Onion Tagine — A Slow Oven Braise with Saffron

I love onions. All types — raw in a salad, pickled, charred on a grill, softened slowly in butter. In this case, caramelised. Around a kilo of them, which sounds like a lot and cooks down to almost nothing — a whole Le Creuset braised low and slow in the oven with saffron, cinnamon and ginger until deeply golden, jammy and reduced to something that tastes considerably more serious than its ingredients suggest.

This onion tagine is a Moroccan kitchen classic — a side dish, technically, though it has a way of stealing the show. It takes very little effort and a reasonable amount of time. The oven does the work.

The Onion Tagine — What It Is

In Morocco, onions are not just the base of a dish. In this tagine, they are the dish — slow-cooked until soft and sweet, spiced with saffron, ginger and cinnamon, and finished with a little sugar that tips them over into something approaching a confit. The result is silky, aromatic and almost savoury-sweet in the best possible way.

It is served alongside slow-roasted lamb or chicken, or eaten on its own with good bread and no apology.

Blooming the Saffron

One step worth taking seriously: bloom the saffron before it goes anywhere near the onions. A tablespoon of warm stock, ten minutes, and the threads release far more colour and flavour than they would added dry. It takes almost no effort and makes a visible difference.

The Cook

The method is simple. The onions go into the Le Creuset with olive oil and a knob of ghee — the olive oil carries the cook, the ghee adds a quiet richness underneath. Bloomed saffron, ginger, cinnamon, sugar and black pepper go in with a splash of stock. Lid on, into a 170°C oven for an hour. Lid off, back in for 30–45 minutes until deeply golden, reduced and jammy.

A note on the stock: a splash is enough. The onions carry their own moisture and release it steadily as they cook. Check once or twice in the final stage — if they look dry, add another small splash. If they don't, leave them alone.

Serving

The recipe makes enough for four as a side — eat two portions, freeze two. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat gently in a small pan with a splash of stock.

Alongside slow-roasted lamb shoulder or leg, it is the kind of side dish that justifies the whole meal. Over couscous with toasted almonds and a handful of raisins stirred through, it becomes a meal in its own right.

This onion tagine is featured in my North African Recipes — From the Moorish Kitchen, a collection of recipes from Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Egypt and Sudan.
Find more slow-cooked recipes in my Slow Cooker & Slow Cooking hub.
It also features in my Veggie & Vegan collection.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef