One of the things I love most about winter is slow food! Food that takes love and compassion to prepare and slowly cooks on the stove while the delicious smells of the dish spread throughout the kitchen.

That is for me, the coziest time! Woolen socks, candle lights, some good music, a big pot of tea and I am ready to cook. Today I prepared one of my favorite dishes of all. Tagine – a Maroccan classic. So intense with flavours it is pure joy and well worth the time it takes to prepare. I made two versions, a vegetable Tagine and because it is my husband’s birthday, a lamb Tagine – with Homemade Harrisa Sauce.

Harrisa Sauce:

1/4 cup olive oil

1-3 garlic cloves

3 baked red peppers

1/2 – 1 red chili

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Bake the peppers in 350F for approx. 45min -1 hr. Let them cool and peel of the skin.

Add the de-skinned cooled peppers into the blender – add the garlic, the cumin, the coriander, the salt, the freshly squeezed lemon juice.  Blend into a smooth delicious sauce.

This sauce is so good you might just want to make a double portion 🙂

Vegetable Tagine

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3 shallots finely chopped

1 bunch of fresh cilantro washed and freshly chopped

4 tomatoes cubed

3 spoonful olive oil

In a tagine dish fry the garlic, the shallots and the cilantro till it is golden – add to the blender and blend it with the tomatoes ( If you are also making the lamb tagine make a double portion of this)

Set aside till later………

Then,

take your favorite veggies and cut them into chunks. I used:

one bunch of carrots,

one parsnip,

1/2 head of cauliflower,

1 eggplant

1 zucchini

chop the veggies and set them aside

1 can of chick peas – drained and rinsed

Then

Chop 1 shallot

finely chop some fresh ginger so you have 2 spoonful.

3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Heat the tagine dish again, add the olive oil, the shallot and the freshly chopped ginger – saute. Then add the veggies, saute them all and add 1 stick of cinnamon and 1 spoonful of ground cumin.

Add the tomato/ cilantro/ garlic/ shallot mixture and 1 cup of vegetable broth. Add the lid and cook gently over slow heat for 30-45 min. Half way through, add the chick peas.

Serve with the Harrisa Sauce and perhaps with a bit of yoghurt that has been stirred with some freshly squeezed lemon juice, some sea salt and some freshly ground pepper – like this

 

Lamb Tagine

1 kg of lamb shoulder

3 garlic

3 shallots

1 bunch of fresh cilantro

3 spoons of olive oil

4 tomatoes or a can of chopped tomatoes

In a hot tagine dish or Dutch oven – saute the shallots, the garlic, tomatoes and the cilantro – add into the blender and blend into a smooth sauce – set aside

spice mix

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon cumin

Mix well together to be used as the spice on the lamb – when it has been browned.

Now cut the lamb shoulder into cubes – brown well  in a hot tagine/Dutch oven, add sea salt, freshly ground pepper and the spice mix – I used 3/4 of the spice mix – you may want to use it all.

Now add the tomato mix along with 1 cup of broth – cook for about 1 — 1  1/2 hr  or until the meat is tender.

Serve with cilantro, lime, yoghurt stirred with freshly squeezed lemon juice and some of that delicious Harissa sauce.

Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!!