only ones to consider.
More or less in order of addition to the pan: 3 ounces bacon, cut down and browned 2-3 medium to large chilis...I generally use poblanos and New Mexico long green. Probably about 2 cups. Seeded and coarse chopped. 1 medium onion, diced (optional) 5-6 mini sweet peppers salt, pepper, granulated garlic ~ 1/2 cup black, pinto, kidney, or cranberry beans (or white beans with chicken) 1 pound meat* chili powders to taste...start with a couple teaspoons 2-3 tomatoes, simmered and diced liquid: beer or wine, ~ 12 oz
Meat: lots of options. At least 90% lean ground beef (note that the bacon fat is left in the pan), chicken, and buffalo. I've been able to get ground venison which is also very lean. The very, very best, IMO, is using a lean, smooth smoked boar sausage.
Beans: I do it by weight, but that's the associated volume. I am diabetic so I have to consider the carbs involved. Work with the amount. Note that more beans may mean adding some water. I DO NOT soak my beans in advance. The caveat is, give the whole batch 5-6 hours to simmer. Smaller beans cook faster, so black beans will be ready before big red kidney beans. I get a batch assembled basically immediately after breakfast, because I'll be noshing from early afternoon through dinner.
Liquids: pale ale with chicken. Beef and buffalo, any good, real beer...not the usual mass-market junk that doesn't have any flavor. German double bock might be my first choice for a little extra richness. Red wine also works surprisingly well; different, but very tasty. Sangiovese, tempranillo, grenache, pinot, merlot...fruity. A tannic cabernet...not so much. Smoked game sausages, a red ale, or an ale with some rye added...an oatmeal stout would work great too.
Chili powders: LOTS of options! Mild tends to be somewhat fruity and less bitter. Medium and hot start using cayenne and paprika. You can also get straight ancho powder; anchos are dried poblanos. If you know your chiles...I'm not picking hot chiles. So I'll use a mix of mild, medium, and ancho.
For more heat, finely dice in hotter chiles. Start with 1 Jalapeno or Fresno and see. You can render the dish too hot to eat by overdoing things, if you don't know the chiles.
Final note: another reason for me to do this right after breakfast is, I'll get my shower *after* everything's assembled. Chiles contain capsaicin, especially in the seeds. Cleaning out the seeds gets it onto your fingers, and it does not wash off easily. I don't use gloves, but that's a very sound precaution. I do, as noted, get my shower right after popping the lid on. The more you want to climb the Scoville scale for the hotter chiles, the more important this is. And if you're getting well up there...use gloves. AND wash your hands *thoroughly* afterwards.
namhod
1991
Nov 14, 2017
CraigLewisGreat response. Sounds delicious!
CraigLewis
260
Nov 14, 2017
namhodIt's my game-day dish. History to this...a neighbor friend, way back when, used to make a big ol' pot of grab as you want, for the New Year's bowl games, and a bunch of us went over there.
So this is in that vein. Probably going to do up a smoked sausage batch for the day after Thanksgiving, which is still saturated with both football and basketball. And chili is a great change from that turkey overload. :)
josh.russell
236
Nov 15, 2017
CraigLewisThe chili recipe sounds awesome. Definitely want to try that - had never thought of making it in a tagine. I prepared a recipe for chili that called for using cinnamon in it and it came our fantastic. A change from the traditional savory chili - but think using cinnamon in your recipe could also add an interesting dimension. Will try both ways and report back....
jkiemele
222
Nov 15, 2017
josh.russellI've started using cinnamon in a lot of savory dishes as of late. Living in Phoenix, cinnamon is used in a lot of nearby Latin American cooking. Last weekend I made a Cuban dish called Picadillo where cinnamon was used. There are several Mexican braises that use cinnamon too, as well as a lot of moles.
Try finding Canela (also called Ceylon) cinnamon versus the more traditionally found Cassia cinnamon. The flavor and aroma is different and definitely worth a shot...especially in savory applications.
cspirou
220
Nov 16, 2017
namhodMy favorite tangine recipe is chicken, saffron, preserved lemons and olives.
SkipPp
278
Nov 17, 2017
cspirouWhere do you get the preserved lemons?
cspirou
220
Nov 17, 2017
SkipPpMainly Mediterranean markets, although I’ve seen them at Whole Foods before in the olive bar.
You can also make them yourself! It’s literally only lemons and sea salt. Do not use iodized salt.
https://leitesculinaria.com/7073/recipes-preserved-lemons.html
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