Spicy Root Vegetable Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives

I had a bunch of root vegetables this week (turnips, carrots, and potatoes) and I wanted to do something special with them.

Epicurious had a recipe for Spicy Potato Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives by Paula Wolfert. Since, I had some turnips and carrots I decided to add those for some extra flavor and color. You could make this with just potatoes or add other hearty vegetables you have. I think winter squash, sweet potatoes, or eggplant would be nice additions to this dish. And, don't let the term tagine freak you out. You don't need a special pot. I used a regular pan. Just think of tagine as Moroccan for delicious.

I served this lovely tagine with some couscous. I have never made couscous before; but, I read that it is traditionally served with Moroccan food. The couscous was very easy to make (I just followed the recipe on the box). And, it went well with the tagine.

A note about the preserved lemon. I made my own preserved lemons for this dish. I will give you the recipe in my next post. It is super easy and they keep for 6 months in your fridge so it is worth the effort. If you don't feel like making preserved lemons you can just add some lemon juice and zest at the end.

Spicy Root Vegetable Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives

Ingredients

1 pound new potatoes

6 turnips, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, peeled and sliced into disks

2 onions, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tomato, chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika

pinch of ground cumin

pinch of cinnamon

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1/4 fresh lemon

2 tablespoons of chopped flat-leafed parsley

2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

salt

a generous pinch of saffron

1 1/2 cups chicken or veggie stock

24 kalamata olives, pitted

1/2 preserved lemon, chopped

1. Scrub the potatoes and thickly slice into a bowl of cold water.

2. In a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, cook one of the onions in olive oil until it is softened. Add the tomato, ginger, paprika, cumin, garlic, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

3. Drain the potatoes and add them to the pan along with the turnips and carrots. Add the other onion and the fresh lemon quarter. Toss to coat the potatoes, onion, and lemon with the parsley, cilantro and salt to taste.

4. Heat the chicken broth in a separate little saucepan and add the saffron into it so they saffron can bloom.

5. Add the saffron and hot broth to the pan with the potato mixture. Bring the pan to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are tender about 40 minutes. 6. Remove the vegetables from the pan and leave the broth and spices in the pan. Add the olives and bring to a boil. Cook at high heat until the broth reduces to a thick sauce. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and garnish with the preserved lemons.

Turnip and Tomato Curry

If a beet, a radish, and a potato had a baby it would be a turnip. This root vegetable is sweet, spicy and starchy. It adds texture, flavor, and meatiness to any dish. Sadly, the turnip suffers from its association with Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit. We all picture Peter with that turnip in his mouth running from Farmer McGregor. Yuck! Well, I ask you dear reader to give this neglected vegetable a chance.

This curry is very simple and doesn't have a ton of ingredients which makes it good for a quick weeknight meal.

The garlic, ginger, onion and spices will make your kitchen smell delicious. The spices and aromatics combine nicely with the roasted tomatoes, turnips, and potatoes.

To finish, sprinkle a bit of cilantro on top and serve the curry on a bed of basmati rice. Delicious! I promise you this dish will make you reconsider the turnip.

Turnip and Tomato Curry

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh green garlic, finely chopped (regular garlic is fine, also)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 14 ounce can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Whole Tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons curry powder

2/3 cup water

1 1/2 cups fresh turnips, peeled and diced

1/2 cup of potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

salt to taste

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat. Add onions and cook until golden. Add ginger and green garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Sprinkle the ground cumin, coriander, and curry powder over the onions and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in tomatoes, the turmeric and water. Stir to thoroughly combine. Add the turnips and potatoes. Bring to a boil, cover, and then bring down to a simmer. Cook until the turnips and potatoes are soft (about 30-40 minutes). Sprinkle with sugar and salt to taste. Stir in cilantro. Enjoy!