Cumin sizzling in hot oil, that smell that wafts through the whole kitchen and makes you want to just stand there in front of the pot, doing nothing but waiting. That’s what a vegetable tajine is. A dish that enters your daily life with disconcerting ease — and impresses every single time.
Ingredients :
- The spices — This is where it all happens. The vital minimum: cumin, turmeric, sweet paprika, ground ginger. If you have ras el hanout in the cupboard, a teaspoon is enough to replace everything. Above all, use fresh spices — a spice that has been sitting in the back of a drawer for two years no longer has much fragrance, and you can tell immediately in the final result.
- The potatoes — Choose waxy potatoes, like Charlotte or Amandine. They hold up during cooking and don’t fall apart in the sauce. Floury types like Bintje will melt and turn your tajine into mashed potatoes — not the desired effect.
- The onion — One large yellow onion, not small white onions. It must cook for a long time and become almost jam-like — that’s what gives the sauce its roundness. Mince it finely: large pieces don’t melt the same way and stay a bit raw in the middle.
- Olive oil — No need for a pricey bottle. But a fruity oil, not neutral. We use it at two moments: at the start to build the base, and at the end as a raw drizzle to wake up all the flavors just before serving.
