Tagine Recipe

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"Alex" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi

Can anyone recommend a recipe for the Tagine i got for christmas?

Cheers

Alex said:

Can anyone recommend a recipe for the Tagine i got for christmas?

Here is a very good lamb tagine recipe I posted before. It is by Paula Wolfert and comes, complete
with her comments and notes, from her Web site at <paula-paula-Open ↗
wolfert.com/recipes/mor_tagine.html>.

Victor

Moroccan Lamb Tagine Smothered with Lemon and Olives

No matter what the month, there is a tree somewhere in Morocco bearing fruit for the tagine pot. The
combinations may seem unlikely at times, but I guarantee you will find them delicious: lamb with
olives, quinces, apples, pears, raisins, prunes, dates, with or without honey, with or without a
complexity of spices.

In the fall, use greening or wine sap apples. In the summer, try fresh apricots, or the type of
hard, fuzzy, green crab apples called, in Morocco, lehmenn. In winter, I recommend the heavy and
rich tagines made with prunes or dates, and, anytime of the year, lemon and olives.

The combination of lemon and olives is so popular in Morocco that one ought to regard it as a
general theme on which variations, each one applicable to a specific category of sauce, are
possible. Different-flavored olives work best with specific combinations of spices. For example, the
following multi- spiced classic employs the green-cracked type of olives, more appropriate here than
mellow reddish purple olives, which are used with sauces made with a combination of ginger, saffron,
and olive oil. In the following recipe, as the sauce begins to boil, the cracked olives will release
some of their juices, which in turn will thicken the sauce.

Most tagines involve slow simmering of less-expensive meats. The ideal cuts of lamb are the neck,
shoulder or shank cooked until it is falling off the bone. Very few Moroccan tagines require initial
browning; if there is to be browning it is invariably done after the lamb has been simmered and the
flesh has become butter-tender and very moist. In order to accomplish this, the cooking liquid must
contain some fat. Don't be concerned by this, later it is all skimmed off.

Serves 6

3 pounds meaty lamb neck chunks, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks pinch of powdered saffron 1 teaspoon
ground ginger 1 teaspoon fine, freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2/2 sweet paprika 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup grated onions, rinsed and squeezed dry (see note)
4/3 cup minced fresh parsley
5/3 cup minced fresh coriander 1 pound cracked green olives, drained and pitted if desired 3-5
tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice or to taste 1 recipe for moroccan bread

6. Trim the lamb of excess fat. With a mortar and pestle or in a blender, make a paste of the
saffron, ginger, pepper, cumin, paprika, garlic, salt, and oil. In a 4- or 5-quart casserole
toss the lamb with the spice paste over very low heat for 2 minutes. Stir in the onions, herbs,
and 3 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and
simmer, covered, for 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender and almost falling off the
bones. Remove the casserole from the heat and let it cool. (The recipe can be prepared in
advance to this point- up to 2 days. Cool, cover, and refrigerate.) Skim off all the fat that
rises to the surface.

7. In a medium saucepan, combine the olives with cold water to cover. Bring the water to a boil
over high heat and cook for 30 seconds; drain.

8. About 30 minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. With a slotted spoon, remove
the lamb from the casserole, cut the meat from the bones, and place the meat in a shallow
ovenproof serving dish. Bake on the upper shelf of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the
meat is lightly crisped.

9. Meanwhile, add the olives to the juices in the casserole. Boil over high heat until the juices
are reduced to a thick gravy, about 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice to taste. Season the juices
with salt if necessary. Cover the lamb completely with olives and sauce, and serve with slices
of Moroccan Bread.

Notes to the Cook: The complementary and subtle tastes of the spices can only be achieved through
slow cooking. Certain spices in Moroccan cooking must be ground fine, so please don't substitute
grated fresh ginger or coarse-ground pepper. It is best to grind the black peppercorns in a spice
mill before using.

The food processor does a fine job of "grating" onions. Cut up 1 or 2 onions and pulse until they
are well chopped. Then dump them into a strainer and rinse under fresh water. Squeeze them dry and
measure 3/4 cup.

Use green-cracked olives or Nafplion green olives, often sold in jars in Greek grocery stores and in
many supermarkets under the labels "Peloponnese," "Krinos," or "Fantis."