I just love my Emile Henry Tagine, not only because it looks so striking on my table, but also because it is such a versatile piece of cooking equipment. At first glance, these ceramic cooking vessels may appear delicate and fiddly to use, with their glassy sheen and pointed lid, but this is really not the case. Ceramic clay is one of the most durable and high performing mediums to cook with – in fact ‘tagines’ have been used to cook in since the 12th century. See my previous recipe post for Morroccan Chicken and Preserved Lemon Tagine here.
Tagine dishes can be used on the stove top or in the oven. The classic cone shaped cover is there for a couple of reasons: firstly, the design causes the condensation during cooking to run down to the bottom of the base, allowing everything inside to remain moist and tender.
Secondly, the domed shape is for stacking ingredients in order of the time they take to cook: meat on the bottom, hard vegetables like carrots and potatoes in the middle, and softer vegetables on the top. This allows food to be cooked all at the same time in one dish, with the heat circulating around and without the need to be stirred or checked upon.
Some tips for cooking with tagines:
- Use a low - medium heat and don’t worry so much about going over with cooking time – you can exceed cooking times in recipes with the use of a tagine.
- Always use some liquid: think of a tagine like a braising dish.
- Always use the lid, which is designed to let heat circulate around the food.
- Stack up ingredients in a cone shape: meat or harder vegetables on the bottom, soft vegetables on top.
Specific points about Emile Henry tagines:
- Oven and Hob Safe
- Dishwasher Safe
- Microwave Safe
- Freezer Safe
- 30% Lighter than cast iron
- 2 Litre capacity
I find vegetables can turn out beautifully cooked in a tagine, and none better than pumpkin to take on the traditional warming spices and ginger, light tomato and turmeric infused broth, earthy yellow lentils and sweet chopped dried apricot. See my recipe here for Pumpkin and Yellow Lentil Tagine.
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Becky Gilhespie is a food writer and former Masterchef semi-finalist. She is currently working part-time as a chef, having chosen to do on the job training instead of enrolling at the culinary school. Becky is a recipe writer and product tester for many household name brands via Everten, and her own food blog, www.eatwhatweeat.com focuses on family-friendly meals with the wow factor that are healthy, fast and simple to prepare.
Becky is originally from the US but lived in London for 15 years and now resides in Gerringong on the NSW South Coast with her husband and two little boys. Her food is inspired a lot by her travels (and desire to travel more).
