Tagine Cooking - A Brief Introduction

Home chefs always search for new ideas in cooking or methods to serve their dishes. A method which quite many amateur chefs may have never heard of is tagine cooking. Tagine food is so named since earthenware pots are usually used. These pots are often a circular container covered by a big domed lid. This way of cooking is commonly found in Moroccan cuisine.

There are two common types of tagines, i.e. cooking and serving. They are basically the same except for that the serving type are usually glazed and painted in color. Traditionally, tagine cooking was done by burning charcoal, and stews consisting of lamb, fish and chicken were often cooked.

Tagine became more and more popular for the reason that it requires minimal amount of water, which was scarce at its place of origin. Besides, despite that the food inside are cooked for many hours, the covered lid helps to keep the moisture and juice inside. And the flavor of oil and spices could infuse into the food thoroughly.

In the tagine it may be uneasy to buy a nice tagine. Nowadays tagines could be found in mage stores and home accessory stores alongside cookware. You can even find them on Amazon. There are a variety of tagines with different sizes and styles. The price could be as cheap at $20 or as expensive as $100 or more.

Like how you buy other cookware, budget and personal choice always come into consideration. Anyhow, please note that nowadays most tagines are serving type. You will need to spend some time to research the market if you want an authentic cooking type tagine (which you don't necessarily need to buy).

Before you cook the food, you need to prepare your tagine. The simplest way to do this is to soak the tagine in water for a few hours (you can place it in a washing sink). After that, dry the tagine and coat the interior of the base and the lid with a thin coat of olive oil. You then need to put it in an unheated oven before you raise the temperature to around 320 deg. Fahrenheit. Remove the tagine from the oven 2 hours later, allow it to cool down. Coat the tagine with another coat of olive oil. Now you can store your tagine before using it for the first time.

Need ideas to cook? You can find many tagine recipes online. Just search "tagine cooking" in Google. Most of these recipes are traditional ones that features chicken, fish and lamb cooking with garlic. However to add some creativity you can try other ingredients and spices.

With a proper oven the overall cooking time is just 30 to 40 minutes, making tagine cooking an easy thing to do. Tagines are quite durable, if you properly use and wash your tagine, it should be able to service you for many years to come.

Cooking with tagine is definitely a fun process. And since it's not so difficult, may amateur cooks would find using tagine enjoyable.

Find out more about tagine cooking and download tagine recipes.

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Mmm Good - Moroccan Food and Cuisine

Like Morocco, its cuisine is rich in flavor, color, and aromas. The secret lies in the fact that most of Morocco's produce is organic, free from pesticides, and not genetically modified. In today's world where you can enjoy a banana from Ecuador, a peach from Georgia, and a Kiwi from, well, New Zealand, all in one sitting. Morocco's locally grown ingredients make its cuisine stand out as fresh vegetables and even its meats do not travel far before they are steaming on your plate.

Unlike any other country, you'll find seasonality to affect what is and is not available at a certain time of year. The early summer to late spring months proffer the best fruit, including strawberries, cherries, peaches, watermelon, and especially tomatoes. By the time fall rolls around, drier fruits and vegetables are ready to enjoy, including figs, pomegranates, and grapes (which are also grown in Meknes for the country's bountiful wine exports). All year will almonds, walnuts, bananas, squash, pumpkin, fava beans, green beans, lentils, eggplant, peppers, and lemons are available. Olives and olive oil can be had throughout the year; as an aside, Moroccan olive oil is a bit bitterer than the smoother stuff you'll find in Spain or Italy.

The Romans, Spanish, and French have left behind dishes that have been adopted and adapted by Moroccans. One such item you will assuredly encounter on the menus of Morocco is couscous. Couscous is the national Moroccan dish and includes an abundance of spices, meat, and vegetables that are all steamed together. If eaten at a family's home, don't be surprised if they dig in with their hands. Common is the practice to form couscous balls and pop them into one's mouth like a gumball. As common is the practice of those eating near you to keep piling food in your eating section (the triangular area directly in front of you), so you'll keep eating. Be forewarned to pace yourself accordingly.

Another superb dish in Morocco, but one that is not made but on special occasions is pastilla, often called bstilla. Pastilla is a type of pie (that at one time typically contained pigeon) containing chicken, fish, or meat. This is all minced together with parsley, hardboiled eggs, crushed almonds, and honey. Cinnamon and powdered sugar tops the dish, which is wrapped in crisp phyllo dough.

