Targine cooking.

One of the things I do know for certain about cooking in a tagine and that is the arrangement of the food has to be "attractive" because it is served at the table and apparently Morroccans have and eye for attractive presentation, same as everyone else I suppose.

So apparently you do not just plonk everything in the dish any old how, you arrange it in layers with an eye for colour, texture and shape, etc.

Never read so such garbage in my whole life.

I took a looksee on google and found some good looking recipes that had the option of cooking them in atagine or in a conventional casserole dish.
There did seem to be a specific way of layering the ingredients in the tagine,just as any recipe has an order that ingredients are put into a cooking vessel.No mention of following these instructions just for pleasing the eye.Anyway,they looked and sounded delicious and I am going to try some of the recipes out.The slow cooked lamb is first on my list!This is the site
http://moroccanfood.about.com/od/moroccanfood101/tp/List_Simple_Easy_Recipes.htm

plain nasty.

Hey, I don't think buzzy meant to be nasty. it's just the way it comes out - acerbic may be a better word!

Nastier.

Huh!Acerbic just means harsh. she doesn't mean any harm, IMO!

I know little of Moroccan cuisine, so am not qualified to give an informed comment.However, I don't find it implausible that many Moroccans, belonging to an aesthetic culture which emphasises pattern and colour, should seek to convey these values through their culinary presentation.

Then you should take it up with Peta Mathias as she is the source of that bit of information. Lol.

This recipe is from Ghillie Basan.authr of "Tagine" and "Flavours Of Morrocco"

Lamb tagine with prunes and apricots

Serves 4, with couscous.
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp blanched almonds
1 large red onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
A thumb-size piece of ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
A pinch of saffron threads
2 cinnamon sticks
1-2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 lb boneless leg of lamb, or boneless lamb shanks, cubed
12 pitted prunes, soaked in hot water for 1 hour, drained
6 dried apricots, soaked in hot water for 1 hour, drained
3-4 strips orange peel
1-2 Tbsp agave nectar or dark honey
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Handful of flat-leaf parsley or cilantro leaves, for garnish

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or Dutch oven, stir in the almonds, and cook until they turn golden. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté until they begin to color (do not burn the garlic). Stir in the ginger, saffron, cinnamon sticks and coriander seeds. Add the lamb, making sure it is coated in the onion and spices, and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

If you are using a frying pan, transfer everything to the base of a ceramic tagine.

Pour in enough water to just cover the meat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to lowest simmer, cover the tagine or Dutch oven, and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender. Add the prunes, apricots and orange peel, cover the tagine again, and simmer 15-20 minutes. Stir in the agave or honey, salt and pepper, cover, and continue to simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce turns syrupy and slightly caramelized, but not dry. Stir in the parsley or cilantro, and serve with couscous or bread.

Quotecookessentials (1199 )3:12 pm, Tue 14 Jun #6
This is one of my favourites.

Tagine of spicy kefta with lemon (Serves 4-6)

(Taken from Flavours of Morocco)

For the kefta
450g (1lb) finely minced lamb
1 onion, finely chopped, or grated
a small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoon ras-el-hanout
sea salt

2 tablespoons ghee
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
a small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 lemon, cut into 4 or 6 segments, with pips removed
sea salt

To make the kefta, pound the minced lamb in bowl. Using your hands, lift up the lump of minced meat and slap it back down into the bowl. Add the chopped onion, parsley, and spices and season with salt and pepper. Again, using your hands, mix the ingredients together and knead well, pounding the mixture for a few minutes. Take pieces of the mixture and shape them into little cherry-sized balls. (These can be made ahead of time and kept chilled in the refrigerator).

Heat the ghee in a tagine, or heavy-based casserole pot. Stir in the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and saute with the sugar until they begin to brown. Add the turmeric and half the coriander and pour in roughly 300ml (10fl oz) water. Bring the water to the boil, reduce the heat and carefully place the kefta in the liquid. Put the lid back on and cook the kefta gently for about 30 minutes, rolling them in the liquid from time to time. Tuck the lemon segments around the kefta, season with salt, and cook gently for another 20 minutes. Garnish with the rest of the coriander and serve hot with a chunks of crusty bread or couscous.

I read an interesting article on the lead content on some of these. Some countries do not have the same stringent regs. as we do, and it is not a requirement to put this on the import documents. You could put a few health issues down to the use of these by some folk.