By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 2 hours 30 minutes
- Rating
- 4(94)
- Notes
- Read community notes
A tagine is a North African stew made in an earthenware dish that has a conical top. You can make a tagine in other types of heavy casseroles, like enameled cast iron, but I prefer to use earthenware set over a flame tamer.
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Ingredients
- 1½pounds okra, ends trimmed
- Salt
- ½cup apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1½pound small boiling potatoes, like fingerlings
- 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2medium onions, finely chopped
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 1pound tomatoes, seeded and grated; or peeled, seeded and chopped
- ¼cup minced parsley
- ¼cup minced cilantro
- 1teaspoon spice mix (see below)
- 1teaspoon turmeric
- Pinch of saffron
- 2tablespoons tomato paste dissolved in 1 cup water
- ½preserved lemon, thinly sliced optional
- Salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 2teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½teaspoon ground ginger
- 1teaspoon powdered turmeric
- ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- ¼teaspoon freshly ground cardamom seed
- ¼teaspoon freshly ground cloves
- ½teaspoon ground allspice
For the Algerian Spice Mix
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
217 calories; 5 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 893 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
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.
Step
2
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.
Step
3
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.
Step
4
Mix all of the spices together. Keep in a jar in a cool place or in the freezer.
- Advance preparation: You can make this dish up to a day ahead of serving. Reheat gently on top of the stove.
Ratings
4
out of 5
94
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Delicious
Didn’t have any preserved lemons so I added some olives which are often used in traditional tagline and a little spoonful of the brine for some saltiness. Also added some carrots for a touch of sweetness and used whole cherry tomatoes for little juicy bursts in your mouth which may have been the best cooked tomato ever. One extra tip, if you don’t have the spices on hand you can use pumpkin pie spice which contains cinnamon, cloves, allspice etc as a substitute.
Drew
I thought this was okay, but nothing special. I found the broth to be too sweet, almost ketchupy. I am man enough to admit that I didn't follow the instructions to a T. I used some lemon peel instead of preserved lemon, so that could have impacted things!
Bates
This was delicious, but the quartered red potatoes I used took an extra hour to get tender. Definitely recommend very small potatoes or to cut them up smaller.
Casper Pike
GREAT.. Made a 50% increase batch. Great spices (no safron ;(( ) To bulk it a little more I added a package of frozen lima Beans, I like texture. Two 14 oz cans of diced and peeled tomatoes. I will make this summer when a local fellow who sells homegrown Okra has them. Along with rice I have it as a main.
Lila
I have some homemade canned pickled okra left over from last summer with vinegar, lemon, garlic, and black peppercorns as the primary flavors. I wonder if substituting it for fresh okra would work? Has anyone attempted this?
Alicia
I LOVED this recipe!!
I didn't have lemon but I did add farm-fresh chicken sausage (no fennel) to this. I added the sausage after adding the garlic to brown it. It cooked wonderfully! I added a 1/2 cup of farm-fresh chicken bone broth instead of plain water when it seemed to be losing liquid. Can't wait to make this again. Perfect amount of spice and the flavors were so rich!
Harriet
What could I have done wrong? The spices overwhelmed this dish. Still ISO a great okra dish.
Tia
I didn't have a lot of the spices on hand (cooked from someone else's kitchen) so I wonder if that played a part in my initial reaction to this, which was "It's okay. A bit on the sweet side...." Deciding to add a good dash of cayenne made this pop--in my opinion.
Sandy Camargo
This was okay, but not a four- or five-star dish. Perhaps because we are not vegetarians, but we found it dull, especially for all the work involved.
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