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Moroccan Vegetable Stew with Couscous

Thu, 22 May 2008 18:10:00 +0000

Moroccan Vegetable Stew with Couscous

Recipe By : Jump Up & Kiss Me/tpogue@idsonline.com

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion – chopped
6 cloves garlic – minced
2 whole red potatoes – diced
1 cup carrot – diced
2 teaspoons cardamom – ground
1 zucchini – cut in half and sliced
1 yellow squash – cut in half-moons, sliced
1/2 cauliflower florets
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper – ground
1 teaspoon cayenne – ground
1/2 cup raisins or currants – soaked 15 minutes in warm water to plump
16 ounces tomato – diced
15 ounces tomato sauce
2 tablespoons honey
15 ounces garbanzo beans
6 cups water
3 cups couscous – uncooked
1/2 cup dried figs – coarsely chopped
1/3 cup almonds – sliced
1 pint plain yogurt – for garnish
1 bunch fresh mint – chopped, for garnish

In a heavy stockpot, heat the olive oil and saute the onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots, and cardamom. Stir until fragrant, then add the zucchini, yellow squash, and cauliflower. Add curry powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne and stir. Drain the raisins and add to the pot along with the tomatoes, tomato sauce, honey, and garbanzo beans. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, adding up to 1 cup of water if the stew appears dry.
While the stew is cooking, bring the water to a boil in a saucepan and stir in the couscous. Cook for 1 minute, then cover and turn off the heat, letting the couscous sit for 10 minutes. After the couscous has sat for 5 minutes, stir the figs and almonds into the stew.
To serve, fluff up the couscous with a fork. Spoon a mound of couscous on each plate and form a well in the center. Ladle a portion of stew into the well. Garnish with several tablespoons of the yogurt and fresh mint. Serve the remaining yogurt on the side.

NOTES : The Jump Up and Kiss Me Spicy Vegetarian Cooking by Jennifer Trainer Thompson was called to the attention of the Food/Wine group by Brenda Adams. Thanks Brenda, it’s a wonderful cookbook published by Ten Speed Press of Berkeley, CA.

Serves 6 to 8
Moroccan food is startlingly aromatic. Perfumed with the fragrance of cardamom and accented with the sweetness of currants, one bite of this spicy stew will have you thinking you’ve just arrived in the city of Fez for a culinary adventure. It’s delicious served with Fennel Salad

Dan’s notes: Good stew! It’s perfect amount of spicy, and the figs make it the perfect amount of sweet. The mint and yogurt really add something too.

Moroccan Chicken with Lemon and Olives

Thu, 22 May 2008 18:09:00 +0000

Moroccan Chicken with Lemon and Olives

A month ago or so I bought a tagine, an earthenware cooking and serving pot, with which to experiment. My first foray into cooking with the tagine was with this Moroccan chicken dish which turned out beautifully - succulent, tender, and full of flavor. This recipe is pulled together and adapted from various sources including the New York Times, The New Basics Cookbook, and recipes by Le Souk Ceramique, the maker of my tagine. Preserved lemon is traditionally called for in this dish, although I know of people who just add thin slices of lemon and don’t bother with finding or making preserved lemon.

2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 chicken, 3-4 lbs, cut into 8 pieces (or 3-4 lbs of just chicken thighs and legs, the dark meat is more flavorful)
Salt

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped

The peel from 1 preserved lemon, rinsed in cold water, pulp discarded, peel cut into thin strips
1 cup green olives, pitted
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 Combine all the spices in a large bowl. Pat dry the chicken pieces and put in the bowl, coat well with the spice mixture. Let the chicken stand for one hour in the spices.

2 In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces, sprinkle lightly with salt (go easy on the salt, the olives and lemons are salty), and brown, skin side down for five minutes. (If you are using a clay tagine, you will skip the browning step, heat only to medium heat and use a heat diffuser on the heating element to prevent the tagine from cracking.) Lower the heat to medium-low, add the garlic and onions. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes.

3 Turn chicken pieces over. Add the lemon slices, olives, raisins, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer on medium heat, then lower the heat to low, cover, and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and quite tender.

4 Mix in fresh parsley and cilantro right before serving. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Serves 4 to 6. Serve with couscous, rice, or rice pilaf.

Dan’s notes: Needs flavor. “Marinate” in the spices for at least an hour. I made it with boneless chicken breasts, maybe the dark meat is better. I used lemon rind, too- grate it so you don’t get a big chunk of lemon rind.

