The faux-tagine dinner.

Sep 8, 2009 by Katelin

A few posts ago I listed a recipe for a terribly good lavender bundt cake, which by the way recently I have been throwing in blueberries or peaches halfway through the batter pouring process, very good. On that thread I said what the rest of my dinner consisted of, and a recipe was requested.

I don’t have a very specific recipe for this dish, but it is an adaptation from a lot of recipes that work well.

Here are the basics- you will need a protein, I prefer fish or lamb for this dish, and have also had success with chicken but prefer the other two.

You will also need a large amount of diced tomatoes, canned is fine, fresh of course is better.

The other essential ingredient is red wine- I normally always have a little bit of red wine left from a bottle that Hubby and I couldn’t finish in one night that is cheap enough to use for cooking. I really like Cabernet’s for cooking, but really any good red wine would work. As a note, I don’t cook with wine I wouldn’t drink, I don’t think it makes for good food. I will keep white wine for cooking in the fridge past the point I would drink it but when first opened it has to be good enough to drink.

The last essential is tagine paste, if you can’t find it harrissa or tandoori paste will work in a pinch.

In general I like to use one pot to cook this dish. Why I have no clue because Hubby does the dishes, but I am frugal with the amount of mess dishes can make.

So here is what I do put about a tablespoon or two of olive oil then a tablespoon of butter in a dutch oven or skillet/sauce pan hybrid the name of which escapes me but it is a skillet deep enough to put a lot of stuff in on medium heat. If I am making it with fish I will make sure the fish is pasted quite dry, then I will dredge it in searing flour then apply some paste- sear it off in the pan till all the way cooked on the outside then remove and let it rest. It it is a different protein I just apply the paste. Next you want to add any vegetables that take a while to cook or are better sauteed then boiled- before adding the tomatoes and wine in this category for me is mushrooms, carrots, artichokes, green peppers, green beans. Cook those until they get a little softer (probably three to five minutes). I then towards the end of that throw in any other ingredients I am using- garlic, shallots, squash, zucchini, olives, capers and allow them to cook for a minute or two then I throw in about a can of diced tomatoes, I add a little more tagine paste, red wine and salt and pepper. Then I will add any last minute herbs or liquids necessary for the desired taste- cumin, parsley, basil, oregano, balsamic, worchestershire. I then let this reduce a little add the meat back in and let it reduce till very tasty (probably about 10 minutes without protein then add it and cook another 5 minutes ten minutes max).

Now I don’t put all these ingredients in one dish, I use combinations so here are some combinations I like to make:

Mediterranean- a white fish like swordfish or halibut or lamb, artichokes, capers, green olives, garlic, balsamic, basil and oregano.

Indianish- salmon with tandoori paste, cayenne pepper (fresh), green beans, mushrooms, carrots, shallot, cumin- a bit of balsamic or lemon juice.

Non-denominational- lamb or chicken, peppers, mushrooms, shallots, chili pepper, worchestershire, garlic.

So really I kind of mix and match with this, which is why I was hesitant to post a recipe. It is a lot of tasting and adding, so just taste decide what flavor it is missing find something similar to that profile and add, I also always season it with salt and pepper, as well. I then normally serve the finish product over rice. So there it is- easy, one pot and very comforting. You can ajust the ingredients and spice to your level.

Sorry I don’t cook with a ton of recipes at this point- so if you are going to follow me you have to be willing to wade into the deep end a bit. But have faith this one is really hard not to make tasty. The next couple times I make this I will try to take pictures.