I bought my husband a tagine for our anniversary. Tagines are used to slow cook stews in North Africa. I saw one being used when we viewed our new-to-us stove, and it twigged at anniversary time when I realized that "pottery" is supposed to be the traditional theme. Our tagine has a more modern cast iron base, but I felt authenticity was a fair trade for dishwasher-safe.
We finally tried it out the other day using this recipe for Moroccan Lamb Tagine with raisins, honey and almonds. We even made our own Ras el Hanout. I think the only ingredient we didn't have on hand was the turmeric. Oh, and I say "we" but this was mostly all Guy's work :-)
Oh. My. This was quite possibly the most fragrant meal I've ever experienced. The house was awash in such wonderful aromas, I almost didn't want to eat and allow them to disperse. The first reviews are in: the tagine is a keeper. So's the spouse. :-)
If you are looking for tagine recipes, please visit http://www.itagine.com. You can also find Moroccan spices and accessories at http://www.tagines.com. Cheers.