Another day, another tagine. Although Moroccan cuisine is best known for couscous, Tagines are by far the most popular and most widely consumed dish. The reason behind that is very simple: whatever is in season goes into a Tagine.
Today, we will be making a simple Eggplant and Chickpea Tagine.
What is a tagine ?
Although I have covered this several time, this question still comes up often. So whenever I’m publishing a Tagine recipe, I always take some time to write an answer.
Tagine is a word that has a double meaning.
First, it refers to the traditional cookware typically made out of clay (or ceramic). The bottom of a Tagine is wide, circular and quite shallow while the top is usually shaped into a rounded dome or cone with a small side-hole that allows for a small amount of steam to escape. The lid is quite an important piece as it allows to for proper air circulation, traps most of the moisture in which helps cook everything from the bottom-up. In a sense, the flavor of this Moroccan stew evaporates and incorporates itself into the entire dish from the bottom-up. That is why, it’s very important to have a very good quality clay tagine.
Tagines also tend to retain the flavor of whatever you cook in them, and over the long term develop a distinct aroma.
Fun fact: the traditional way to cook a Tagine is on a majmar(small clay-made barbecue) or hot ambers which allows for a slow cook and incorporates a fantastic bbq flavour in it.
How to make this Eggplant and Chickpea Tagine
Ingredient list
Let me just preface this by stating that this is not a vegan Tagine. The flavor base of this stew is in the beef cubes that we slow cook over low-heat for 2 hours.
I will be publishing plenty of vegan Tagine those in the future so, stay tuned.
To make this tagine here are some of the ingredients you are going to need :
- Red onions: I prefer red to white or yellow onions because they pack more flavor. However, you can use any kind you have on hand, it will still be delicious.
- Extra virgin olive oil: use the best you can get your hands on. Always stick to extra virgin olive oil as it is healthier that canola oil and is the typical oil used in Moroccan cuisine.
- Blade roast cut into chunks: This is a relatively fatty cut of meat, and is relatively tough which makes it perfect for a long slow cook. You can also use osso buco, brisket, short rib, or any kind of pot roast meat you have.
- Preserved lemons: a staple in Moroccan cuisine. They are essential to many dishes that are made in Morocco as they add freshness, salt, and depth to tagines and stews, dressings and sauces.
- Tomato paste: the acidity in this ingredient breaks down slowly overtime and sweetens the dish very nicely. Not to mention, that tomato paste helps thicken the sauce and give it a creamy consistency.
- Spices: I used a mixture of ginger, turmeric, cumin, salt (not a spice) and black pepper.
- Chickpeas & eggplants: the main stars of this dish. We will roast the eggplants in the oven. As for the chickpeas we will use canned as they are a great time saver and are only added at the last 5 minutes.
- Coriander & parsley: add freshness and a lot of flavor to this Tagine.
- Spice mix: for this tagine I used cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, paprika, saffron and of course, cumin. This is mix that is typical of the region of Marrakech where I grew up and ate this fantastic Tagine.
Instructions
- Slice the onion thinly & cut the beef into 1″ cubes. In a glass, pour 1/2 cup hot water over the pinch of safran. Set aside. Heat your tajine on medium heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add beef cubes and the onions. Cut half a preserved lemon by separating skin from the insides, remove the seeds, thinly slice skin and chop the inside of the lemon. Braise for 15 minutes, stirring gently at the halfway point and covering the tajine.
- Season your tajine with the spices (cumin, paprika, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon) and salt to taste. Finely chop the herbs (parsley & coriander), reserving ⅓ of the herbs & setting them aside. Add ⅔ of herbs to the tajine along with the tomato paste. Then, add the safran water. Stir gently. Cover the tajine & let it simmer for an hour and 45 minutes. While it simmers, check it occasionally to make sure the bottom doesn’t burn. Add ¼ to ⅓ cup water if too much water evaporates; the tajine should not be sizzling, it should be simmering gently. Refer to the photo for doneness.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut eggplants into 1cm slices. Oil the eggplant (approx. 2 tbsp) & place in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle salt on top. Cook until they’re completely cooked through and golden brown.
- Begin building the tajine by adding the eggplant slices to the sides in a circle and then going into the middle of the tajine. See the reference photo. Add chickpeas to the top, focusing on the center of the tajine. Add a splash of water & cover the tajine to let it simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Your tajine is ready! Add the chopped herbs you reserved earlier and enjoy with some bread on the side.
Baguettes or a Homemade Moroccan Bread are the absolute number 1 choice for this dish. If you don’t have any bread to serve this with, try serving this Tagine on top of couscous. It’s pretty good!
f.a.q.
I don’t have a Tagine, how can I make this ? I totally understand. Tagines are not easy to come by in North America and they are kind of pricey. You can make this in a skillet or better yet a ceramic casserole. Even a Cast Iron Pan will do. The only thing to keep in mind is that Tagine don’t diffuse heat as efficiently as a Cast Iron Pan so you might have to reduce the heat to avoid over cooking your food.
Can I substitute preserved lemons for fresh lemons ? The short answer is no. Preserved lemons are salty and have almost an umami like flavour. Their acidity is quite low compared to fresh lemons and the citrusy flavour is much more enhanced. You can get them from Amazon right here
Eggplant and Chickpea Tajine
Simple, succulent and loaded with eggplant and chickpeas, this beef tagine is a joy to make and eat.
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 350 grams beef, in chunks blade roast
- 1 large onion red or yellow
- ½ preserved lemon
- 1 pinch saffron
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ¼ cup chopped coriander
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup canned chickpeas
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F
Cut eggplants into 1cm slices. Oil the eggplant (approx. 2 tbsp) & place in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle salt on top. Cook until they're completely cooked through and golden brown.
Slice the onion thinly & cut the beef into 1"-1.5" cubes.
In a glass, pour 1/2 cup hot water over the pinch of safran. Set aside.
Heat your tajine on medium heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add beef cubes and the onions. Cut half a preserved lemon by separating skin from the insides, remove the seeds, thinly slice skin and chop the inside of the lemon. Braise for 15 minutes, stirring gently at the halfway point and covering the tagine.
Season your tajine with the spices (cumin, paprika, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon) and salt to taste. Finely chop the herbs (parsley & coriander), reserving ⅓ of the herbs & setting them aside. Add ⅔ of herbs to the tajine along with the tomato paste. Then, add the safran water. Stir gently.
Cover the tajine & let it simmer for an hour and 45 minutes. While it simmers, check it occasionally to make sure the bottom doesn't burn. Add ¼ to ⅓ cup water if too much water evaporates; the tajine should not be sizzling, it should be simmering gently. Refer to the photo for doneness.
Begin building the tajine by adding the eggplant slices to the sides in a circle and then going into the middle of the tajine. See the reference photo.
Add chickpeas to the top, focusing on the center of the tajine. Add a splash of water & cover the tajine to let it simmer for another 5-7 minutes.
Your tagine is ready! Add the chopped herbs you reserved earlier and enjoy with some bread on the side.
Recipe Notes
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