Finally, one of Morocco's most common culinary delights is the tagine. A tagine is a both the pot the meal is cooked in and what the meal, in and of itself, is referring. Cooked over a bed of coals, a tagine is a conical pottery usually containing meat (lamb, beef, or goat, or just vegetables for vegetarians) cooked with an array of local vegetables. All types of tagines are available and a certain region might have its dedicated dish. Some of the best tagines are to be had in the southern regions of Morocco, as well as in the mountains. Restaurants will often have a tagine on the menu and roadside towns will always have a few cooking and ready for your arrival. The best tagines, however, are balanced in their spices and be a base of oil and other ingredients covered in paprika, onions, cumin, and garlic. Fancier restaurants may not match the most general cuisine you'll eat in a Moroccan family's home, but will often come up with interesting mixes to tempt the palate, including lamb and prune, sweet tomato and almonds, or the regular chicken and olive thoroughfare. An egg and kefta (hamburger meat) tagine is common as well.

No matter your preference, eating Moroccan cuisine is a gourmand's paradise in each direction you turn. From Marrakesh to Fez, down to the Sahara Desert and over the High Atlas Mountains, Morocco is a true delight for those seeking mouthwatering adventures.

Thomas Hollowell is the author of Allah's Garden: A True Story of a Forgotten War in the Sahara Desert of Morocco, a bestseller in Morocco books at Amazon.com. Visit for your chance to win a trip for two to Morocco. Thomas is also the co-founder of Journey Beyond Travel LLC, an in-country Morocco tour operator arranging affordable private Morocco tours for individuals, groups, and families.

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How to Become a Good Cook

Learning something to do and learning something to do the right way are two different things. Same is the case with cooking. Almost every one of us can try their hands on one or the other simple or complex recipe yet there are few who can do it the best way. So what is it that differentiates a good cook from a mere cook? The answer is manifold. Let us have a look at the various factors that make important considerations while you want to be good at your cooking.

Learn about the Ingredients: Learn about the ingredients. To be a good cook you must know the nutritional value of ingredients and how to cook them so that they retain the freshness and the nutritional value as well. It is also essential to learn this as there are certain ingredients which if used together add to the nutritional value of meal. On the other hand there are others that not only ruin the taste but also can have bad impact on your health as well. Still there are others that act as complimentary ingredients for each other i.e. if one may have a bad impact on a person with certain body chemistry the other ingredient will counter its effect.

The Various Ways of Cooking: Learn about the various ways of cooking a food. Gone are the days when you knew only one or two ways to get food ready. Now you can boil it, fry it (stir fry or deep fry), can broil it, can steam it, can bake it and can grill it. You can use even use more than one technique to cook one food. However, it is important that you know it which method will produce the most tasty and most nutritious food as it may be different for different type of food.

Learn from Everyone: When you are learning do not hesitate to learn from someone who is younger to you or someone who is ranked low to you. Whenever you come across some new taste or new food ask the cook about the difference. It will enrich your knowledge and experience as a cook.

Do it Right: While preparing a specific dish, make sure you add the right quantity of the ingredients. This is crucial to have the same taste which is specialty of that specific dish. If you need less serving reduce the amount in right proportions. Also make sure you take care of the timing. Changing the heat will also have considerable impact on the preparation of food. A great tip in this regard is to organize the ingredients before you start cooking so that you only have to pay attention to timing when everything will already be in right proportion.

Here in this article you will learn about Moroccan cooking and you will also get an information about Moroccan recipes.

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A Taste of Morocco

"You rode an elephant?" I asked, my eyes popping in sheer amazement at the photographs taped to the black pages of the scrapbook.

Colorful images of a North African bazaar, elephant and camel riding, tents in the Sahara Desert and cooking over open fires were just a few of the fascinating images that captured my imagination. That scrapbook chronicling several years of far-flung adventures belonged to my dad's second wife.

During a portion of my junior and senior years in high school, my dad was married to Joyce, a jet setter he met on a barefoot Windjammer cruise.

Arriving home from school during that interlude of time, I would sporadically be greeted by a mZlange of rich, captivating and unusual aromas.

On those occasions, my dad's vivacious red-headed wife would be in the kitchen with a crisp, perfectly coordinated apron tied around her tiny waist, moving effortlessly to the beat of foreign lyrics that drifted in from the living-room stereo as she stirred a fragrant pot or chopped ingredients on a butcher block near the sink.

