Beef Tagine | Beef Recipes | Jamie Oliver Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is special about the process of cooking a tagine stew? ›

This is because of the pot — also called a tagine — used to prepare the dish. With its tightfitting, cone-shaped lid, a tagine steams the stew as it cooks, catching the rising, aromatic vapor and allowing it to drip back over the ingredients, thereby bathing them in their own juices.

Tagines are usually made with chicken or lamb, but almost any protein can be used in place of the classic options. This flavorful recipe calls for swordfish steaks, which match perfectly with the dish's Moroccan spices.

The best lamb to use for lamb tagine is lamb shoulder. It's a tough cut of meat that is made for slow cooking that's marbled with fat so it's beautifully juicy. Sometimes it is generically sold as “lamb stew meat”.

Meat: beef, lamb and chicken are very popular in making tagines, and the cooking time of a medium tagine for about one kilo of meat will take more or less 2 hours and a half, sometimes more, depending on the size of meat cuts. Some areas, especially the south, goat and camel meat may be turned into tagines.

How Long Does It Take To Cook A Perfect Tagine? At the camp we cook all of our tagines on charcoal braziers; they normally take around 1.5 hrs. You can also cook them on the hob, just make sure you don't turn the heat up too high – a tagine should be cooked on a low to medium-low heat.

Bring to the boil, cover with a fitted lid, place in the oven and cook for 2-2½ hours or until the meat is meltingly tender.

Cracks may form if the heat is too high, i.e. cooking above medium-low heat, especially when cooking dry or semi-dry recipes. It's best to cook these kinds of recipes (like stir-fries and sautés) after the pot is fully seasoned.

Tagines are primarily used to slow-cook savory stews and vegetable dishes. Because the lid of the tagine traps steam and returns the condensed liquid to the pot, a minimal amount of water is needed to cook meats and vegetables to buttery tenderness.

Some tagines have a small hole at the top of the lid that releases steam, meaning the sauce reduces as the steam escapes. But if your tagine doesn't have a hole, reduce the sauce by removing the lid in the last 15-30 minutes of cooking.

If we look at fatty acids, like CLA and omega-3's, lamb comes out victorious and can be seen as marginally healthier. If we look at vitamins, like B12 and zinc, beef comes out victorious. The bottom line is both are excellent and both should be eaten with abundance!

Can you brown meat in a tagine? ›

Sometimes you'll encounter recipes which direct you to brown the meat first, which is really not necessary. If you do decide to brown the meat, however, it's best done in a separate skillet since a clay or ceramic tagine should not be used over high heat.

A tajine or tagine (Arabic: طاجين) is a North African dish, named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked. It is also called maraq or marqa.

Tenderising and concentrating flavours

Traditionally, the tagine was made popular due to its ability to tenderise and cook lower-quality or tougher meats, which, while being cheaper or more abundant, are also the most flavoursome cuts if given adequate time to simmer.

When you cook in a Tagine you get the unique earthy flavor you can't get when you cook in a regular pot or pan. You can put a modern twist on any traditional dish or experiment with your own blend of ingredients.

The tagine's conical shape makes a uniquely moist, hot environment for the dish being cooked. The base is wide and shallow, and the tall lid fits snugly inside. As the food cooks, steam rises into the cone, condenses, and then trickles down the sides back into the dish.

Tagines are primarily used to slow-cook savory stews and vegetable dishes. Because the lid of the tagine traps steam and returns the condensed liquid to the pot, a minimal amount of water is needed to cook meats and vegetables to buttery tenderness.

Benefits of a Tagine

A tagine is ideal for slow-cooked recipes and blends all the ingredients from traditional North African cuisine together in one pot. A tagine ensures a consistent experience, cooking food evenly and retaining heat longer.

This is a slow-cooking method, similar to braising, with the key difference being the beef is covered in liquid. Stewing is best done in a heavy stockpot or Dutch oven on the stovetop or in the oven, or in a slow-cooker.