Stews are one of the finest features of North African cooking. There, this exotic and fragrant dish is cooked to perfection in a cone-shaped ceramic pot called a tajine. Saffron gives it a uniquely Moroccan taste. Vegetable tajines can be served with bread or on a bed of couscous.
Vegetable Tajine
Recipe type: Main Dish, Stew
Cuisine: Moroccan, North African
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 1½ cups chopped onions
- 3 garlic cloves, pressed
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- I teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 cups cubed potatoes
- 1 cup chopped green beans
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cups cubed fresh tomatoes
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 13-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and halved (reserve the brine)
- ½ cup pitted black olives, halved
- pinch of saffron
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- toasted, chopped almonds
Instructions
- Sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are translucent.
- Add the thyme, potatoes, green beans, bell pepper, and tomatoes and cook on medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the vegetable stock and the brine from the artichokes and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in the halved artichoke hearts, the black olives, and a pinch of saffron.
- Continue to simmer gently for another 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with bread or on couscous and top with chopped almonds.
Is there any adjustment that would need to be made to this recipe in order to cook it in the ceramic tagine dish?
Hi Whitney,
I’m checking with Lisa Wichman and Fouad Makki who developed this wonderful stew. Stay tuned.
This stew looks really pretty and colorful in a bowl and it’s delicious, especially served hot on a bed of couscous with sliced toasted almonds on top. I like to slice raw almonds two or three times lengthwise, with the almonds lying flat, toast them in the oven, and then top the stew with them. I think I got that from a similar recipe in the Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant book.