"What are you cooking?" I would ask.

She'd respond with something that sounded foreign and exotic, such as, "Bisteeya. It is a very special Moroccan dish. I thought you and your dad would enjoy it."

"Can I help?" I would ask, pleased by the possibility of learning how to cook something interesting and unusual.

"Come, see what I bought today," she'd say, grasping my hand and leading me to the newest treasures she'd collected that day. On that day it was tabletop dZcor, fashions and costume jewelry with a Moroccan flavor.

Joyce was the eponymous prototype for the "shop till you drop" lifestyle. To say she was a shopaholic would be an understatement. But she had the discriminating taste of an aficionado and always remembered me with hip finds during her daily boutique jaunts around the Chicago area. My daddy was so enamored by her in the beginning that he didn't seem to mind that she went on shopping sprees every single day that they were married.

Home life was an audacious eyeful when my dad and Joyce were in town. On that particular night we were in for a taste of Morocco.

A Moroccan dinner party is great fun. But you don't have to go to an expensive boutique and spend boatloads of money or wander through the Kasbah to find your inspiration. Get creative! You might just have everything you need already. Scarves and other fashion accessories from your boudoir can do double duty as decor for this fun party theme.

How To Host A Moroccan Dinner ~ Florida food writer, Kathi Dameron

The cuisine of Morocco is one of the most eclectic cuisines in the world. It draws on a mixture of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, African, Berber and Moorish inspired dishes.The Moroccan menu is one that you can have great fun playing with. Here are a few ideas to get you started. But don't be afraid to launch off with your own creative interpretations. Your guests will love this party!

1. Use a low table and arrange colorful cushions on the floor for seating. No colorful cushions? Just tie some scarves or fabric squares to pillows.

2. Dress the table with a festive brocaded cloth or fashionable scarves and colorful dinnerware. Make a fresh floral bouquet runner. Add small votives. Trim with some beads, tassels or vintage pins.

3. On a nearby table, set up an edible centerpiece, perhaps skewered seafood or fruit kebabs on a pineapple or melon. Include an elegant plated collection of the foods you will be serving - hummus with pita-bread wedges, exotic spiced goat cheese and pistachio purses, mixed greens with peppered and dried fruits drizzled with raspberry champagne vinaigrette, couscous with roasted vegetables, small wedges of bisteeya or a lamb tangine, bite-sized diamonds of almond and honey-roasted pear baklava, orange-coconut macaroons, raspberry-streusel fig bars, fresh fruit - and don't forget to brew up plenty of the quintessential Moroccan beverage, mint tea. Arrange candles all around the room.

4. Provide your guests with thick, color-coordinated towels to cover their laps.

5. Perfume a silver pitcher of warm water with a drop or two of nice aromatic essential oil. Treat your guests to the Moroccan custom of pouring a little water over the fingers of each guest to signal the beginning and end of the meal.

6. Play Moroccan music in the background.

7. Watch the movie "Casablanca" for more inspiration.

(c) 2007 Kathi Dameron Kathi Dameron and Associates

This "Entertaining with Kathi" column was originally published on May 10, 2007 in the Northeast Chronicle newspaper in Tallahassee, Florida.

(c) 2007 Kathi Dameron, Kathi Dameron and Associates

Note to publishers: You may use this article in its entirety if you keep all copyright information and active links intact. Thank you.

For more recipes and stories that have appeared in the Entertaining with Kathi newspaper column visit http://www.letsentertain.blogspot.com

Kathi Dameron is a food writer, culinary arts professional, and a former caterer and event designer. She writes a regular food and entertaining column in her local Gannett-owned newspaper. She is shopping for a literary agent, newspaper syndicate and book publisher to help bring her publishing dreams to fruition.

If you would like to see the Entertaining with Kathi column come to life through your favorite media, you can perform a wonderful random act of kindness by sharing this writing with interested parties! Kathi can be reached at askkathidameron@aol.com or at 850-422-3599.

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Top 10 Cooking Schools Around the World

What better way to top off your luxurious travel experience than by joining in the fun at a cooking school, learning to create divine meals using fresh local flavours and traditions? Cooking schools are a popular choice of holiday with a wide variety of choices available. Here are our suggestions for the top 10 cooking schools around the world.

1. Dar Liqama, Morocco

To experience the rich spices of Morocco you can't get any better than the Dar Liqama in Palmeraie, near Marrakesh. This exotic hotel is a fascinating feature in itself, complete with marble floors, antiques and a terrace to sit and idly watch the amazing view. At the Dar Liqama cooking classes you can learn to prepare traditional fare such as lamb dishes, tagines and almond pastries.

