Fragrant Tagines for Springtime

Now that it’s spring, the apple blossoms, dogwoods and lilacs are out and fragrant. An aromatic tagine of spiced lamb or chicken resonates with spring.

Tagines are clever dishes from Northern Africa with a conical lid, used to prepare tender stews. They accomplish this better than many pots, because the conical shape of the lid allows steam to reflux (a chemist’s term for condensing and dripping back down) and cycle moisture back into the stew.

Meat, dried fruits and nuts are common ingredients for Moroccan tagines. Here are two examples.


Lamb Tagine with Sundried Fruit and Almonds

1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece ginger, minced
½ tsp. cumin seeds
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
2.5-3 lb. lamb, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cups water
1 cup dried prunes
½ cup dried apricots
¼ cup dried blueberries
½ cup blanched whole almonds

Sauté onion in a bit of olive oil until softened. Use your tagine if it is stove-top compatible – otherwise use a separate fry pan. Add garlic, ginger, cumin seeds and pepper flakes, and cook another few minutes until fragrant. Set aside in a bowl. Add a bit of oil to tagine (or pan) and turn heat to high. Sauté lamb in batches if necessary, to brown all sides. Salt and pepper to taste.

Toss lamb and onion mixture with water in tagine. Distribute cinnamon sticks in mixture. Cover, and simmer on low heat for at least an hour. Then, add dried fruit, mix and simmer another half hour.

Meanwhile, toast almonds in a bit of canola oil in a pan for a few minutes, just until fragrant. Top tagine with almonds.


Chicken Tagine with Dates and Roasted Butternut Squash

1 small butternut squash, peeled, cored and diced to ½ inch
½ tsp nutmeg (preferably from fresh whole clove)
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
1 inch fresh ginger, minced
½ tsp. cumin seeds
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
6 skinless chicken thighs
2 cinnamon sticks
1 cup water
1 cup dried dates, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 450C. Toss butternut squash with nutmeg, about a tablespoon of olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper. Distribute evenly onto a jellyroll pan. Roast for about 20 minutes, turning 2-3 times, to brown the squash. Let squash cool in pan.

Meanwhile, sauté onion in a bit of olive oil until softened. Use your tagine if it is stove-top compatible – otherwise use a separate fry pan. Add garlic, ginger, cumin seeds and pepper flakes, and cook another few minutes until fragrant. Set aside in a bowl. Add a bit of oil to tagine (or pan) and turn heat to high. Sauté chicken thighs, browning all sides. Salt and pepper to taste.

Toss chicken together with onion mixture and water in tagine. Distribute cinnamon sticks in mixture. Cover, and simmer on low heat for at least a half hour. Then fold in dates and squash, and simmer another 20-30 minutes.