Berber Tagine Omelette, II
Ingredients: 8 large tomatoes You will also need a 12 inch tagine or a large, non-reactive saucepan with a top. Method: 1. Cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze out most of the juice and seeds. Grate the remaining pulp into the bottom of your tagine (or saucepan.) Stir in the garlic, parsley-coriander mixture, ginger, black pepper, sea salt and m’rozia or ras el hanout. Add the bay leaves and olive oil and stir to combine. Note: I bought my m'rozia from a spice merchant in the Marrakech mellah, and have not been able to find a source in the U.S. You can buy ras-el-hanout in various forms from spice sellers such as Adriana's Caravan or ChefShop.com, or go here for recipes for making your own.
5 cloves garlic, grated
2 tablespoons parsley (chopped and mixed with cilantro)
2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped and mixed with parsley)
1 teaspoon ginger, powdered
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon m’rozia or ras el hanout (see note)
3 bay leaves
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
12 whole eggs (2 per person)
Additional cilantro and parsley, chopped, for garnish
2. Cover the tagine or saucepan and simmer the tomato mixture over medium low heat for about 10 minutes. (I almost always use a flame tamer to keep the bottom of the tagine from overheating—in which case it may take another 10 minutes to bring the mixture to a simmer.)
3. Remove the cover and, one at a time, crack the eggs directly into the tomato sauce. Continue to cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the yolks have just set, but are still soft and a little runny. Sprinkle with a little chopped cilantro and parsley.
4. Serve the “omelette” out of the tagine, 2 eggs with a generous spoonful of tomato sauce per person. It is delicious accompanied by torn pieces of black olive bread, which can be used to sop up any extra sauce.