Cooking in an oven-only tagine

April 27, 2007 11:47 AM

Please help this pescetarian find some authentic tagine recipes.

I recently received a lovely terracotta tagine baking dish as a gift. However, all the recipes I can find online refer to stove-top cooking - not cooking with an oven-only baking dish.

As stated, seafood and veggie recipes take precedence, please.

posted by gnutron to food & drink (10 answers total)

Teracotta tagines are meant to be used on the stovetop (see wikipedia, for example). If you're uncomfortable with this, make it in another dish and use the tagine as a serving dish.
posted by agent99 at 12:10 PM on April 27, 2007

(tagine refers both to the vessel and the dish that is cooked in it; sorry if the above is confusing).
posted by agent99 at 12:11 PM on April 27, 2007

I see....the terracotta dishes are meant for low-heat stove-top use. I was confused by the mention of special high-heat stove-top varieties. Thanks for the clarification. Recipes are still welcome, though!
posted by gnutron at 12:17 PM on April 27, 2007

Swordfish Tagine with Tomatoes and Peppers

Serves 4 people
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 40 minutes

2 swordfish steaks (1 lb each)
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves
2 tomatoes, cut in quarters
2 red peppers, julienned
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
salt

Saute the onions, peppers, and garlic in the oil for 10 minutes. Add the spices and salt; stir, cook for a few minutes. Place the swordfish and tomatoes and top and sprinkle with 1/2 the cilantro. Barely cover with water, cook 30 minutes, covered, on low heat. Before serving, sprinkle with remaining cilantro.
posted by agent99 at 12:26 PM on April 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

I still have not figured out how to make "Try this" the link so here is the url as the link. Damn good and easy. Plus, you make it in the oven.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/230907.com
posted by bkeene12 at 2:14 PM on April 27, 2007

My HTML in Safari attempt obviously fell short. The recipe is better though.
posted by bkeene12 at 2:17 PM on April 27, 2007

Agent99's very standard tagine recipe would be good with almost any meaty, dense fish. Also, if you added a bit more acid to it - Moroccan-style preserved lemons, for instance - it would be perfect for scallops and most shellfish as well. That looks like a really good, simple tagine, actually ... Now I'm hungry!
posted by luriete at 2:52 PM on April 27, 2007

Here's another one:

Red Snapper Tajine with Fennel and Celery

Serves 4
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes

4 small red snapper, cleaned (or 2 bigger ones)
2 large onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 branch of celery, sliced
4 fennel bulbs, sliced in half lengthwise
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed
4 tablespoons olive oil
juice of a lemon
2 star anise
salt and pepper

Saute onions and garlic in the oil for about 10 minutes. Then lay on top the fennel, celery, and the fish. Add the lemon juice, then the coriander and the star anise. Salt, pepper. Add enough water to come up to the fish. Cover. Cook on low/medium heat for 25 minutes.

The basic method is the same for these tajines; you can play around with ingredients and spices. Some combinations: firm fish with peas; calamari with fava beans; firm fish with carrots and cumin; tuna with cauliflower; clams with preserved lemon and asparagus--the possibilities are endless.

The palette of spices is: coriander, cumin, cinnamon stick, anise, cilantro, turmeric, ginger, paprika. If you're at all experimental, you've got a lot to work with.
posted by agent99 at 3:31 PM on April 27, 2007

One thing I've found with cooking with a smaller tagine is that liquid will accumulate quickly during cooking, especially with more vegetables.

With the cover in place, steam has nowhere to go but condense back into the food.

While this keeps the dish's ingredients moist, you want to keep an eye on overflow or you'll have a mess on your hands.

Keep a turkey baster on hand to remove excess juice, which can be kept for serving with the dish later, either as-is or slightly reduced.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:03 PM on April 27, 2007

Paula Wolfert has been long considered the final word in Moroccan recipes.

Her book Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco is exactly what you are looking for. Enjoy! It's a great read with fantastic recipes.
posted by rachelpapers at 6:12 AM on April 28, 2007