Terra Cotta Tagine Cookware – 10 inch/serves 4

Explore the delicious flavor of the tagine! Spanish and Moroccan culture mixed for nearly a thousand years, and this traditional cookware is ubiquitous in the Berber country of Morocco. Tagine is the name of the cookware and the prepared dish, a slow cooked mixture of meats, fresh vegetables, olives and spices such as saffron, cumin and cinnamon. The unique shape of the tagine allows moisture to condense on the conical lid and drip back down into the ingredients, keeping them wonderfully moist and tender. There is a knob at the top of the tagine with a small ventring hole that makes removal of the lid very easy. Traditionally a tagine contains flavorful cuts of meat with a good amount of fat, such as lamb shanks or chicken, and the fat can be skimmed away later. Over hours the meat simmers with vegetables and spices until it is fall-off-the-bone tender. When the tagine meal is ready, it is served directly from the bottom dish of the tagine. Over time the terra cotta clay will pick up a patina, darkening with the cooking process. Before its first use, soak your tagine overnight. Coat lightly with oil and heat in a 300 degree oven for an hour or so (do not preheat the oven).