This recipe is a light reinterpretation of a North African dish. “Tagine” is the name of the dish in which this dish is prepared. It is a clay pot with a dome-like lid with an opening at the top. The food prepared in this dish is cooked slowly, over low heat, usually over coals or wood. The ingredients traditionally used differ from one area to another. They are usually vegetables or even local fruits, cooked together with a meat source: chicken, fish or lamb, enriched with fragrant, rich spices.
I didn’t have a traditional tagine, but 2 small clay pots, glazed inside, and in them I baked an individual portion of a mixture of vegetables and sardines. I “scented” with smoked paprika, turmeric and pepper. It is a quick, filling and very simple meal to prepare and bake.
Ingredients
For 2 tagines
- A pack of marinated sardines (12-16 pieces)
- A large onion
- A piece of cauliflower the size of 2 fistfuls
- A bunch of parsley
- 200 grams of peeled tomatoes in their own juice
- A small red pepper or a bell pepper
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of turmeric
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Recipe Method
All the preparation of the ingredients will take very little time, so I turned on the oven and set it to 180 degrees Celsius.
I put the peeled tomatoes, parsley (I kept a few leaves for decoration), salt and garlic in the blender and blended until they were all chopped up.
I put the ingredients in the “tagine” dishes in the following order: the chopped juice from the blender, the julienne cut onion, the cauliflower cut into small florets, the sardines, and on top the pepper rings. Dusted with smoked paprika, turmeric and black pepper, then put 3-4 tablespoons of water and one of olive oil on top.
The oven is hot, so I put the dishes inside. It will be ready in 30-35 minutes, when the sardines are browning a bit and the onions and cauliflower are al dente.
I let it cool for 10 minutes, then garnish with parsley. I ate this tagine goodness with a slice of toast and a hot cup of coffee.
