At the moment, I find myself in the somewhat awkward and primitive position of praying to a volcano. I imagine that people have been doing this in Iceland for a thousand years, although for the most part it has probably involved virgin sacrifice and an entreaty to spare flocks of sheep from a sea of molten lava. Well I don't have any virgins to offer, but all I want is for the volcano to leave my vaca alone.
In exactly one week, I am scheduled to travel via London to Morocco for ten days of pure enjoyment. I have been looking forward to this for months. In some sense I have been looking forward to it since November 31, 2007, when I returned from Argentina -- that was the last time that I took a whole week off from work and ventured somewhere new in the world.
Here's the plan: three days in the UK for a full-throttle English wedding, four days trekking in Morocco's Atlas mountains, and then three days in Marrekech to spend at spice markets and souks, getting hammam treatments, eating street food, and sunbathing. Yeah, so it's a pretty nice vacation that we lined up for ourselves.
Unfortunately, as I write this, there's a big, angry plume of volcanic ash drifting around up there, and whether or not my trip actually happens depends -- literally -- on which way the wind blows and how long the erruption lasts. The only ash cloud I've ever worried about up until now is the one circling my head when I'm trying to sneak a cigarette, but I've become obsessed with this thing: tracking its movements, researching prevailing seasonal wind patterns, checking up on airport-by-airport flight disruptions.
Everyone keeps reminding me that there's nothing I can do about it, so I might as well just relax. "Relax" isn't in my vocabulary, but it translates most closely to "make a stew."
In honor of the (hopefully) impending trip, I decided to make a tagine.
A tagine is a Morrocan stew (as well as the name of the vessel that you use to cook it in). There are countless variations, but they tend to feature a handful of the following: olives, apricots, apples, raisins, dates, almonds, fresh or preserved lemons, orange, lamb, chicken, honey, and spices including cinnamon, saffron, ginger, turmeric, cumin, paprika, and/or the King of all North African spice blends, Ras El Hanout.
I absolutely love a good stew: they're warm, comforting, filling, and fun to make. A stew is just enough work to make you feel like you've accomplished something but not enough to make you regret starting it in the first place. Here's the general formula:
-Chopping things, like meat, celery, carrots, onions;
-Browning meat on the stovetop (a critical step for anything that's going to cook slowly in liquid
it gives the meat that rich roasted flavor);
-Dumping liquids and spices into a pot, cracking open a bottle of wine, and giving the simmering mixture an occassional stir, sniff, and taste.
Once your stew is done, you have a one-pot meal with loads of leftovers that will taste even better in a day or two once the flavors have had a chance to meld. Stews also freeze beautifully, especially if you put them away the same night they're made.
I got this particular tagine recipe from the New York Times and found it to be flavorful, lean, and easy to prepare. It does require buying lots of spices, especially if you don't have a good collection to start with, but once you have those on hand your second, third, and fourth tagine will be dramatically less pricey to buy for. In terms of equipment: I don't have an actual tagine (in a New York City apartment? Please.), but an enameled cast-iron pot works just as well. If you don't have that, then an oven-proof 5 quart pot will fit the bill.
If Eyjafjallajokull cooperates, hopefully this will be the first of many Morrocan-themed posts to come. Keep your fingers crossed.
Lamb Tagine With Green Olives
From The New York Times, April 5 2010
Serves 4
For the spice mixture:
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Generous pinch cayenne
Pinch saffron
For the tagine:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds lamb stew meat, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion, sliced into medium-width pieces (about 1 cup)
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon diced, fresh ginger (from about 1 inch)
Juice of 1 orange
1 14-ounce can diced or chopped tomatoes
1 2-inch-long piece of orange peel
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon honey
1 medium carrot, sliced ½-inch thick (about 1 cup)
1 celery rib, sliced ½-inch thick (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1½ tablespoons sesame seeds 8 green olives, sliced into quarters (about 1/4 cup)
For the citrus rice:
1½ cups basmati rice, rinsed 3 times
1 bay leaf, preferably fresh
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Juice of 1 lemon
1 orange, sectioned and chopped (about ¼ cup)
2 scallions, sliced
1. Make the spice mixture by stirring together the spices in a small bowl. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large, ovenproof stew pot or tagine, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season the lamb all over with salt and pepper. Add the meat to the pot and stir to coat in the oil. Brown for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the meat browns evenly on all sides. Transfer the meat to a bowl and set it aside.
3. Lower the heat to medium and add the onion, stirring to coat. Sauté for about a minute, until it begins to soften. Add the garlic and ginger and add the meat back to the pot. Stir everything together. Squeeze the orange juice into the pot and mix well. Add the tomatoes, orange peel, spice mixture, chicken broth and honey. Mix well. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then cover the pot and put it in the oven. Cook for 1 hour or until the meat is about half-cooked.
4. Stir in the carrots and celery and return the pot to the oven. Cook for another 30 to 45 minutes, until the sauce is thick and reduced and the lamb is tender.
5. While the tagine is in the oven, toast the almonds and the sesame seeds in a small pan over low heat until the nuts are golden, about 5 minutes, stirring regularly to make sure the almonds don’t burn.
6. About 15 minutes before the tagine is finished, make the citrus rice: Put the rice and 2 cups of water in a large pot set over high heat. Add the bay leaf, lemon zest, salt, red-pepper flakes and butter. When the water boils, lower the heat and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Continue to simmer until the liquid has been absorbed, about 12 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the lemon juice, orange pieces and scallions and mix well. Transfer to a large bowl and serve immediately.
7. Remove the garlic clove and orange peel from the tagine. Add the olives and spoon the tagine onto a large serving plate. Sprinkle the almonds and sesame seeds on top. Serve immediately, with citrus rice.
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