Meet the Tagine

My favorite Christmas present of 2008 was this beautiful handmade Moroccan tagine, courtesy of the lovely Chiko! A tagine is a clay stovetop slow cooker which is usually used to make braised meat and vegetable dishes to serve over couscous. Tagine is also used to refer to any dish cooked in a tagine (sort of like the word casserole). The cone shaped lid collects the steam and keeps the ingredients very moist during long slow cooking.


Surprise, surprise, I put on a couple of pounds over the holidays, so I decided to cook a little lighter until I get back down to my fighting weight. This weekend I made a vegetable tagine which was rich, flavorful and satisfying, while still being relatively light and full of good stuff like fiber and protein thanks to chickpeas.


This is my own recipe, so it may not be totally authentic, but I based it on research I did online as well as in several Mediterranean/Middle Eastern cookbooks. To start, I made a Moroccan spice mixture which I keep on hand for seasoning meat, fish and veggies. The mixture is a derivative of the Marrakesh Rub in Steven Reichlen's Barbecue Bible.


Place the following in a dry frying pan and toast over medium high heat until the spices are fragrant, tossing frequently.


2 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds


Grind the toasted spices in a spice grinder, coffee mill or mortar and pestle. Add


2 tablespoons dry ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt


Put this in an airtight container and keep in your spice cabinet for anytime you want a little middle eastern flavor in your food.


If you don't have a tagine, you can make this in a dutch oven or even a crockpot. The rest of the ingredient list is as follows:


(makes 4 servings)


2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can rinsed and drained)
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1/2 cup dried plums (a.k.a. prunes)
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup blanched almonds
3-4 cups vegetable stock (preferably homemade)





Start by placing the chickpeas and onions in the bottom of your tagine or dutch oven and sprinkle with a liberal amount of the spice rub (2-3 teaspoons), then cover with just enough veggie stock to just cover the peas, reserving the rest of the stock for later. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 30 minutes.






Meanwhile, soak your apricots and plums in water to rehydrate them (30 minutes will do), then drain well.





Add the dried fruit along with the almonds to the tagine or dutch oven and add enough of the reserved veggie stock to just barely cover. Return to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 more minutes.





Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary by adding more spice rub or salt. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, and serve as is or over couscous if you like.


Nutritional analysis:
Serving size: about 8 ounces (by weight) Calories 330 Fat 10gm Fiber 14gm Protein 11gm


The fat content may seem a little high for a vegan dish due to the nuts, but it has virtually no cholesterol and tons of fiber so it's super healthy.