Vegetable Tagine with Couscous
A Moroccan vegetable tagine is basically a vegetable stew with unique flavors provided by the addition of preserved lemon and a list of spices. The vegetable amounts and suggestions are flexible here, making it a great way to use summer squash.
Servings: 4 servings
Equipment
- Tagine pottery or a large pot with a tight fitting lid
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp ginger minced
- 2-3 medium potatoes diced 1"
- 2-3 yellow squash and/or zucchini diced 1"
- ½ cup carrots diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper diced very small, optional
- ½ preserved lemon rind only, cut into fingernail sized pieces
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp fennel seeds
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp cardamom powder
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp cinnamon powder
- ¼ tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes OR 1-2 diced red tomatoes, deseeded
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup golden raisins or dried cherries
- fresh parsley to garnish optional
- cooked couscous for serving
Instructions
- If you are using a pot with a lid, stuff any air holes in the lid with aluminum foil. If using a tagine pottery dish, check manufacturer's instructions to make sure it's stovetop safe (My Emily Henry tagine is safe for glass stovetops but not all may be).
- Mix all of your dried spices, from the oregano to the bay leaf, in a small dish and set aside.
- Chop all of the vegetables and set aside. Put the onions aside on their own, and you can combine the squash, potatoes, pepper, and carrots.
- Place the tagine or large pot on the stove and heat the oil in it over medium high heat.
- Add the onions and let soften for 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and ginger and saute for 1 minute.
- Next, add your spices and use a spatula to move them around the bottom of the hot pan for 10-15 seconds until fragrant.
- Quickly add the preserved lemon, tomato, and water. Heat for 1 minute.
- Put your vegetables (potato, carrots, squash, and pepper if using) into the pot and give it a quick stir to get everything mixed well. Cover the tagine or the pot with the lid. Let cook over medium high heat for 3 minutes, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Do not remove the lid during this time at all.
- After 20 minutes, remove the lid, add in the raisins or cherries, and stir again. Use this time to pierce a large piece of potato with a fork to see how done it is. Place the lid back on and cook over low for 5-10 more minutes.
- If you're making couscous, start it now, according to package directions. It should be done by the time the tagine is too.
- Remove from heat once the potatoes are cooked through, and fish out the bay leaf. Add any additional salt and pepper to taste, and serve over couscous. Garnish with parsley if desired.
- Put the lid on the tagine to keep vegetables warm.