I’ve been wanting to share a tagine recipe for a while, but the recipes I tried didn’t have enough of the spice flavours you would expect from a tagine.
Tagine, for anyone unfamiliar, is a Moroccan word that refers to an earthenware conical shaped slow cooking pot, and also to the food prepared in it. The dome shaped cover of a tagine preserves moisture while cooking, as well as creating circulation within the dish, resulting in moist delicious food infused with spices. Moroccan recipes tend to combine sweet and savoury flavors in the same dish, so in tagine recipes you are likely to find fruit such as apricots and raisins included.
Despite my lack of success with previous recipes I came up with this Sweet Potato Tagine, which is aromatic and sweet, and provides the flavours I expected. It has that combination of sweet with the sweet potato and apricots and savoury with onions, chickpeas and zucchini. I’m no expert on Moroccoan food, so I have no idea how traditional my Sweet Potato Tagine is, but it’s comforting and aromatic, and delicious served with couscous and turkish apple tea.
Have you had a tagine before? What are your favourite tagine recipes?
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 green capsicum
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 250ml of vegetable stock
- ¼ cup of Turkish apricots, chopped
- ¼ cup of fresh coriander, chopped
- flaked or slivered almonds to serve
- Preheat the oven to 230 degrees Celsius (450 Fahrenheit).
- Add the sweet potato to a bowl along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Toss to combine and turn out into a roasting tin. In a separate roasting tin add the capsicum. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the sweet potato is tender and the skin of the capsicum has begun to blacken. Set aside to cool and remove the capsicum skin and chop the capsicum into strips.
- Heat a large casserole dish over medium heat and add the olive oil, onion, garlic, ginger, and spices. Cook until the onions soften and brown and the spices become aromatic.
- Add the zucchini and cook until it begins to soften.
- Add the vegetable stock, apricots,sweet potato, capsicum and chickpeas and bring to the boil before reducing to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the coriander and stir through just before serving and top with almonds.
this looks delicious! I've never tried a tagine before, but I've always wanted to - mostly because the tagines (as in, the earthenware dishes) are absolutely beautiful and mysterious looking!
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I never used a tagine before, but my local health food store sell a ceramic one and I was walking around it quite often lately wondering... maybe I will buy one after all :) This recipe looks promising!
For the first time I found your blog! You see that I like to stay here for awhile just reading your posting. This recipe is new too me and sound very interesting. Love your photograph as well.
Thank you for your lovely comment Dwiana and for visiting :D
Yum! I had some tagine spice mixes from Herbies. I figure if I use those with the suggested vegetables or meats that might be authentic. This looks delicious and yum to Turkish apple tea! :)
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Turkish apple tea is one of my favourites, it's so delicious on a cold day. :D
Oh Yum! I love the sound of all those spices together. Just what is needed to chase away the rest of these winter days :)
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Waow, your tajine looks both beautiful and very flavourful! Moroccan cuisine is so good! I like the idea of combining sweet potatoes with chickpeas :-)
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Can you believe I live in a Middle Eastern country and yet have never had soemthign cooked in a atgine before?! Thye sell the most beautiful ones here and your recipe looks very flavorsome indeed!
I can imagine the gorgeous tagine's they sell where you live. :D
LOVE tagines and the way they are such a flavor burst! what a delicious looking bowlful. I love the Cauliflower Tagine which i often make:)
gorgeous! i'm making a chickpea and tomato terrine tomorrow :)
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Sounds so delicious and healthy...... I'm sure it taste even wonderful..... I have a tagine which I hardly use but I sure will try this one.
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I want one of those beautiful tagines I always see in the markets. They always catch my eye when I'm traveling but I've never bought one b/c I've been afraid it wouldn't make the trip home!
You are a brave woman! I have never tried cooking with a tagine. But I have had authentice Moroccan food from one (my SIL is Moroccan). This looks and sound awesome. I love the combination of the sweet potato with chickpea.
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I didn't actually use a tagine dish as I don't have one, I used my trusty casserole dish. :D I'd love to buy a tagine one day though.
What a stunning recipe! I have long wanted to invest in and cook with a tagine. Perhaps this Fall, I'll finally get one - I'm not sure what it is, but cooler temperatures make me think of comfort foods such as tagines. Yours is gorgeous, I love all the flavors - sweet potato and apricots and chickpeas - wow!
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Thank you so much for your kind words Liren :D
Hai Dear
This looks yummy....you have a lovely blog… You have so many wonderful recipes..I have bookmarked you blog and some recipe from that to try..Please check out my blog.I am having a Giveaway in my blog..Please check it out and partcipate in that.. http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/2011/07/hom...
Aarthi
Just made this, delicious!