Bottle Gourd Tagine

Among the summer vegetables now showing up at Moroccan souks are bottle gourds, called slaoui (singular: slaouia). In traditional Moroccan cooking, the bottle gourds are peeled and the spongy interior is discarded, leaving only the outer flesh which can be simmered until tender without falling apart.

Bottle gourd have a very mild flavor, similar to zucchini, but they absorb the zesty seasoning in this easy Tagine of Slaouia recipe. Although the photo shows the finished dish in a tagine, I actually prepared it in a pressure cooker and used a heated tagine as my serving dish. How to Clean and Prepare Bottle Gourd shows the prep work involved in cleaning this vegetable.

Also try Moroccan Slaouia Salad.

Photo ? Christine Benlafquih