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Ideas for Cooking in a Moroccan Tagine

Many Moroccan dishes take their name from a tagine, which is the clay or ceramic vessel in which they were traditionally cooked. Although city Moroccans may be more inclined to make use of trendy cookware akin to pressure cookers when making stews, tagines are nonetheless favored by those that recognize the distinctive, slow-cooked flavor that the clayware imparts to the food. In addition, tagines stay the cookware of alternative in many rural areas as a matter of cultural norms.

Before a new tagine can be used, you could season it so it is strengthened to withstand moderate cooking temperatures. Once the tagine is seasoned, it is straightforward to use. But there's more to know―cooking in a tagine is different from cooking in a conventional pot in a number of ways.

Presentation

The tagine doubles as both a cooking vessel and a serving dish that keeps the meals warm. Dishes served in a tagine are traditionally eaten communally; diners collect across the tagine and eat by hand, utilizing items of Moroccan bread to scoop up meat, vegetables, and sauce. Because you won't be stirring during the cooking, take care how you arrange or layer ingredients for a ravishing table presentation.

Cooking

Tagines are most often used on the stovetop but can be positioned within the oven. When cooking with a tagine on the stovehigh, the use of an inexpensive diffuser between the tagine and the heat source is essential. A diffuser is a flat metal paddle that sits between the burner and the tagine and, as the name says, diffuses the heat so the ceramic would not crack and break.

The tagine also needs to only be used over low or medium-low heat to keep away from damaging the tagine or scorching the meals; use only as a lot heat as essential to keep up a simmer. Tagines may additionally be used over small fires or in braziers over charcoal. It may be tricky to maintain an adequately low temperature. It's best to make use of a small quantity of charcoal or wood to determine a heat supply after which periodically feed small handfuls of new fuel to keep the fire or embers burning. This way you will keep away from too high a heat.

Avoid subjecting the tagine to excessive temperature modifications, which can cause the tagine to crack. Do not, for example, add very popular liquids to a cold tagine (and vice versa), and don't set a scorching tagine on a very cold surface. If you use a clay or ceramic tagine in an oven, place the cold tagine in a cold oven on a rack, then set the temperature to no more than 325 to 350 F.

Some recipes might call for browning the meat originally, but this really is not essential when cooking in a tagine. You will notice that tagine recipes call for adding the vegetables and meats to the vessel at the very beginning. This is totally different from conventional pot cooking, where vegetables are added only after the meat has already develop into tender.

Liquids

Oil is essential to tagine cooking; don't be overly cautious in using it or you'll find yourself with watery sauce or probably scorched ingredients. In most recipes for four to 6 individuals, you will need between 1/four to 1/three cup of oil (generally part butter), which will mix with cooking liquids to make ample sauce for scooping up with bread. Choose olive oil for the most effective taste and its health benefits. These with dietary or health concerns can merely avoid the sauce when eating.

Less water is required when cooking in a tagine because the cone-shaped high condenses steam and returns it to the dish. For those who've erred by adding an excessive amount of water, reduce the liquids on the end of cooking into a thick sauce because a watery sauce will not be desirable.

It may well take some time to reduce a big quantity of liquid in a tagine. If the dish is in any other case carried out, you'll be able to careabsolutely pour the liquids into a small pan to reduce quickly, then return the thickened sauce back to the tagine.

Have Patience

When utilizing a tagine, persistence is required; let the tagine reach a simmer slowly. Poultry takes about 2 hours to cook, while beef or lamb could take up to 4 hours. Attempt not to interrupt the cooking by regularly lifting the lid to check on the meals; that is greatest left toward the top of cooking while you add ingredients or check on the level of liquids.

Cleaning

Hot water and baking soda (or salt) are usually adequate for cleaning your tagine. If needed, you should utilize a very gentle soap but rinse extra well since you don't need the unglazed clay to soak up a soapy taste. Pat dry and rub the inner surfaces of the tagine with olive oil earlier than storing it.