2. Le Baou d'Infer, France

In the beautiful countryside of southern France, Le Baou d'Infer teaches confidence in the kitchen rather than precise technique. Guests here will discover how to create the perfect bouillabaisse, aioli and divine French desserts, along with experimenting with local herbs.

3. Rustic Sicilian, Italy

Italians are well-known to love their fresh food and to love cooking, so it's no surprise that Italy has countless cooking schools scattered throughout the country. One of the most famous is the Rustic Sicilian. Prepare and savour the most delicious Italian cuisine, just like Mama makes it, using ingredients -- including vegetables, herbs, cheese and meat -- from the rustic 1000 acre estate.

4. Four Seasons, Thailand

The Four Seasons hotel in Chiang Mai offers excellent cooking classes, lead by head chef Pitak Srichan. In this open hilltop cooking classroom, with view of paddy fields, you can experiment with the unique Thai flavours. Signature dishes you could perfect here include Chiang Mai curry noodle soup with chicken and dry spiced curry with pork and pickled garlic.

5. Samp and Soufflé, South Africa

The Samp and Soufflé is a mobile cooking school that roams around the Cape Town region, offering cooking classes for one day to five days. Guests can even experience preparing and barbecuing an impala on a game reserve along with tasting local wines, cheese, fish and herbs.

6. Ballymaloe Cookery School, Ireland

The Ballymaloe Cookery School in Shanagarry, County Cork, is the oldest established private cooking school in all of Ireland. Courses here range from simple demonstrations to small group classes on basic fare to preparing gourmet dinner party cuisine. The school focuses on food that can be obtained direct from the garden.

7. Swinton Park, United Kingdom

The exquisite Swinton Park in North Yorkshire is a castle hotel that is surrounded by 200 acres of pristine park. Your luxury cooking holiday can be combined with activities such as golf, riding and fishing. The famous Swinton Park Cooking School is run by celebrity chef, Rosemary Shrager.

8. Kea Artisanal, Greece

Located near the sea on the superb island of Kea is the home of award-winning cookbook author, Aglaia Kremezi. Surrounded by almond and olive trees and a beautiful vegetable garden guests learn to prepare delicious Mediterranean cuisine from one of the best, with a focus on seafood, octopus and garlic. Sip wine with your meals while taking in the amazing views and nature on this beautiful island.

9. Kerala Cooking Residency, India

The Kerala Cooking Residency is an Indian home surrounded by a bio-organic garden of spices. Guests can enjoy preparing traditional Indian dishes, including breakfasts, lunches and dinners. When you're not learning about the delicious Indian fare you can indulge in a relaxing Ayurvedic massage.

10. Casa de Sierra Nevada, Mexico

This cooking school is located in a collection of six magnificent mansions from the colonial era, over 6000 feet high in the central highlands of Mexico. Guests here can learn to prepare traditional Mexican meals and sensational margaritas from one of the best Latin America chefs, Sazon.

Whether you prefer the rich flavours of Tuscany, spicy Mexican fare or the heady aroma of Moroccan spices, a luxury cooking holiday makes a perfect getaway at any time of the year.

Karen Cooke is a professional consultant with Travel Associates, an exclusive Australian travel agency catering to the premium travel market. More helpful travel tips and suggestions are available at http://www.travel-associates.com.au

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How to Make a Tasty Moroccan Salad

Moroccan food is varied and diverse and it contains a lot of different influences, including Mediterranean, Arab, Moorish and Berber cuisines. The Arabs introduced the fruit and spices and also the sweet and sour flavors often found in tagine recipes. The Ottoman empire introduced kabobs, the Jews taught new food preservation techniques and the French brought wine and pastries.

Poultry, sheet, cattle, and seafood are all produced in the country, in large quantities, and a wide range of vegetables and fruits are grown there, including tropical ones. Dried fruits, cold-pressed olive oil, and lemon pickle feature in many Moroccan dishes. Moroccan food usually features more spice than Middle Eastern cooking.

Moroccan salads can be made with cooked or raw ingredients and they are served cold or warm. A tomato and eggplant mixture known as "zaalouk" is a popular Moroccan salad recipe, as is "taktouka," which is a combination of green bell pepper, tomatoes, garlic, and spices.

