So Many Dishes

It may not be summer officially, but schools are out here, we’re past Memorial Day, so, as far as I’m concerned, it’s summer. Although we had some surprisingly comfortable weather when a cool front pushed through last week—the first June front to make it all the way down the peninsula since we moved to Florida in 1976–it definitely feels like summer. I also know it’s summer when I start questioning why I chose to make a dish that requires me to heat the oven. It’s time for summer foods, so Sunday was a perfect time to make a summer tagine.

I cooked summer tagine of lamb, zucchini, bell peppers, and mint, from Tagines & Couscous by Ghillie Başan. According to the author, summer tagines use seasonal vegetables and are often light and colorful. This recipe certainly fits that description.

I’ve made this before, and I’ve also made it using beef when I wasn’t able to get lamb. It’s delicious either way, but my preference is definitely lamb. The seasoning is very subtle and compliments the lamb better.

My changes to the recipe are minimal. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I don’t cook with mint, and probably looked askance at the recipe title. You’re right; I didn’t use mint. I substituted cilantro. Oh, you guessed that one, too. I’m writing it up according to the book, but know that, if you’re on team cilantro, it’s delicious this way. The other change I made was to use canned tomatoes instead of fresh. I’m sure it makes a difference in terms of texture, but, with all the other vegetables, I’m not sure that outweighs the convenience. Besides, peeling tomatoes takes me back to my childhood and one of my least favorite chores. My dad grew plum tomatoes in our garden, and my mother would cook up big batches of spaghetti sauce, using the meat sauce recipe from Mama Leone’s in New York. (There’s a long story about that restaurant and cookbook that actually deserves its own post some day). My job was to peel the tomatoes, five pounds at a time. I hated plunging my hands into the hot water, and I really wanted to be doing something more fun. So I cheat and use canned tomatoes when it won’t affect the dish.

I’ve posted about cooking in one of my tagines often enough that I didn’t take a picture of it on the stove. I used the old clay pot, so I had to be very careful not to let the burner get too hot. You don’t need a tagine; a Dutch oven or a large, deep skillet would work, too. You will need to make sure that the liquid doesn’t cook off. Steam condenses in the conical lid of the tagine and falls back into the dish, so drying out is never an issue. I should point out, too, that I can’t take the heat above medium-low with the clay tagine. So some of the steps, especially getting the liquid to a boil, took a looong time 😄

Summer Tagine of Lamb, Zucchini, Bell Peppers, and Mint

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• Thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds lean lamb, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 small zucchini, sliced thickly on the diagonal
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into thick strips
• 4 tomatoes, skinned, seeded and diced OR 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• Leaves from a bunch of fresh mint, roughly chopped
• Leaves from a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 lemon, cut into quarters, to serve

Heat the olive oil in a tagine or heavy-based casserole dish. Stir in the onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, and ginger. Once the onions begin to soften, toss in the meat and pour in enough water to just cover it. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, cover with a lid, and cook gently for 1 1/2 hours.

Season the cooking juices with salt and pepper. Add the zucchini, bell pepper, and tomatoes, tucking them around the meat. (Add a little more water if necessary). Cover with a lid again and cook for 15 minutes, until the zucchini and bell pepper are cooked but retain a little bite.

Toss in some of the chopped parsley and mint, sprinkle the rest over the top, and serve immediately with lemon wedges or the side to squeeze over the dish. Makes 4 servings.

I served the tagine over pearl couscous, and Ken and I both added some harissa. It was even better than I remembered. It left over really well, too.

Happy eating!