Month: March 2015

March in the Kitchen – Chicken Tagine with Prunes and Almonds in the Style of the Rif Mountains
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March in the Kitchen – Chicken Tagine with Prunes and Almonds in the Style of the Rif Mountains

Chicken Tagine – with Prunes and Almonds in the Style of the Rif Mountains

The Food of Morocco

The Food of Morocco

Just writing the title of this recipe transports me to exotic places. It came from a wonderful cookbook, “The Food of Morocco” by Paula Wolfert. This book is the March/April choice of the Cookbook Guru, an online cookbook book club. I have several cookbooks by Ms. Wolfert; they all have a definite Mediterranean slant and are all highly recommended. If you would like to read more posts inspired by the cookbook, click on the link.

She credits the origins of this recipe to the Moroccan writer Mohammed Mrabet, who lived in the Rif Mountains. It seems the people who inhabit the area are very individualistic and do things their own way. The technique of rubbing cumin into the skin of the chicken before cooking is not known in other parts of the country.

First I think we all need a short geography lesson if you were wondering, as I was, “where are the Rif Mountains?” The Rif, or Arabic Al-Rif, is a mountain range in Northern Morocco. It extends from Tangier to the Moulouya River valley near the Moroccan-Algerian frontier. For most of its 180-mile length, the range hugs the Mediterranean Sea, leaving only a few narrow coastal valleys suitable for agriculture or urban settlement. . The higher peaks, including Mount Tidirhine, which at 8,059 feet (2,456 metres) is the loftiest, are snow-capped in winter.The Berbers have inhabited the Rif since prehistoric times and the region’s name comes from the Berber word Arif.

This dish was reportedly cooked for members of the Tangier literary set by Mohammed Mrabet; who is mostly known in the West through his association with Paul Bowles, William Burroughs and Tennessee Williams. He is a writer and artist who makes colorful felt tip and ink drawings in the style of Paull Masson or a more depressive Jean Miro. He is increasingly being recognized as an important member of a small group of Moroccan Master Painters.

Ok, enough back story, here is the recipe:

Chicken Tagine – with Prunes and Almonds in the style of the Rif Mountains

  • One medium-sized chicken, preferably organic and air chilled
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 teaspoons of cumin (she prefers Moroccan which I did not have)
  • 12 ounces of pitted prunes
  • 2 -3 teaspoons of ground Ceylon cinnamon (I used 1 stick of cinnamon)
  • 2 large yellow onions, halved and sliced lengthwise
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger (I used ½ teaspoon of freshly grated ginger)
  • 1 cup blanched whole almonds
  • Vegetable oil such as canola for frying

This is the perfect dish for cooking in a clay casserole, if you have one. It is the first dish I have cooked in my new Emile Henry casserole.

Clay Baker

Clay Baker

  1. Wipe the chicken dry with paper towels, trim away excess fat. Cut off the wings and leg/thighs; leave the breast in one piece. Rub all the pieces with the cumin, salt, and pepper. Let stand at least 1 hour.
  2. Meanwhile, cover the prunes with hot water in a small saucepan and add the cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer 10 minutes. Set aside.
  3. Place the onions in a wide, shallow casserole, with the turmeric, ginger, more salt and pepper to taste, and ¼ cup of water. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, brown the almonds in a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. When golden brown, remove them with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Using the same oil, brown the chicken on all sides.
  5. Transfer the chicken to top the steamed onions.
  6. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper, then the lid to the casserole (the recipe as written did not say the lid). Cook on the lowest heat for about 1-1/4 hours.
  7. Uncover and discard the parchment paper. Add the cooked prunes to the casserole and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Arrange the chicken breast in the center of a serving dish, place the legs and thighs around and cover all with the prunes and sauce. Sprinkle with almonds to serve.
Chicken Tagine

Chicken Tagine

I made a few modifications to the recipe as written, have a few comments, and changes I would make next time.

  • We thought the chicken was very flavorful but the breast was dry. I would use either leg thigh quarters or all thighs next time.
  • I prefer whole spices to ground as they lose flavor and aroma quickly. You can see my substitutions in the list of ingredients.
  • She did not say to put on the lid of the casserole, after 30 minutes it was not really cooking as there was no liquid to submerge the chicken. I don’t know if this was a mistake or an intentional omission. I finally put the lid on the casserole to finish the dish.

