Chefs Joanne Weir and Bahija like what the see!

If you ask anyone about Moroccan cooking — whether they live in Morocco or somewhere around the world — the person is bound to mention tagine.  A tagine is a cooking vessel with a sort of upside-down-funnel-shaped top that fits tightly on a deep saucer.  It holds an assortment of meats and vegetables, allowing the steam generated from the cooking to rise and caress those meats and veggies in a blending way.  But the word tagine is also used alone to indicate what’s for dinner — as in, “We’re having tagine tonight.” We found tagine dishes in almost every restaurant and riad we visited. So, it’s no wonder that Chef Joanne Weir and Chef Bahija of Jnane Tamsna chose tagine cooking for our first adventure in preparing Moroccan cuisine.

In a charming outdoor “room” with twig lattice walls and covered top, 15 participants in Joane Weir’s Culinary Journey in Morocco 2018 took their seats, picked up their knives and went to work. And I was proud to be among them!

Ready to make chicken tagine in the utdoor classroom at Jnane Tamsna

The ever-vigilant Jnane Tamsna staff had started the fires of individual cookers on outdoor tables, so we were ready to begin.

Individual cookers for tagine cooking class.

There are some basics with cooking Chicken Tagine, our menu item for Day 1.  Although there are no required ingredients, we were told that most tagine dishes include a meat like chicken or lamb, spices (mostly salt, pepper, turmeric and saffron), diced red onion, and extra virgin olive oil.  For our chicken tagines, we first chopped red onion and laid it on the bottom of the tagine. Step two involved seasoning the chicken pieces with spices and herbs in various amounts.

Layers of chopped onion, seasoned chicken and spices in a pottery tagine.

Joanne and Bahija explained the types of spices used in Morocco, adding suggestions on how much or how little to use.  But even with their suggestions, we had the leeway to choose our own spices in the amounts we found most satisfying.  (I found that to be true for most of what we cooked during our Culinary Journey: we had the freedom to make the dishes our own.) For my chicken tagine, I went a bit heavy with salt and pepper, lighter on turmeric.  And then I slathered my chicken with cilantro and garlic.  Others ventured out with a blend of spices called ras el hanout.

Vegetables are piled high atop seasoned chicken and chopped onion. Do you see little threads of saffron on top?

Next, we added vegetables or fruits to our liking. For a chicken tagine heavy on vegetables, Chef Bahija and Chef Joanne laid out quite the variety:   tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, peppers, fava beans, and olives.  But if you wanted a sweeter tagine, there was something for you as well: apricots, apples, almonds, prunes, dates, raisins and pear.  As I said, your tagine was yours — from the choices you made to how to finely you chopped ingredients and even how you arranged it all into a pile.

And what fun it was! Some even became a bit giddy at this “doable dish.”  After all, the mystique of cooking tagine was over.  This was one dish we could make at home!

The mother-daughter team of Susan Gaither and Kendra Hodder from California had fun showing off their tagines!

After layering the chosen veggies or sweets atop our chicken, we carried our tagines to the cooking table where Chefs Bahija and Joanne added water to each unit.  And the waiting began.

It wasn’t long before the steam inside the pottery tagines had done its magic, converting raw ingredients into a savory or sweet treat.  When all was done, we gathered at an outdoor table to eat what we cooked, thanks to the patience and guidance of our two chefs, Bahija and Joanne.

Chefs Bahija and Joanne making cooking fun in Morocco!

Cooking tagine was definitely fun, but so was another custom we learned from our guides.  Every time someone took our picture, we heard this:  “Say Tagine“! (And we smiled, loving this alternative to the “Say Cheese” we’d always heard.) “Say Tagine” became our go-to command whenever we took pictures of our group.  And there was much to smile about in our Culinary Journey in Morocco! Say Tagine,  ladies!

For more information:

Many recipes are included on Chef Joanne Weir’s website.  And be sure to check out Chef Joanne’s schedule of classes at  https://www.joanneweir.com/international-culinary-journeys/ In addition, her TV series Plates and Places can be accessed on Create TV and on Vimeo.

Jnane Tamsna, a boutique hotel near Marrakech, was the site of Culinary Journey in Morocco 2018.  

See photos of Culinary Journey in Morocco 2018 on Flicker.com/photos/placeswesee

Dramatic palm trees grace the arched entrance to one of the houses at Jnane Tamsna.

