Algerian Okra Potato And Tomato Tagine Recipes

ALGERIAN OKRA, POTATO AND TOMATO TAGINE

Steps:

• Place the okra in a large bowl. Salt generously, douse with the vinegar, and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour while you prepare the remaining ingredients, tossing from time to time. Drain the okra, and rinse thoroughly. If the potatoes are not very small (no more than 1 inch wide and no more than 2 inches long), quarter them or cut them in half.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy casserole or (preferably) an earthenware pot set over a flame tamer. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic, and stir for about half a minute until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, parsley, cilantro, spice mix, turmeric, saffron and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, and simmer until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly and smell fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the dissolved tomato paste, and bring to a simmer.
• Add the potatoes, okra and the preserved lemon. Cover and simmer 45 minutes to an hour, adding a small amount of water if the mixture seems dry, until the potatoes and okra are tender and the sauce they have cooked in is thick. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Mix all of the spices together. Keep in a jar in a cool place or in the freezer.

SPICY POTATO TAGINE WITH PRESERVED LEMON AND OLIVES

Steps:

• 1. Peel the potatoes and thickly slice into a bowl of cold water.
• 2. In heavy saucepan set over moderate heat, cook the grated onion in olive oil until melting, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato, ginger, paprika, cumin, and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes.
• 3. Drain the potatoes and add to the pan with the thinly sliced onion, the bay leaf, and the fresh lemon quarter. Toss to coat the potatoes, onion, and lemon quarter with the parsley, cilantro, and salt to taste. Add the saffron and 1 1/2 cups hot water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 40 minutes.
• 4. Use a slotted spatula to transfer to a covered serving dish to keep warm. Discard the lemon. Add the olives to the liquid and boil until the pan juices are reduced to a thick sauce. Correct the seasoning, pour over the potatoes, and garnish with the preserved lemon.
• Paula Wolfert shares her tips with Epicurious:
• • To grate tomatoes: Halve and gently squeeze to remove the seeds. Grate the tomato halves, cut side facing the coarsest side of a box grater or flat shredder. You will be left with just the tomato skin on your hand; discard.
• • Wolfert recommends cooking this dish the way Moroccans traditionally do: in a clay pot such as a Mexican cazuela or Moroccan tagine. The porous clay absorbs liquid from the dish, then slowly releases steam as it heats, which results in a more flavorful, juicy dish. Moroccan tagines are available at www.tagines.com. A note of warning: Clay pots are sensitive to rapid temperature changes, which can cause cracking. Don't put anything hot in a cold tagine or anything cold in a hot tagine. Consider investing in a flame-tamer or heat-diffuser (a metal plate that's placed over the burner) to distribute heat evenly.