The recipe is beautiful and I love the combination of spices and fruit. I would make it again but use primarily dark meat which would stay moist.

I’m taking this to share with Angie and the gang at the Novice Gardener for Fiesta Friday. Please come and have a virtual taste of all the lovely food.

Fiesta Friday

Fiesta Friday

March in Oakland – A Walk in the Neighborhood and Pasta with Spring Peas
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March in Oakland – A Walk in the Neighborhood and Pasta with Spring Peas

Oakland is a thriving, vibrant, multicultural hub a few minutes from San Francisco. I know it gets a lot of bad press; like any major city it has its problems. However, there is another side to Oakland. I’ve lived here for over 25 years and am proud of how far the city has come.

Berkeley has the reputation as the “foodie” capital of California, but I would argue that Oakland is catching up. This Friday is the first day of spring and, although the East coast is still struggling with the effects of a horrible winter, it has already sprung here in Oakland.

On a recent Saturday I was inspired to take some pictures in my neighborhood. All of these pictures were taken only a few blocks of my home. Within an easy stroll are several top rated restaurants, a dozen smaller ones, a wonderful bakery, Trader Joe’s, two drug stores, several coffee shops, four places dedicated to fitness, a donut shop, a year round Saturday farmer’s market, and Lake Merritt. Lake Merritt is a jewel in the middle of Oakland, the oldest bird sanctuary in the U.S. It’s a salt water lake, open to the bay, home to migrating birds of many species; and a favorite of walkers, runners and running groups.

But, back to the pictures.

A few from the Oakland Grand Lake Farmer’s Market:

Spring Strawberries
The first tomatoes – still hothouse
Spring French Radishes
Mixed lettuces
Blue Chair
Fresh organic juice of all kinds
Fresh organic produce
Arugula
Wide variety of mushrooms
Sustainable Seafood
Cowgirl Creamery Cheese
From the Farm
Organic Olives and Olive Oil
More Produce
Prather Ranch – Sustainable, humainly raised meat and poultry
Fresh dates

Outdoor seating and folks enjoying the lovely warm weather on a Saturday morning.

Peet’s
Lakeshore Cafe
There is always a Starbucks on every corner
Arizmendi Bakery
Cana

Of course our Aussie ladies had to come along for the walk.

Casey and Quinn

Casey and Quinn

Lake Merritt is just over three miles in circumference. On my side you will find a grassy park with a children’s play area. On the other side are some man made islands for the birds, Children’s Fairyland, a botanical garden, and a large community garden.

Lakeside Park
Saturday morning running group
Lake Merritt
Lake Merritt, Lakeside Park end
Children’s play area

The gardens this time of year are amazaing.

Green everywhere
Clivia
Wild onions
First Dutch Iris
Californian Poppies
Cerinthe
Spring bulbs

Did you wonder when I was going to get to the recipe? This is a variation of a classic pasta dish for spring, this time with snap and snow peas plus some tendrils.

Pasta with Spring Peas (serves 4-6 as a main course)

  • Pasta – 1 lb. (regular or gluten free), your choice of shape
  • Olive oil or softened butter – 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup)
  • 2 cups of combined snap and/or snow peas, strings removed and sliced diagonally
  • 2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
  • 1 cup of eadible pea tendrils, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh mint, torn into large pieces
  • Parmesan – grated, about a cup plus more for serving
  • Salt
  • Pepper to taste
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt (kosher) until it tastes like the sea. Toss in your pasta and cook according to the package directions, tasting to make sure it is done to your liking.
  2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil or butter in a large skillet.
  3. Add the garlic and cook on medium-low heat until softened (about 3 minutes), add the snap or snow peas and saute for about 2 minutes until they turn bright green.
  4. Drain your pasta, reserving about a cup of the starchy cooking liquid. Do not rinse the pasta.
  5. Add the pasta to the skillet and increase the heat to medium high, toss then add the pea tendrils and continue to cook for about 30 seconds until just wilted. Add cooking water if it appears dry.
  6. Add the cheese and toss again. If the mixture still looks dry, add a bit more cooking water.
  7. Garnish with more parmesan for serving.

IMG_2819

The cooking water contains starch, which turns butter (or olive oil) and cheese into a creamy sauce. Don’t add too much as you don’t want it to be watery. Taste to see if it needs more salt.

