This asparagus and Meyer lemon risotto is the last thing I cooked before Anna was born. I had been craving a taste of Spring along with a creamy risotto for several weeks and I thought it might be kind of hard to make risotto once the baby arrived. Hoo boy was that ever correct! (more…)
I am taking a bit of time to recover and spend time with the best thing we’ve cooked up yet. Please enjoy posts prepared ahead of time over the next few weeks. I will be back in the kitchen again soon!
One of my favorite ways to celebrate the coming of Spring is with lemons. Even just smelling a fresh lemon adds a pep to my step and makes me feel more awake and alive. A gift of home grown Meyer lemons and sweet limes from my gardening grandfather, gave me reason to celebrate spring by breaking out the sugar and flour and whipping up a lovely lemon pie. (more…)
Cauliflower is a reliable vegetable. One of the few hearty vegetables that can be counted on when other options are buried under a foot of snow or are road-weary from traveling across hemispheres. This cruciferous winter hero not only packs a fiber filled punch but is loaded with vitamin C and vitamin K. The only challenge is finding a healthy way to make it taste good. (more…)
I have a tortured relationship with persimmons. Only a few short years after discovering their intoxicating sweetness, the joy of eating a warm hachiya plucked from a tree, and the sensual texture of ripe persimmon sliding down my throat- I up and moved to the Midwest. Pure torture I tell you! Persimmon trees, laden with orange orbs begging to be picked and eaten on the spot are nowhere to be found. (more…)
When it comes to Thanksgiving, people can be particular about their pie. For some, foregoing pumpkin pie would be as unthinkable as swapping a ham for the turkey. Others cannot imagine finishing the feast with anything but a thin sliver of pecan pie. A whole different group believes that nothing celebrates an American holiday better than old fashioned apple pie. For me, I’m a lover not a fighter- all types of pie are welcome! (more…)
When I attended David Lebovitz’s book signing in New York, I picked up a copy of his newest book “Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes“. I have shared with you previously my love of David’s ice cream book “The Perfect Scoop“, which in my estimation is one of the best ice cream books on the market. Everything I have ever made from that book is a winner. So it was with great anticipation that I sat down to read David’s latest work. The pages fell open near the middle of the book, instantly revealing an irresistible recipe for lemon frozen yogurt made with Greek yogurt and accompanied by gingersnaps. Swoon. I decided that it was fate telling me to make this recipe right away (my adoration of all things lemon and ginger had nothing to do with the decision- really!) (more…)
The cuisine of Morocco intrigues me, blending familiar and foreign ingredients in ways that are novel to my North American palate. Whenever I set out to cook a Moroccan dish I feel a sense of excitement and adventure. Mr. B shares my fascination with Moroccan cuisine and to encourage my adventures gave me a tagine and Moroccan cookbook for Christmas. You may recall that I shared my first foray into the book here, with the recipe for preserved Meyer lemons. After patiently waiting months for the lemons to “preserve” it was finally time to break them out of our dark pantry and into a Moroccan dish.
The first dish that came to mind when I thought about preserved lemons was a chicken tagine incorporating big olives and chunks of preserved lemon in a fragrant stew. I don’t know where this image came from, but surprisingly it wasn’t in my Moroccan cookbook; so I looked around to find a recipe. Google came to the rescue as usual and I stumbled across the fascinating website Culinary Anthropologist. The site belongs to a couple who took a year-long culinary journey around Europe, Turkey, North and West Africa. He’s a linguist, she’s a San Francisco chef, and together they have a wonderful selection of recipes and stories. Their recipe adapted from a Moroccan cooking class was just what I wanted. (Though I opted to skip killing my own chicken- so I guess I can’t claim to be truly authentic!)
Mr. B and I are both big fans of braising. In fact, I even have an entire section of the Phoo-D recipe index devoted to this method. However, when the Midwest weather goes from freeze-your-buns-off cold to burning-car-seats hot, my braising standbys take a break. Happily this method for a stove top braise (you don’t need a tagine, they’re just fun) works very well when the weather is warm. In fact, I may even be tempted to try a tagine on the grill if things get really hot. Preserved lemons are key to creating the depth of flavor and unique salty tang in this recipe. I’ve heard you can buy them at specialty stores but they are also really easy to make.
Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Olives (Printable Recipe)
Adapted from Culinary Anthropologist
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 chicken legs
1 lemon, juiced
Salt
2 medium red onions, finely sliced or diced
1 Tablespoon minced/grated garlic
1 Tablespoon powdered ginger
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground saffron threads (optional)
1/8 teaspoon hot chilli powder (optional)
4 teaspoons parsley stems, minced
4 Tablespoons coriander stems, minced
1 preserved lemon, rinsed and diced (pulp removed if very salty)
1 1/2 cups violet or green olives (not pitted)
1 1/4 cups water
2/3 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter, softened (for optional final step)
Coriander leaves to garnish
Equipment:
Tagine or Large stove-top-safe heavy casserole dish with lid
Directions:
Arrange chicken legs in the bottom of your tagine (or casserole dish). Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and lemon juice. Set aside and allow to marinate for 30 minutes. While chicken is marinating prep the other ingredients.
Once the chicken has marinated, add all remaining ingredients except the olive oil and butter into the tagine. Mix gently with your hands to incorporate the seasonings and ingredients throughout the dish. Set aside for another 30 minutes.
Add olive oil into the dish, and cover with the tagine or casserole lid. Place dish over low heat. Allow dish to cook slowly for about 75 minutes, until the chicken appears tender and begins to pull away from the bones. Stir the mixture carefully while it is cooking to make sure the chicken is not sticking to the bottom of your tagine.
Once the chicken is tender, turn off the heat and transfer the chicken pieces to a grilling rack set in a large foil-lined baking sheet. Smear the softened butter all over the top of the chicken skins (yes this seems excessive, but trust me it’s delicious) and place the pan underneath the broiler. Watch the chicken very closely and as soon as it turns golden brown pull the pan out of the oven. While the chicken is broiling, turn on the burner underneath your tagine to medium-high and briskly simmer the sauce until it is reduced to a thickness of your liking. Taste the sauce to determine if it needs additional salt or pepper. Return the broiled chicken to the tagine and sprinkle coriander leaves on top to garnish.
Don’t forget to serve with a pita or crusty bread to mop up the sauce!
So what are you waiting for? Click on over the the recipe and get busy!
Making the Vanilla Custard
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups creme fraiche, chilled
1/4 cup candied lemon peel
Directions:
Heat 1 cup of half-and-half in a small (2qt) saucepan over medium heat. Use the sharp tip of a knife to scrape seeds from the vanilla bean into the half-and-half. Toss the vanilla bean into the mixture. Cook until you just see bubbles forming around the edges of the liquid, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks, sugar, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup of half-and-half. Whisk until the sugar begins to dissolve and the mixture is smooth.
Take the half-and-half in the saucepan off the heat and let sit for two or three minutes to cool slightly. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg mixture. Whisk constantly while you are doing this until the mixtures are combined and smooth. Now pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, again whisking constantly. Return the pan to the stove over medium heat, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, keeping the mixture at a very low simmer. Continue doing this until the mixture has thickened just enough to coat the back of your wooden spoon (you can draw your finger down the back of the spoon and a clear trail will appear). This will only take 4-6 minutes. Do not overcook the custard or let it come to a boil. Strain custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Throw out the vanilla bean.
Set bowl with custard in a larger bowl, partially filled with cold water and ice cubes, stirring now and then to speed the cooling of the mixture. Once cool, place plastic wrap on the surface of the custard to keep a skin from forming and refrigerate until chilled, a minimum of 3 hours and up to 24 hours.
After chilling for several hours, whisk the cold creme fraiche into the custard. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the ice cream maker instructions. (Mine took about 24 minutes.) Stop just before the ice cream is totally frozen, when the consistency looks like thick whipped cream. Add in candied lemon peel, and churn or stir by hand until it is just distributed throughout the ice cream. Transfer the ice cream into a freezer safe container, cover, and freeze until firm (3 hours or up to 3 days). Serve and enjoy!