Perhaps you are familiar with Moroccan ingredients. One of the most famous North African ingredients is couscous and this grain is especially popular in the UK and France. Bastilla and lamb tagine are also popular dishes.

Using Couscous to Make Salad

You can use couscous as the basis for a Moroccan salad. Simply cook some couscous following the directions on the package, and then stir in some finely diced tomatoes, cucumber and dried fruit or raisins. Stir in some olive oil, finely chopped garlic, and cumin for flavor and perhaps some lemon juice too. Season to taste with salt and pepper and you have a healthy Moroccan salad.

Another way to use couscous for a Moroccan salad would be to add saffron, dates, dried apricots, nuts, olives and a little orange juice, or any combination of those ingredients. This would make a light and aromatic salad.

Recipe for Zucchini Salad

The follow recipe makes enough to serve four people. In this recipe, zucchini is diced and combined with delicious flavors including garlic, parsley, cumin, lemon juice, paprika and more.

What you will need:

• 1 1/2 lbs fresh zucchini
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons water
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 finely chopped cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

How to make it:

Scrub the zucchini but do not peel it. Trim the ends and dice it finely. Add the zucchini to a pot with the garlic, water, olive oil, and spices. Cover the pot and cook it over a moderate heat for seven or eight minutes, or until the zucchini is tender but still has a bit of bite to it.

Stir in the parsley, cumin, and lemon juice and simmer the mixture uncovered until the liquids have reduced. Taste it and adjust the seasoning. You can serve this salad chilled or warm, as a dip for crackers or pita bread or served with a fork.

Food blogs are a great way to discover new recipes and food ideas. Doing a recipe search by ingredient means that you can find the perfect recipe to use up whatever you have in your refrigerator.

RecipeDirectory.org Where the Web Searches for Recipe Sites.

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Top 5 Must-Eats of Morocco

Morocco is filled with delicious cuisine with a unique flavor. It is perfect for anyone, savory and scrumptious. There are so many different options on the Moroccan menus that travelers sometimes get overwhelmed with the choices. Everything sounds foreign and slightly scary. The five favorite foods of Morocco are couscous, chicken tajine, beef and prune tajine, bastilla, and the traditional kefta tajine.

Couscous has spread all over the world. You can find it at lots of supermarkets in America and other countries. It is small bits of wheat, barley or any kind of pasta. It is steamed and then topped with different vegetables. The vegetables are usually steamed and they usually include carrots, potatoes, chickpeas, cabbage, squash and zucchini. They are arranged artistically in a pile on top of the meat. There are vegetarian couscous options if you prefer. It is one of the only dishes in Moroccan cooking that you don't eat with bread. Couscous is truly a culinary delight.

There are many types of chicken tajine. You can get chicken with French fries, chicken with lemon or chicken with lemon and olives. The most preferred is the chicken with lemon and olives. This delectable dish consists of tender chicken pieces simmered in a broth of onions, lemon slices and Moroccan spices. The broth is then boiled down and added to the dish. Green olives and lemon rinds usually decorate the finished result. You eat all tajines with slices of Moroccan bread, khobz.

Beef and prune tajine is another appetizing type of tajine. The beef is cooked to perfection, flavored with the traditional spices and onions. The prunes have previously been flavored with cinnamon. This dish combines the savory spices of the meat with the sweet cinnamon, leaving a taste to remember. Roasted almonds and sesame seeds are sometimes added as a garnish.

Bastilla is a specialty of Morocco and the Arab world. It isn't known to many other countries, but it is definitely a must-eat. Bastilla is a thin papery shell of dough that is stuffed with a sweet and savory filling. The filling consists of ground almonds and nuts, ground meat, onions, cinnamon and powdered sugar. The shell is artfully dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Kefta tajine is a more rustic meal of Morocco, not the type to be served at weddings or fancy meals. It is usually served in the Sahara desert, in the Berber tents and gives the true flavor of Morocco. It is a tomato-based tajine, with small balls of spiced ground meat distributed throughout it. As a finishing touch, they break eggs on top of the sizzling tajine, cooking the eggs instantly. The combination of the egg, meat and tomato is excellent.

When eating in Morocco, there will certainly never be a bland moment! Every single dish is flavored perfectly, which is why Morocco is so renowned for its cooking. Make sure to try every one of the top five dishes in Morocco!

Jaffar Wilson currently works with Experience It! Tours offering custom designed tour packages to Morocco and travel to Libya

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