Turn into a warm serving bowl or individual plates. Garnish with the chopped mint and grate some additional cheese on the top.

Pasta with peas and pea tendrils

Pasta with peas and pea tendrils

I think my friends at Fiesta Friday will enjoy the pictures. Please join us at Angie’s, the Novice Gardener.

Fiesta Friday

Fiesta Friday

Happiness is a warm spot in the sun!

Lucy

Lucy

March in the Kitchen – Avgolemono Soup (Greek Lemon Soup)
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March in the Kitchen – Avgolemono Soup (Greek Lemon Soup)

Are you feeling under the weather? There are certainly some horrible colds going around, and they are going around…and around…and around again. This soup is warming, nutritious, easy on the stomach, and quick (as well as gluten-free if you use rice). Please use the best stock you have on hand, this is the perfect time for magic mineral broth or Parmesan broth or your homemade chicken stock (or in a pinch the best commercial stock you can find).

Avgolemono (or Greek Lemon Soup) is a classic Greek dish. Some recipes add cooked chicken at the end, but it’s not necessary. Make this soup with rice or orzo pasta. I prefer rice as it thickens the soup slightly, giving it more body. The snap and snow peas are not a classic part of the recipe. I picked a handful in the garden just before making the soup for lunch. I was lucky to have stock in the freezer and some leftover rice from takeout Chinese. The whole thing took about 15 minutes from start to finish!

Avgolemono soup

Ingredients for Avgolemono soup

Avgolemono (egg and lemon) Soup (2 lunch sized portions or 4 starter portions)

  • 4 cups of broth (chicken, vegetarian or Parmesan)
  • 1 cup of cooked long grain rice
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 lemons (juice and zest of one), plus extra juice if needed at the end
  • Optional small handful of snap and/or sugar peas – sliced thinly lengthwise
  • Sea or kosher salt
  • Parsley for garnish
Avgolemono Soup

Avgolemono Soup

  1. Bring stock to a boil in a saucepan over high heat.
  2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the rice to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the optional snap/snow peas to the saucepan.
  4. Meanwhile in a small bowl whisk the eggs and lemon juice until frothy.
  5. Add one cup of hot stock to the eggs, whisking to combine.
  6. Transfer the egg/stock mixture back to the saucepan
  7. Cook, while stirring for about 2 minutes more. DO NOT LET THE STOCK BOIL AS IT WILL CURDLE THE EGGS.
  8. Taste to see if you need some more lemon, the soup should have a definite lemon flavor.
  9. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Soup

Avgolemono Soup

March in the Kitchen – Lamb Burgers for St. Patrick’s Day
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March in the Kitchen – Lamb Burgers for St. Patrick’s Day

I’ve been working on this recipe for a few weeks, I think I’ve got it! And just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. Ground lamb can be a tough one to get right. It’s most often too “lamb-ey”, even though I like lamb. I wanted a moist and tender lamb burger with a more subtle taste. A post with a recipe for chicken meatballs on the blog “The Frugal Hausfrau” gave me an idea. What if I took her idea and adapted it to my lamb burgers? She used ricotta in the mix to lighten things up and keep the meat moist. I had tried feta, it didn’t do the trick. But ricotta….hmmm.

Tender Lamb Burgers

  • 1 1/4 lbs. of ground lamb
  • 1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger
  • 2 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon of lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup of chopped parsley
  • 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Ras el Hanout (paprika, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, grains of paradise, allspice, nutmeg, mace, cayenne from the Oaktown Spice Shop)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
  • 1/4 cup of chutney (any kind), chopped if large pieces
  • 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg, lightly whipped
  • squeezed juice of 1 lemon
  • Kosher or sea salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)
  • Olive oil for frying
Lamb Burgers

Lamb Burgers Before Cooking

  1. Mix the seasonings (everything but the lamb) with the ricotta.
  2. Add the ground lamb to the seasoned ricotta and gently mix everything together.
  3. Form into patties of your desired size (I made 5 generous ones).
  4. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
  5. Preheat a large skillet on medium high, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan
  6. Fry the patties until done to your liking, for me that was about 4 minutes to a side.

Serve with in a roll with humus, cucumber, sliced red pepper, avocado, thinly sliced onion and parsley.

