Our Culinary Center of Kansas City ‘Main Dish’ Laura Laiben found some uber cool Tagine pots and brought the best of them back to sell in our CCKC Kitchen Shop.
Wait… what?
Never heard of a tagine pot? Well, let us tell you about it. It’s more than just a beautiful pot to decorate your kitchen (although it will look pretty spectacular on your shelf).
The Tagine is an earthenware cooking and serving pot common in North Africa. The heating is more even than what you would get in a regular skillet, and the liquid that gets released from the food while it cooks the food keeps it moist. A tagine used on a stovetop gives you that wonderful slow, even cooking that you would normally get from an oven-braise. The conical top returns moisture to the food below, and when the dish is done, you can serve it right from the pot! Use the tagine for cooking fish, meat, fruit and vegetables.
Take a look at the lovely pots we have in stock, then scroll down further for a tagine recipe!
Pork Tagine with Dried Figs and Almonds
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- ¼ cup almonds, sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound boned pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into ½-inch cubes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground dried chili peppers (such as ancho or chili powder)
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ cup dried figs, quartered
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 4 fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the sesame seeds on a small sheet pan or pie plate and toast in the oven for 6 minutes. Add the almonds (do not mix with the sesame seeds) and toast another 8 to 9 minutes until golden brown. Set aside.
In a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or tagine pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Brown the pork on all sides in 2 batches, about 5 minutes total. Add the garlic, onions, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, and ground chili peppers to the lamb. Stir well and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 5 minutes. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender. It should be slightly springy, but easy to pull apart with your fingers.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Strain the liquid from the stew into a small saucepan or bowl and skim the fat. Check for salt and pepper and keep warm. Mix the meat and figs and spread in a single layer in an ovenproof serving dish. Pour the sauce over the meat and figs and sprinkle with the toasted almonds. Bake for 5 minutes or until crisp and golden.
Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and chopped cilantro. Top with the cilantro sprigs, for garnish. Serve from the hot dish. Makes 2-3 servings.