How to cook with a tagine: 5 tagine recipes to try

What is a tagine?

Tagine (or tajine) is the Moroccan word that refers to both the conical shaped slow cooking pot, and the food prepared in it. The base of the Tagine is both a cooking and serving dish while the cone shaped cover acts like a closed chimney trapping the moisture in the pot during the slow cook process. This distinct shape preserves the moisture in food during cooking, and also creates a circulation within the dish, infusing the food with all the spices and flavours.

Buying a tagine

Tagines look beautiful, and understandably, they have become a popular dish for displaying and serving food, rather than cooking with. If you're looking for a tagine suitable for cooking with, opt for one with no painting or engraving, especially on the base. If you happen to have a painted decorative one, use it for serving food rather than cooking with. True cooking tagines are usually made from plain terracotta and are glazed on the inside and out, on both the base and the lid.

Before first use

The first time you use your tagine, soak both pieces in water for 24 hours beforehand. Using a pastry brush, coat the inside of both pieces with olive oil and place it in a cold oven. Heat the oven to 100°C and once it reaches the temperature, leave it to for two hours to seal. Turn the oven off and allow to cool in the oven. This process only needs to be done the first time and there's no need to repeat.

Before cooking

To work well, a tagine needs to be soaked in water before use. Ideally, soak your tagine for 24 hours before using it. However, if you're pressed for time, 2 hours is the minimum. Regardless of if you use a stove top or oven, the important thing to remember is to slowly warm up the tagine to prevent it from cracking. Never expose your tagine to intense temperature changes, including placing a hot tagine on a cold surface. Also, don't rush the cooking process, these dishes are made for long and slow cooking so don't be tempted to try to hurry things along.

Tips

Always hand wash your tagine after use, never put it in the dishwasher.
When heated, the ceramic expands slightly, sometimes creating small, thin cracks in the glaze. This is fine as it will improve the tagine's resistance to temperature changes.
Traditionally, tagines would be cooked over coals or open flame, but they can now be used over gas flames, electric elements or even in the oven.
Store your tagine with the lid slightly ajar to allow for air circulation and prevent a build up of flavours.