On Eid, I happened to be in London staying at Robbie and Clare’s. He’s a wonderful host, a dear friend and a gifted cook. By sheer chance, he decided to prepare a tajine, a Moroccan staple, and therefore appropriate for the occasion. Traditionally, a tajine (or tagine) is a clay dish used to make stews. It consists of a slightly curved base on which sits a conical top with an open chimney. This arrangement allows the rising steam to condense on the cooler upper part and descend back into the stew, keeping the dish moist.

I have eaten several variations of this North African speciality on my trips to Morocco, but had never seen one being prepared from scratch. Robbie’s tagine, unlike the original clay pots, had a base of cast iron, while the upper half was made of glazed clay. As with most stews, all the work goes into the preparation: Robbie placed cubed lamb in the base, together with very finely sliced onion, garlic, parsley and coriander. He had bought some sweet potatoes which he cut into large pieces. These were put into the tagine an hour or so after the tagine had been simmering to prevent them from breaking up.

Salt, pepper and flaked red chillies were followed by Rasel Hanout, a Moroccan spice mix that includes nutmeg, cumin, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, rose petals, paprika, sugar, cardamom powder, cloves and allspice. Luckily, you can buy this in readymade form in London, although Moroccan housewives pride themselves on preparing it fresh, much as we do garam masala in India and Pakistan.

The joy of having a traditional Moroccan dish in London

Once all the ingredients and spices were mixed together, Robbie put the conical top on the dish and placed it on the cooking range at a high heat. As soon as it was hot, he lowered the heat to the lowest setting, and let the tagine simmer gently. No oil was used as the meat and onions would give off their liquid to moisten the dish.

When Robbie removed the tagine after around two-and-a-half hours, it was perfectly cooked and gave off a wonderful aroma. The meat was tender, and the sweet potatoes served as a counterpoint to the gently spiced dish. Until a few decades ago, Moroccans would take their tagines to the local hamams, or public baths, in the evening when the fire had burned out, but the embers were still warm. The clay tagines were left to gently simmer in the ashes overnight, and when they were collected early the following morning, would be perfectly cooked.

Traditionally, a tajine (or tagine) is a clay dish used to make stews. It consists of a slightly curved base on which sits a conical top with an open chimney.

But despite our enjoyment of his tagine, Robbie was unhappy that he had forgotten to put in preserved lemons; this is an important condiment in Moroccan cooking and imports a tangy flavour. Robbie makes his by filling a glass jar with quartered lemons, packing the spaces in between with salt, pouring some lemon juice in and topping it up with a layer of olive oil before sealing the jar, and letting it rest for a couple of months, turning it over once in a while. In her book, The Edible Atlas, Mina Holland recommends the addition of a few cloves, a cinnamon stick, some coriander seeds and 10 peppercorns. The flavour is, unsurprisingly, far more intense than fresh lemons.

On festive occasions, Moroccans cook pigeons in their tagines. The traditional recipe calls for caster sugar, together with prunes and dates. The only time I tried it in Marrakesh, I found it a bit too sweet for my liking. I would have preferred it without the sugar as I think the prunes and dates would have provided enough sweetness to the dish.

Having watched Robbie use his tagine to such good effect, I realise I must add one to our collection of kitchenware. I love the concept of slow cooking, and have occasionally allowed lamb shanks to simmer slowly in the oven overnight on the lowest possible setting. But I think I would use stronger spicing, and some hot green chillies. And maybe I would brown the meat before letting it simmer. OK, it wouldn’t be a traditional Moroccan tagine, but it’ll be fun experimenting with the possibilities the dish opens up.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, October 19th, 2014