We had a great brunch with some awesome friends and then drove them home, and on our way back to the apartment, I had Stephen stop at a few places. Ran some errands, made some returns and exchanges, and finally got rid of those annoying boot boxes that had been sitting in the living room for too long! Shout out to Bed, Bath, and Beyond for replacing my broken mop without question or receipt! What a treat!
Once we got home, I was itching to spend some quality time in the kitchen. I mean, really - I cleaned everything last night, so...it's just begging for me to make a beautiful mess!
As I mentioned in our premiere post, my sister gave me a very thoughtful Christmas gift - a tagine!
My Lovely Tagine (and my slightly less lovely stovetop)
A tagine is an earthenware dish that originated in North Africa, specifically Morocco. It is similar in concept to a crockpot or a dutch oven. The dish is used over flame, stovetop, or sometimes in the oven with low heart for long cooking times. Its conical shape is key to the chemistry of cooking for so many hours with such amazing results.
When I first saw my tagine, I thought it looked a little like a conical flask. Not surprisingly, it works the same way - by allowing evaporated moisture to collect at the top of the lid and re-condense onto the food in the bottom pan. This re-wetting process maintains the moisture level in the food, and results in incredibly tender meats and veggies. We're talking fall-right-off-the-bone tender.
New Years call for new kitchen adventures, right? I was determined to use the tagine today and created a really yummy dish - which I'll gladly share in a later post!
But before you can cook with a tagine, you really need to procure some Ras el hanout. Ras el hanout is a Moroccan spice blend that can contain up to thirty different spices. Whoa! Talk about packing a punch! The name translates literally from Arabic as "head of the shop" - its closest parallel is our phrase, "top-shelf". Living in a very diverse neighborhood in the city, I knew I could easily find some ready-made ras el hanout - but where's the fun in that? As you'll learn, I tend to prefer the from-scratch method when feasible.
Doesn't it kind of look like a quilt on this plate?
I already had most of the spices I needed to make ras el hanout, and those which I lacked were commonplace enough to justify purchasing. Plus, I have a lot of recipes in queue that call for some of the spices I picked up at (I'm kind of ashamed to admit this) Wal-Mart. The only thing I didn't find that I wanted was saffron. To be honest, saffron is so expensive and such a temperamental spice that I'm kind of glad I didn't splurge. Note: Most of the more obscure spices I had on hand (anise, cardamom, etc.) were bought from The Spice House. I'm lucky enough to work near the physical store, and oh my goodness the fragrance in that shop!
Here's the ras el hanout I created, customized by me and my unwillingness to buy/store all thirty spices:
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground chili powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground paprika
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp ground turmeric
1.5 tsp ground cardamom*
1.5 tsp ground mace
1.5 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground anise seed*
3/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp ground fennel seed*
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground culinary-grade lavender buds* (ground from whole, then strained through a fine sieve)
Other optional additions:
Saffron**
Allspice
Orris root
Fenugreek
Bay Leaves
Rose petals (dried)
Grains of Paradise
Monk's pepper
Ash berries
*These spices I ground from whole myself with my mortar and pestle, although a spice mill would be much easier. Hmm...you guys, my birthday is in February...
**Saffron may overpower the blend when added, so many dishes call for saffron to be added separately - this is what my tagine recipe specified. I would recommend leaving it out of the blend, but it is called for in many Moroccan dishes, so it's good to have on hand!
It's really simple - mix the spices together and store in an airtight container. I recommend a canning jar or an actual spice jar. You can find some great deals on bulk glassware from Specialty Bottle.
When you're ready to use the blend, I suggest toasting them slightly before adding to the dish. Heat a small skillet on medium - when hot, add spices and stir/flip/swirl for no more than thirty seconds. Use your nose to gauge the toasting - burnt spices are no good to anyone! When it's ready you'll smell the aroma of the spices just starting to blossom; try not to eat it directly from the pan (it really does smell that good!).
I can't wait to share the dish I prepared with these spices!
For now: get into your kitchen and spice up your life, Posh!
Ps - Most of these photos can be found in my Instagram - @moarpi34me Follow me!
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