As the driver pulled onto the property known as Jnane Tamsna, I could immediately feel as if a true Moroccan adventure were unfolding before me.  Jnane Tamsna is like no other resort or boutique hotel in Morocco — or maybe anywhere — thanks to the impeccable design sense of its owner MeryAnne Loum-Martin, a lawyer from Senegal who studied in Paris.  Together with her husband Dr. Gary Martin, a American ethnobotanist and founder of the Global Diversity Foundation, MeryAnne created an oasis near Marrakech that is now the only black female owned hotel in Morocco.  With its 24 rooms spread among five houses on nine acres, Jnane Tamsna has opened its doors, according to Essence magazine, to Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Giorgio Armani, and Donna Karen, but was my home for a week-long Culinary Journey in Morocco led by San Francisco chef Joanne Weir.

The simple yet dramatic entrance to Jnane Tamsna.

The sense of calm is evident upon arrival.  With a single palm at the entrance, a series of archways led me through the simple, yet elegant main entrance complete with roses floating in a crystal bowl sitting upon a typical Moroccan inlaid chest.   An open book on another invited me to register as a guest.

Floating roses atop an inlaid chest invite guests in for a stay at Jnane Tamsna.

The living room became a favorite for me and others with its velvet chairs, indigenous art, and soft lighting.

Gathering room at Jnane Tamsna

An alcove in the main room invites guests to spend a private moment sipping mint tea offered upon arrival.  And books stacked willy-nilly make anyone feel right at home.

Comfortable alcove flanked by bookshelves invite guests into the main room at Jnane Tamsna.

Outside, gathering places remain intimate, offering a respite from the jangle of the crowded souks in downtown Marrakech.

Favorite outdoor lounging area with painted tryptych and carved wood panel.

A stroll through the gardens reveals native plants marked for ready identification. Natural pathways offer closer looks, especially if they’re bordered by twig trellises and blooming bougainvillea, but they’re also where guests wind down on their way to beautiful lodging rooms.

Some of the houses offer spots for gathering. With their Moroccan furnishings — tapestries, weighty furniture, patterned rugs — guests take in the sensory stimuli reminiscent of the beauty of the area.

An outdoor gathering spot takes in the afternoon sun through the vine-covered archways.

Indoor gathering spot with red patterned accessories:

Three rooms that I visited were all different.  Painted a deep purplish red, one room was a study in contrasts: cream-colored floor-to-ceiling curtains hung loosely and a patterned rug offered more texture and design.

In another, twin beds under a lush canopy awaited guests and offered a sprig of rosemary on the pillows.

Adding drama to this suite called Calligraphie for its frieze of Arabic writing near the ceiling, was an African garment displayed at the end of an arched hallway.

A third room held a welcoming basket of freshly-picked flowers.

Dining, too, is an experience at Jnane Tamsna.  At one end of the back dining room hangs a colorful, patterned textile and multiple framed portraits. On the ceiling, twigs woven into a grid form a nature-inspired covering.

It’s no wonder that people book Jnane Tamsna for special occasions — wedding receptions, reunions, corporate retreats, cooking schools, and the like.  After all, who wouldn’t want to dine at tables set under the trees overlooking an elegant pool?

Dinner setting under the trees.

Of course, the real treat at Jnane Tamsna is the cadre of people who are ready to serve, to answer questions, to guide you in your travels, and to make you feel at home in this serene oasis right outside Marrakech.  I hope you’ll follow along as I share glimpses of my Culinary Journey in Morocco 2018 with Chef Joanne Weir.  You can’t help but feel the calm and fall in love with the setting that, to me, was the best introduction to Morocco anyone could have.

At the final banquet: Chef Joanne Weir and MeryAnne Loum-Martin

For more information:

Jnane Tamsna, Douar Abiad, Palmeraie, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco; +212 5243-28484; jnanetamsna.com

Stunning photos: Follow on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/jnanetamsna/

Please join me in this Travel Series: Marvelous Morocco as I share with you experiences from Culinary Journey in Morocco 2018 with Chef Joanne Weir and my travel experiences afterward with my husband Bert as we journeyed to Ouarzazate, the Sahara, Fes, Chefchaouen, and Tangier.  Our organizer for the trip was Lauren Medley Gunnels with Ortelius Travel Advisors.   — Rusha Sams