Tagine Alert

We decided to make a fish tangine. We purchased halibut at McCall’s Meat and Fish. We used a recipe for Moroccan Fish Tagine with Tomatoes, Olives, and Preserved Lemons from Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking by Paula Wolfert.

Everyone contributed to the meal. We started with a great bubbly wine that we purchased from Palate. It is called: Ca Va Bien. Unfortunately, they don’t have any more; we really liked it. I checked on the internet and can’t find it anywhere. Guess we have to wait till next year to buy more.

Billy and Kevin made Shrimp as an appetizer. Yummy!

Darryl and Robert brought Fresh Tomato Soup. It was basically a delivery system for their Garlic Aioli! Tomatoes are finally at their near peak and the soup was wonderful.

Cathy made Couscous to eat with the tagine. It was delicious! This is a good recipe if you want to make a tagine.

Fig season is almost over. We made our fig upside down cake. It is very easy to make. We make it every year, serve it first for desert and then eat the remaining cake for breakfast. If you don’t bake and want to give it a shot, it is a good place to start. You can find the recipe in our blog of: Aug. 4, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe.

Moroccan Fish Tagine with Tomatoes, Olives, and Preserved Lemons

Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking by Paula Wolfert

SERVES 6

Fish baked in a clay pot takes beautifully to long, slow simmering in the famous complex Moroccan herb-and- spice sauce called charmoula. Ingredients that include garlic, cumin, cilantro, hot pepper, and preserved lemon permeate the flesh of most any type offish. Add time to the equation and you have a dish that is bright, savory, and exciting to eat. Serve the fish at table directly from the clay baking dish.

Preferred Clay Pot:

An 11- or 12-inch Moroccan tagine, or tagra or Spanish cazuela, or 3-quart flameware or La Chamba shallow baking dish

3 teaspoons cumin seeds

3 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

¼ - ½ teaspoons crushed hot red pepper

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

4 wedges preserved lemon, rinsed, pulp and
peel separated

3 tablespoons fruity extra virgin olive oil

1 pound monkfish fillet or thick slabs of halibut

1 large carrot, very thinly sliced

2 celery ribs, stringed and very thinly sliced

1 pound red ripe tomatoes, peeled with a swivel serrated peeler and sliced into thin rounds

1 small green bell pepper, sliced into very thin rounds

2 dozen Moroccan red (see Note) or picholine olives, rinsed and pitted

2 imported bay leaves

Fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish

1.     Early in the day, or a day in advance, toast the cumin seeds by tossing them in a hot, dry conventional skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute. Grind to a powder and set aside. Make the charmoula: In a mortar or blender, combine the garlic, cumin, salt, paprika, parsley, cilantro, the pulp of the preserved lemon, and the olive oil. Puree to a smooth sauce.

2.     Rinse the fish and pat dry with paper towels. If using monkfish, cut away the gray membrane and divide the fish into 4 even chunks. Rub half of the charmoula all over the fish, and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature, or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Add ½ cup water to the remaining charmoula, cover, and refrigerate separately.

3.     About 1 1/2 hours before serving, preheat the oven to 300°F. Spread 2 tablespoons of the reserved charmoula sauce over the bottom of the tagine. Scatter the carrot and celery on top. Add half of the tomatoes land bell peppers; sprinkle with a little sauce. Lay the fish over the vegetables and cover with the remaining-tomatoes and peppers. Spread the remaining charmoula on top. scatter the diced preserved lemon peel and the bay leaves around the fish. Cover the dish tightly with a sheet of foil and bake for 1 hour.

4.     Pour off the liquid from the dish into a small nonreactive saucepan. Bring it to a boil over moderately high heat and boil until it is thickened and reduced to 1/2 cup. Pour back over the fish.

5.     Meanwhile, raise the oven temperature to 500°F. Baste the fish with the pan juices and bake, uncovered, in the top third of the oven for 10 minutes, or until a nice crust has formed over the vegetables. Transfer the tagine to a wooden surface or folded kitchen towel to prevent cracking. Garnish with cilantro sprigs. Serve warm or hot.

Note to the Cook: "Moroccan red" olives aren't really red; they can be russet, tan, violet, or even purple in color. Picked when ripe but not black, they are preserved in an acidic marinade and are particularly delicious when marinated in bitter orange juice. You can find them at www.chefshop.com. Another good choice is Lindsay-canned "Green Ripe Olives," which are produced in California and available at most supermarkets.