Tagine

Whether you spell it Tajine or Tagine you will fall in love with cooking in these beautiful clay pots from Morocco. Food never tasted so good or looked so colorful.

Wikipedia explains Tagine this way "A tajine or tagine is the name of a type of North African dish (Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia) as well as the special pot in which they are cooked. The traditional tajine pot is formed entirely of a heavy clay which is sometimes painted or glazed. It consists of two parts; a base unit which is flat and circular with low sides, and a large cone or dome-shaped cover that rests inside the base during cooking. The cover is so designed to promote the return of all condensate to the bottom. With the cover removed, the base can be taken to the table for serving.

Tajine dishes are slow-cooked at low temperatures, resulting in tender, falling-off-the-bone meat with aromatic vegetables and sauce. The cover has a knob-like formation at its top to facilitate removal. While simmering, the cover can be lifted off without the aid of a mitten, enabling the cook to inspect the main ingredients, add vegetables, move things around, or add additional braising liquid.

Recently, European manufacturers have created tajines with heavy cast iron bottoms that can be fired on a stovetop at high heat. This permits browning meat and vegetables before cooking. While the similar Dutch oven and Sa%u010D spell (sach) (a cast iron pot with a tight cover) braises most efficiently in the oven, the tajine braises best on the stovetop.

Famous tajine dishes are mqualli (chicken and citron), kefta (meatballs and tomato) and mrouzia (lamb, raisins and almonds).

Other ingredients for a tajine include any product that braises well: fish, pigeon, beef, dried fruits, olives and vegetables. Tajine dishes are traditionally flavoured with cinnamon, saffron, ginger, garlic, Ras el hanout, cumin, and peppers. Quince is frequently added to meat. Western recipes include pot roasts, ossobuco, lamb shanks and turkey legs. Seasonings can be traditional, French, Italian or suited to the dish."