She’s finally given up the goods! Noemie’s tagine is going to be simmering away in my skillet tonight! I don’t own a tajine (The earthenware pot from which the dish has taken its name) but if this goes well, I might just invest. The other name that stands out in this recipe is ras el hanout. Meaning ‘Head of shop’ in Arabic, the name indicates it is a combination of all the best spices on offer. The exact makeup of the ras el hanout is different in different regions. The mixture usually consists of over a dozen spices, in different proportions. Commonly used ingredients include cardamom, cumin, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice, ginger, chilli, coriander seed, peppercorn, paprika, fenugreek and turmeric.
ingredients:
2 onions
4 cloves garlic
1 fennel bulb
2 large potatoes
2 carrots
1 bunch silverbeet
1 can chickpeas
1 handful green olives
1/2 preserved lemon
1 tsp cumin ground
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp ras el hanout (if you don't have any, just add 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground clove)
1 small bunch coriander
400ml stock
Method:
(preheat oven at 180*c)
- Slice onions, garlic and fennel.
- Heat a casserole dish or deep cast iron pan (something that can go in the oven).
- Add olive oil to the pan and your onions, garlic, fennel and a pinch of salt.
- While these are cooking, roughly chop the potatoes, carrots and silverbeet.
- Add to the pan once the onions and fennel have softened and are golden.
- Finely slice your preserved lemon and coriander stalks (reserve the leaves for topping) and add to the pan along with the olives, spices and 1 can of drained and rinsed chickpeas.
- Stir and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add 400ml of stock and stir well, bringing it to a simmer.
- Cover and place in the oven for about 20 to 30 minutes (until veggies are cooked).
Serve with couscous or Pedro's famous flatbreads, with some harissa, fresh coriander leaves, dried apricots, sultanas and toasted almonds.
