Tagine cooking

[Rufus]

I bought a medium-size Staub Tagine last year and really enjoy cooking with it. I also bought a cookbook, Pat Crocker's "150 best tagine recipes", which I find very helpful and pretty well idiot proof since I have no difficulties with her recipes. What I particularly like about the book is that it explains the spices and offers substitutes for ingredients that might be difficult to find. My daughter and husband are having lunch with us today and I'm making cinnamon chicken tagine with peaches accompanied by Israeli couscous; my mouth is watering already. Who else enjoys tagine cooking or North African food in general?

[Squire]

I enjoy the cuisine but have no experience preparing it. Is the couscous prepared separately?

[Rufus]

I enjoy the cuisine but have no experience preparing it. Is the couscous prepared separately?

Yes, the couscous is prepared separately. In fact the recipe doesn't call for couscous to accompany the tagine, but we like to serve it on the side to soak up the leftover juice/gravy; our preference is Israeli couscous or quinoa.

[Squire]

It's extraordinary how a method of cooking derived from necessity could develop into such refined cuisine.

[Barry]

Paula Wolfert's recipes are tops. Clifford A. Wright lists numerous recipes on his site as well.

Off topic, but still awesome… was Clifford's Hummus: http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/reci ... pe_id/735/

I bought chick peas from Rancho Gordo and then followed the recipe… even peeling every chick pea as it dictates. It was excellent. Once my immersion blender arrives I think I'll make most everything from scratch this time, including my own Tahini.

Barry