Moroccan Meat Loaf

Thu, 22 May 2008 18:09:00 +0000

Moroccan Meat Loaf

The good folks at Niman Ranch recently sent me a few lamb recipes to try from their new cookbook, the Niman Ranch Cookbook. Being huge meat loaf fans, we were immediately drawn to the Moroccan Meat Loaf recipe from Chef Monica Pope, of T’Afia in Houston, Texas. If you like lamb, you will love this Moroccan meat loaf. If you don’t like lamb, I’m willing to bet this meat loaf will convert you. It is superb - spicy, with hints of cilantro and mint. The recipe calls for a pomegranate barbecue sauce to accompany the meat loaf. We made the sauce, which is excellent, but honestly, the next time we make this we’ll skip the sauce. It’s just unnecessary. Its own spiciness almost competes with the flavors of the meatloaf. I’ve included the recipe below, but you really don’t need it. Plain ketchup will do, if you have to have ketchup with your meatloaf, but just the drippings themselves are sufficient and delicious.

The original recipe calls for 1/4 teaspoon of saffron threads to go along with the other spices. I don’t like saffron (everyone has their preferences when it comes to food, and I have mine), so we kept it out. It is not in the following recipe listed, but feel free to put it back in there if you want to follow the recipe as its author intended.

2 lbs ground lamb
1 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped garlic (about 6 cloves)
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (3-inch piece)
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups dried bread crumbs
2 small eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the lamb and beef in a large bowl. Set aside.

2 Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and ginger and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the salt, paprika, cumin, curry powder, cayenne, cinnamon, and pepper. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to release the flavors. Remove from heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes.

3 Stir the vegetables into the ground meat. Mix in the bread crumbs, eggs, cilantro, and mint. Transfer to a 1 1/2 quart loaf pan and set in a baking pan. Pour water into the baking pan to reach halfway up the sides of the loaf pan.

4 Bake the meat loaf for 1 1/2 hours, or until firm and cooked through. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Unmold onto a plate and slice. Serve with optional Pomegranate BBQ sauce, ketchup, or just the drippings from the meatloaf itself. Very good served with rice pilaf.

Serves 6-8.

Dan’s note: This is great! I made it with parsley instead of cilantro, and 3 lb ground beef instead of 1 lb beef and 2 lb lamb. Tastes vaguely middle eastern- I don’t know if it’s Moroccan style. But it is tasty.

Eggplant Stewed in Honey and Spices

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:48:00 +0000

Eggplant Stewed in Honey and Spices

http://www.travelerslunchbox.com/journal/2007/5/2/a-happy-medium-with-eggplant.html

I love eggplant in all its forms, but this is one of the best ways I’ve ever eaten it - meltingly soft, sweet, sour and spicy-hot. You can easily make this dish with baby eggplant, widely available in Asian or Middle Eastern shops, and if you like you can leave the stems attached - handy if you want to serve them as finger food. Also, if you have a grill you can easily cook them that way instead of in skillet - I imagine a smoky-charred flavor would add to the mix nicely.

Source: adapted from Modern Moroccan by Ghillie Basan
Yield: serves 4 normal people as part of an appetizer spread, or two eggplant lovers

2 large globe eggplants/aubergines, stemmed and thickly sliced, or 1 1/2 lbs (750g) baby eggplants, halved
salt
1/3 cup (80ml) (approx) olive oil
5 tablespoons (75ml) clear honey
juice of 1 large lemon
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon harissa or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
handful chopped fresh coriander/cilantro, for garnish

Lay the slices of eggplant out on a towel or cloth and sprinkle all the cut surfaces generously with salt. Let the eggplant disgorge for about 15-20 minutes, then wipe the pieces dry with paper towels.

Preheat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Brush both sides of each eggplant slice with olive oil and cook in the skillet, not overlapping the slices, until well browned on both sides. You’ll no doubt have to do this in batches. Remove the slices to a plate and set aside.

In a bowl combine the honey and lemon juice with about 2/3 cup (160ml) hot water, stirring to dissolve. Heat your skillet again, adding a little more oil if there is none left. Add the garlic and ginger, stirring for about thirty seconds, then add the cumin and harissa, stirring for about another thirty seconds. Stir in the honey-lemon water and bring everything to a boil.

Lay the eggplant pieces into the pan, overlapping if needed, and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, turning the pieces as necessary to ensure all are coated with the sauce, until it has been reduced to a thick glaze and the eggplant pieces are completely soft (add a bit more water if the sauce reduces before the eggplant is ready). Taste for seasoning and add salt as needed.

Let cool, sprinkle with a handful of chopped cilantro/coriander, and serve at room temperature with chunks of fresh bread, preferably as part of a meze or appetizer spread.

Dan’s note: about 1/4 inch thick would be perfect, I think. The glaze is nice- sweet with a hot aftertaste.