Tagine: Spicy Stews from Morocco
by Ghillie Basan
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Book Reviews of Tagine: Spicy Stews from Morocco
Book Review: Delicious things.
Summary: 4 Stars
We've been picking out a tagine or two to prepare each week... and so far all have been absolutely delicious! Because some of the items must cook slowly to enhance the flavors, I imagine it would be difficult to overcook anything-- yay for me! There is a middle eastern market near my house where I have been able to get some of the unique spices and ingredients. I have also found there are plenty of spice retailers online if you don't have access to such a market near you. The book admits there are some not-so-traditional tagines included, like the creamy shellfish tagine. Totally delicious, however. There was one recipe with saffron in the title, but saffron could not be found listed ANYWHERE in the recipe. I found that perplexing. Still, I rate this book 4-stars as it has brought new culinary delights to our table and tummies!Book Review: Cooking with a Tagine: Spicy Stews from Morocco
Summary: 5 Stars
"A dish of tender meat or succulent vegetables, simmered to perfection in buttery sauces with fruit, herbs, honey, and chiles, an authentic tagine is in a class of its own and has become a fundamental feature of Moroccan cuisine." So says Ghillie Basan the author of this cookbook. The secret of tagines is explained as it is both the vessel used to cook the food and the finished dish. Recipes are for traditional lamb tagines; beef, kefta, and sausage tagines; chicken and duck tagines; fish and shellfish tagines; vegetable tagines; and traditional accompaniments. Some of the fundamental and traditional ingredients that are indispensable to authentic tagines, like preserved lemons, harissa, ras-el-hanout, and ghee, are provided. Lovely photography is by Martin Brigdale. A good cookbook to whet your appetite for Moroccan cuisine.Book Review: Quick "How To" guide for the curious
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was not intended to be a detailed, step by step quide to Moroccan cooking! I purchased this book because it was small (only 64 pages, and each recipe has an in color full page image to accompany it), inexpensive, and a good way for me to 'get my feet wet' with Tagine cooking. True, as a Vegetarian myself, it may appear strange to purchase this seemingly meat heavy recipe book. HOWEVER!!:
There are six vegetarian recipes in the book and the four accompaniment dishes (in all honesty, one of them is for cous cous) listed in the back are veggie friendly, AND any truly savvy cook can definitely prepare several of the carnivorous recipes with meatless items (or just sans meat! :-D). I say it's a worthwhile buy for ANY appetite wanting to learn something new.
Book Review: Not completely what I expected
Summary: 3 Stars
I am a huge fan of Moroccan cooking, and I have spent a lot of time in Morocco learning how to cook the food. I was hoping that this book would fill in some of the more regional recipes, which it did. However, the "less traditional" recipes are what disappointed me. I tried one of the lamb recipes and it was good, but some of the recipes call for ingredients that would be extremely hard to find. Some could be found in gourment food shop, and some you would have to go to a specialty shop to find them. Almost all Moroccans rely on simple foods put out at the souq, and some of the ingredients were items that I have not seen in Morocco. I would even venture to call this Moroccan fusion, but if you are looking for typical Moroccan recipes, it has some, but not many.Book Review: Needs Improvement
Summary: 3 Stars
I just received this book, and am disappointed in it. First of all, it is smaller than I thought it would be. Secondly, I bought an expensive tagine to go with the recipes in this book for use in the oven, yet this book doesn't give instructions for oven use (not that I have found anyway). Third, most recipes call for lamb. Since I don't eat lamb I would like to substitute beef, pork, or chicken, but the book doesn't state if this would work. The beautiful pictures and interesting history of the food doesn't make up for the lack of useful information in my opinion.