Tagine bil Hummus. In my tagine.  

Tagine, also spelled tajine, is widely considered to be the national dish of Morocco. Tagine is cooked and served in a vessel called a tagine, which simplifies things considerably. That’s my tagine up there, a simple imported terra cotta reddish-brown version, which contains my version of tagine bil hummus, tagine of chick peas.

Tagines are available in a variety of colors, patterns, and materials. Staub, Emile Henry, and Le Creuset have recently gotten into the act by producing esthetically pleasing and rather expensive tagines (usually selling for around $150.00). My favorite new-school tagine is from All-Clad, a beautiful modern rendition of the classic North African form. It has a snow-white porcelain conical lid topped with a steel knob, which sits upon a stainless-steel base that has 2 gleaming steel handles. As tagines go, it’s a knock-out! This Lamborghini of the tagine world also comes with an appropriately high price in the $200.00 range. I’m calmly waiting to find one on E-bay. 

So what’s so great about tagine? The dish or the dish? We better take this one thing at a time.

The design of the cooking vessel is brilliant and purposeful. Once the raw ingredients are in the base, the lid is placed over them and the tagine is seated onto a charcoal brazier called a majmar. As the liquid in the tagine slowly heats it gives off steam which is captured and returned to the base via the conical lid, concentrating the flavors. The small hole you see on the side of the lid allows a small amount of moisture to escape so the sauce thickens as it cooks. Genius! After a few hours, the tagine will be ready. All you have to do is take the tagine to the table, and with a great deal of ceremony, remove the lid and watch everyone trying to catch the aroma as the steam from the sauce envelopes and causes rapture to spontaneously break out among your guests. 

As for the dish, tagine is a favorite of mine. A vegetarian paradise. It can be simple, consisting only of onions and spices, or very elaborate with several vegetables, legumes, and dried fruit. Every cook in Morocco has their own recipe and combination of spices and herbs. The characteristic spicing will usually be sweet and savory, for example combining cinnamon and cumin, sugar and cayenne. I typically start by sautéing diced onion and garlic in olive oil until they’re nice and mellow. Then I’ll add the spices and herbs and let them cook briefly to begin the release of their flavors. Then in go stock, vegetables, beans, and sometimes dried fruits such as apricots or prunes. Yep, prunes. The prunes cook down nicely and simultaneously sweeten and thicken the dish. It’s very Moroccan to do this, and believe me it’s delicious. All that’s left to do is cover the base and let everything simmer away. Go and have a glass of wine (or two), hang out with your guests or your pet, just relax…the tagine will take care of itself.  

You don’t have a majmar or a tagine you say? Don’t worry, a good soup pot and your stove will work just fine.   

Tagine bil Hummus 

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 med. yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. ground turmeric

¾ tsp. ground cinnamon

10 sprigs cilantro, chopped fine

2 c. vegetable stock

½ tsp. brown sugar

1 sm. zucchini, chopped

1 med. red potato, peeled, chopped

3 med. carrots, peeled, chopped

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 14 oz. cans chick peas, drained

½ c. slivered toasted almonds

1. In a soup pot, sauté the onion in olive oil until translucent. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant.

2. Add the spices and heat until fragrant.

3. Add everything except the chick peas and almonds, cover, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer 20 minutes.

4. Add the chick peas, and simmer uncovered for 15 more minutes, or until the sauce thickens. 

5. Garnish with the almonds. Serve with cous cous.

Serves 6 as part of a Moroccan meal.