I first fell in love with the idea of the tagine watching an episode with Bobby Flay on the Food Network, probably circa 2007. In 2008 I was finally able to put one to work in culinary school with a lovely and light French fish recipe. Now, I am the happy owner of my very own.
I have been challenged by friends who say "I know so many people who have one, use it once, and never touch it again." I feel bad for those people! I find the tagine to be the overseas equivalent of the beloved crock pot. Truly you can set it and forget it and it takes a fraction of the time to produce a tender, fragrant dish.
Yield 4 servings (so you can each take leftovers to work the next day!)
Time 1 to 1 1/2 hours
Use dark-meat chicken here, and be aware that tagines are on the dry side, so don't add liquid to the sauce unless it is threatening to burn. Home-cooked chickpeas and fresh tomatoes are, of course, preferable to canned varieties, but in this dish the differences are not marked. Do, however, use a vanilla bean, not vanilla extract. Serve with couscous.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons corn or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch cayenne
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped tomatoes (canned are fine; drain excess liquid)
- 4 cups chickpeas (canned are fine; drain and rinse first)
- 1/2 cup raisins or chopped pitted dates
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- 8 chicken thighs, or 4 leg-thigh pieces, cut in two
- Chopped cilantro or parsley leaves
Method
- 1. Put oil and butter in a large skillet or casserole, which can be covered later, and turn heat to medium high. When butter melts, add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, a large pinch of salt and spices. Cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, raisins and vanilla, and bring to a boil. (If mixture is very dry, add about 1/2 cup water.) Taste, and add salt as necessary.
- 2. Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt, and nestle them into sauce. Cover, and 5 minutes later adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily. Cook until chicken is very tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Then garnish, and serve.
Source: The New York Times
You can find tagines at many retailers including: Bed, Bath & Beyond, Williams-Sonoma, and Amazon.