Lamb Burgers

Lamb Burgers

Or with sauteed greens or other veggies.

Lamb Burgers

Lamb Burgers with avocado and greens

They turned out to be what I was looking for.

I’m going to take these to Fiesta Friday #59 to share with Angie and the gang at the Novice Gardener. Friday goes with burgers. Please come and check out the rest of the party.

Fiesta Friday

Fiesta Friday

These could also be made into meatballs and browned in a skillet or the oven. Because of the chutney and bit of sugar they brown up beautifully.

 

March in the Kitchen – Parmesan Broth
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March in the Kitchen – Parmesan Broth

For many years it was thought that there were only four main flavors we can taste; sour, sweet, salty and bitter. Umami is now considered the fifth flavor, coined in 1908 by a chemist at Tokyo University. It’s quality is a meaty or savory taste. Umami is roughly translated as yummy deliciousness. Foods that naturally contain umami include asparagus, tomatoes, cheese, meat, dashi (stock from the seaweed kelp), and mushrooms. Fermented foods such as soy sauce, cheese, cured meats and fish have it in abundance. The chemist was able to pinpoint glutamate, an amino acid, as the main source of this savory wonder. He then learned how to produce it in industrial quantities. We know that product as MSG.

Slow cooking for an extended period will release natural glutamate. Cooked foods with a high umami factor often have layers of taste, a combination of glutamates and a group of chemicals called ribonucleotides (occurring naturally in many foods). When you combine ingredients containing different umami-giving compounds, they enhance each other. Such is the case with Bolognese sauce with cheese on top. In fact, cooked meat, tomato and cheese are a 1-2-3-punch combo. Think pepperoni pizza, I know I do.

Just as humans evolved to crave sweetness and loathe bitter to help avoid toxins, umami is a marker of protein (which is made up of amino acids) essential for life. We are instinctually drawn to it.

Parmesan cheese is very high in umami. Freshly grated Parmesan, added at the end, will elevate a pasta dish to sublime. Search out the best Parmesan you can find, a little goes a long way and you won’t regret it. Keep it in the fridge or freezer and use it as needed, I think you will find lots of uses. Try in on scrambled eggs, or roast vegetables, even on crisp toasted rustic (slightly charred) bread with a drizzle of olive oil.

Then don’t throw out the rinds once you have grated every last bit of cheese! In Italy a Parmesan rind is often tossed into minestrone for extra depth of flavor. Try one in a simple pot of beans, it makes a big difference. I keep a zip top bag in the freezer and collect them until I have enough to make this absolutely fabulous and delicious broth that is bursting with umami.

Parmesan rinds

A Collection of Parmesan Rinds

Let me introduce you to Parmesan Broth, a powerhouse of the fifth flavor. Use it as a versatile stock for soup, or anywhere you need a flavor boost. For vegetarians this broth is a huge flavor enhancer, it closely resembles a long simmered chicken stock. Simply simmering the broth fills your kitchen with the most amazing aroma, I couldn’t resist drinking a mug full once it was finished.

Parmesan Broth (makes 4-6 cups)

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
  • 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
  • 1 bunch of fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3-4 parsley sprigs
  • 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 lb. of Parmesan rinds
  • 8 cups of water
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme bay leaf, parsley and peppercorns. Cook, stirring often, until the onion and garlic are toasty brown about 5-10 minutes.
  2. Add the wine, bring to a simmer, and cook, scraping up any brown bit until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the Parmesan rinds and 8 cups of water to the saucepan, bring to a boil.
  4. Turn down the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours. Stir occasionally so the rinds don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
  5. Strain through a fine mesh strainer.

Use immediately or store in the fridge up to four days. Freeze for longer storage. This recipe makes a 4-6 cups of stock, depending on how reduced it becomes. You can easily double it if you have more rinds. I don’t salt when making the broth, instead I add salt when it is used.

onion, garlic, thyme, parsley, peppercorns and bayleaf in olive oil

onion, garlic, thyme, parsley, peppercorns and bayleaf in olive oil

Parmesan broth

Parmesan broth cooking

Parmesan Brot

Finished Parmesan Broth, cooling before straining

The finished broth is the most lovely shade of golden yellow!

 

This recipe was first published in Bon Appetit.