Tagine

A tagine is a cooking pot from North Africa, most closely linked with Morocco. It has a wide, shallow base and a tall, cone-shaped lid. The same word means the slow-cooked stew made in it, often lamb or chicken with spices such as ras el hanout and saffron, dried fruit, olives or preserved lemon. Traditional pots are clay, glazed or unglazed. Modern ones may have a cast iron base.

How to do it

1. Season a new clay tagine as the maker says. A common method is to soak it in water for a few hours, dry it, rub the inside with olive oil, and bake it in a low oven while the oven heats up and then cools down.
2. Use a heat diffuser between a clay tagine and a gas flame or electric coil. Clay cracks with direct, uneven heat. A clay tagine cannot go on an induction stove (hob in the UK) without an induction adapter disc.
3. Warm it slowly over low heat with oil, then add onions, spices and meat.
4. Add only a little liquid. The lid sends steam back down onto the food, so it braises in its own juices.
5. Cook covered on low heat for 1.5 to 3 hours, depending on the meat. Check now and then and add a splash of water if the base looks dry.
6. Serve straight from the base at the table.

Why it works

Steam rises into the cool top of the cone, condenses and drips back down onto the food. Very little liquid is lost, so the sauce concentrates slowly and the meat stays moist.

Substitutes

A heavy Dutch oven or a deep, lidded sauté pan with a tight lid works for any tagine recipe. Add a little more liquid, since more evaporates.

Common mistakes

• Heating it fast or on high. Clay cracks.
• Setting a hot tagine on a cold or wet surface.
• Adding cold liquid to a hot clay pot. Use warm liquid.
• Washing an unglazed tagine with soap. It soaks into the clay. Use hot water and a brush.
• Buying a decorative tagine for cooking. Some are glazed only for serving. Check that yours is made for cooking.

In recipes

"Chicken tagine" means the dish. Recipes that say "in a tagine or heavy casserole" accept either pot.