Monday, January 05, 2009

Vegetable Tagine - 2009.1

This is my start of the new year resolution. Cooking a new recipe out of each of my cookbooks this year.
Got a healthy start out of the Great Cooking Every Day by Weight Watchers. I've never cooked a tagine before (and don't have the "right" pot, but a dutch oven works very well).
Tagine - a type of dish found in the North African cuisines of Morocco, which is named after the special pot in which it is cooked. The traditional tajine pot is formed entirely of a heavy clay which is sometimes painted or glazed. It consists of two parts; a base unit which is flat and circular with low sides, and a large cone or dome-shaped cover that rests inside the base during cooking. The cover is so designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom. With the cover removed, the base can be taken to the table for serving. (According to Wikipedia, a "trusted" source - ha)
Anyway - this used some leftover chickpeas, other things I had - but I used parsnips and other root veggies in here.
It was good - and supposed to be a huge serving, but I'll probably eat 1 1/2 cups each time. It is great on this cold night!

olive oil
1 big onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely diced or grated
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp cumin
ground pepper
1 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 butternut squash, cubed and peeled
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 carrots, sliced
3 parsnips, sliced

Cook onion, add garlic, then seasonings and water. Add the rest - I just diced them right into the pot as it was going. Cover and let simmer for about 50 minutes. Very easy, healthy, and great flavor. A little sweet from the cinnamon, and savory from the cumin! Better than I thought it was going to be!

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