Tagines and Couscous: Delicious recipes for Moroccan one-pot cooking

The first time I looked through this book, I didn't think I'd get much use from it--sort of an "Oh, well" reaction. But as I have looked through it several more times, I've realized what a good book it is. First, the photography is beautiful--rich color and intricate detail.Second, Basan opens the book with the basics of making some basics: the aged butter called smen (I'm passing on that one); preserved lemons (I've put up my first batch); chermoula (a marinade I'd like to try on fish); harissa paste (a super hot spice mixture I'll avoid); and ras-el-hanout (a very commonly used spice mixture which I'll have to try making on my own unless someone sells it commercially without black pepper).I also like the way the book is divided into sections: lamb tagines (a "tagine" is a food mixture as well as the dish in which this food mixture is cooked), beef & sausage tagines, poultry tagines, seafood tagines, vegetable tagines, couscous dishes, and other side dishes.I've made one lamb tagine and one vegetable tagine, both with good results, and I've marked 13 other recipes I'd like to try.There is a learning curve with these recipes, but don't let the difference intimidate you (I'll admit to being a little scared at first). However, the difference is the fun of trying these new tastes.And you don't need a tagine dish, though I wish I had one--you can use a wide covered frying pan or a heavy iron pot with a lid (like a Le Creuset or Lodge French/Dutch oven).

I just received this lovely book and I am excited to try some of these recipes. The recipes sound delicious and very simple to make. My purchase was for a used book from Book Outlet & I am very pleased with the prompt service & beautiful book. :)

I've had this book for a little over a month now and have made several recipes from it. The finished dishes were absolutely delicious and have gotten raves from my husband, who has never been that fond of Moroccan restaurants. But he just loves the food that comes out of this book. The recipes are nicely adapted to the American kitchen and rely on fresh ingredients. The cooking techniques used are not at all complicated and are pretty easy, actually. You don't need a real tagine to cook in (although the ones made by Emile Henry are really pretty); I use a 4 qt. All Clad saute pan and this is the right size for the recipes in the book. The basic buttery couscous recipe is fabulous and is now the only way I make couscous. No more sticky lumps of couscous. Each grain comes out perfectly separate and fluffy and deeply flavorful. This cookbook is also a joy to read, with excellent commentary on Moroccan cooking and folkways and simply gorgeous photography. I also have her Flavors of Moroccan Cooking (I think that's the title) which has a lot of duplicate recipes, but a wider range of foods. But it is also a beautiful book and either one would make a wonderful gift for a friend who likes Mediterranean/ethnic foods.

Well written, and very well illustrated (photos) cookbook highlighting Moroccan tagine cuisine. I've tried about eight of the recipes exactly- lamb, duck, vegetable tagines among them. The suggested ingredients and the ratios seem to be right on, really beautiful and complex flavors; the cooking times, however, are quite a bit off. Using a traditional clay tagine, significantly longer times are required to prepare the recipes- be advised. Still, a very useful overview of the potential of an ancient and great cooking technique.

I wanted to learn a new way of cooking and expand my repertoire of spices and flavors so I decided to try tajine cooking, so chosen because I like Mediterranean and Moroccan cuisine. I'm working through this book and thus far the flavors are exquisite and the recipes are fairly straight forward and easy to make. Ingredients are readily available in our local grocery store.

Great book. Reminds me of EU spice and fresh vegetable markets.

I LOVE this cookbook!!! I am a fairly inexperienced cook, but I recently decided to invest in a tagine and this recipe book and I am so glad I did! So far I've tried 4 recipes and each one has been delicious. And unlike a lot of other recipe books that end up disappointing because only a few recipes sound exciting, this one has tons of appealing-sounding dishes so I'm sure it will take me months before I've tried all the ones I'm curious about. The only thing I would critique about this book is that the directions are somewhat vague - you never know how high to put your flame, and the ingredient quantities can be vague too. But even with those flaws, everything has come out great so far, so clearly it's not a major problem. Another thing I like is that these recipes are not very high in fat - just a tablespoon of oil for 4 servings is usually enough fat to make things taste good. I'm on Weight Watchers and haven't had to modify these recipes much to make them work for my diet (I just use a little less oil/butter). Highly recommend!

Photos, most of which are of things other than food, are drop-dead gorgeous. But the instructions and recipes seem very sketchy, and Westernized. Returning.