Tagine Ades

Tagine ades — lentil tagine — is an everyday Moroccan winter dish, the kind of thing made on a weeknight when there is a little meat and a bag of lentils. Lentils are eaten across Morocco in soups and tagines, and they are one of the cheapest sources of protein in the Moroccan diet. In the tagine, brown or green lentils are cooked with chunks of lamb or beef, onions, tomatoes, and the warm Moroccan spice blend, until the lentils are soft and the meat is tender. The lentils absorb the meat broth and seasonings, becoming deeply savory, and the dish is always served with bread to soak up the thick sauce.

The lentils are soft and earthy, saturated with meat broth; the lamb is tender, the tomato-onion sauce is thick and warming. With bread, it is the most filling simple meal in the Moroccan repertoire.

Lentils thicken the sauce naturally as they cook: their starches leach into the broth, giving it body without a roux. This is why lentil tagine has a heartier, more porridge-like consistency than tagines with only vegetables. Brown and green lentils hold their shape better than red, which is why they are preferred for tagines where the lentil should remain a distinct element, not a puree. The meat is browned first for Maillard depth, then the lentils and water go in, and the whole pot simmers together, the lentils flavoring the meat as the meat flavors the lentils.