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omnomnomLet me know if you ever get tired of my dinnerblogging, because we are unlikely to stop making yummy dinners and wanting to share. *)
Recipes are once again from Cook's Illustrated, and once again they use a Dutch oven and a large stainless steel skillet. I think it's been a while since I mentioned that these three things are the three best investments you can make in your kitchen if you eat meat. They are my culinary OT3. Subscription to Cook's online is cheap, especially given how much money we've saved by making their recipes in bulk. Lodge Logic cast iron Dutch ovens can be bought through Amazon for astoundingly low prices and free shipping (which is important with cast iron). Research brand-name stainless steel skillets and then check for them on eBay or Google Products. Trust me, if you like the sounds of the recipes I post, you will not regret these purchases.
This was going to be our Thursday dinner, but our guest isn't fond of Moroccan food, so we made the chicken Marsala instead. Fortunately we had plenty of chicken left (hooray for Costco), so tonight, guestless, we enjoyed a second excellent chicken dinner.
Couscous pilaf:
(Note: this makes a LOT of couscous. Half this amount would probably be sufficient to accompany the chicken recipe. Cook's claims it serves 4 to 6 as a side dish; I'd say it makes at least 10 cups of pilaf, which is more like a side dish for 8 to 10 people in my book.)
0) Cut two 2-tbsp chunks of unsalted butter. Measure out 2 cups couscous in a large mixing bowl, .75 cup sliced almonds in a small bowl, .75 cup raisins, .75 tsp salt, 1.75 cups chicken broth, and 2 cups water.
1) Finely dice a small onion. Juice one lemon.
2) Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a heavy-bottomed non-nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When it's stopped actively bubbling and foaming, toss in the couscous and stir it frequently until some grains start to brown, about 3 minutes. Return the couscous to the large mixing bowl, scraping the pan with a spatula to get all the grains.
3) Put the almonds in the same pan and toast, stirring frequently, until browned, about 2 minutes. Return them to the small bowl.
4) Melt the other 2 tbsp of butter in the skillet. Throw in the onion, raisins, and salt, and cook about 5 minutes until the onion has softened and started to brown. Add the broth and water. Turn the heat up and bring to a boil. Pour the boiling liquid over the couscous, stir briefly, and tightly cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit 12 minutes. Fluff with the tines of a fork (NOT a spoon), stir in the lemon juice and almonds, and serve immediately.
Moroccan chicken:
0) Into a small bowl, measure 1.25 tsp sweet paprika, .5 tsp each cumin and ginger, and .25 tsp each cayenne (we didn't have any, so we used urfa-biber), ground coriander seed, and cinnamon. Drain and rinse a 15 oz. can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans. Measure out 1.75 cups chicken broth and 1 tbsp honey.
1) Thoroughly scrub two organic lemons, peel off three 2" strips of zest (scraping off any white pith), and juice the lemons for about 3 tbsp of juice. Mince one of the strips of zest, combine it with 1 tsp of minced garlic, and mince them together or grind them with a mortar and pestle until they form a fine paste. Measure out 1 to 4 additional tsp garlic, depending on how garlicky you like your food. Cut 1 medium carrot into .5" coins. Halve a large onion pole-to-pole and cut into .25" slices. Measure out 1 cup dried apricots and halve them (or cut them into smaller pieces if you like). Chop up 2 tbsp parsley or cilantro.
2) Rinse and pat dry ten skinless boneless chicken thighs. (The recipe calls for a whole 3.5-pound chicken cut into parts, or "four chicken thighs and two chicken breasts, each breast split in half", but thighs were what we had; it all works out.) Salt and pepper both sides. In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke. In a single layer, brown the pieces of chicken 5 minutes on the skin side and 4 minutes on the flip side. (You may need to do this in batches.) Remove them to a plate. If using a whole chicken or equivalent, brown with the skin on and peel and discard the skin once the chicken has cooled enough.
3) Add the onion and remaining lemon zest strips to the pot and cook 5 minutes until onion browns at the edges but is still firm. If things seem very dry or are starting to blacken, add 1 tbsp of water. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spices and cook until very fragrant, about 45 seconds to one minute. Pour in chicken broth and honey, and scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Add dark meat, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 minutes. If you're making the couscous pilaf, this is a great time to start it.
4) Add apricots and stir in. Sprinkle the carrot pieces over the top and layer any white meat on top of those. Pour in accumulated juices from the chicken plate. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through.
5) Transfer chicken to plate or bowl and tent with foil. Add chickpeas to pot; increase heat to medium-high and simmer until liquid has thickened slightly and carrots are tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Return chicken to pot and add garlic-zest mixture, cilantro, and lemon juice to taste; stir to combine and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
For a more tangy flavor, skip the apricots and chickpeas and instead add 1 cup Greek cracked green olives, pitted and halved, in step 5.
I thought this was pretty lemony, so add the lemon juice a little at a time until it's where you want it.
Serves five or so.
Oh, and the subject line is from this page of Moroccan proverbs. I have no idea what it means.
(crossposted to my journal as usual)
Recipes are once again from Cook's Illustrated, and once again they use a Dutch oven and a large stainless steel skillet. I think it's been a while since I mentioned that these three things are the three best investments you can make in your kitchen if you eat meat. They are my culinary OT3. Subscription to Cook's online is cheap, especially given how much money we've saved by making their recipes in bulk. Lodge Logic cast iron Dutch ovens can be bought through Amazon for astoundingly low prices and free shipping (which is important with cast iron). Research brand-name stainless steel skillets and then check for them on eBay or Google Products. Trust me, if you like the sounds of the recipes I post, you will not regret these purchases.
This was going to be our Thursday dinner, but our guest isn't fond of Moroccan food, so we made the chicken Marsala instead. Fortunately we had plenty of chicken left (hooray for Costco), so tonight, guestless, we enjoyed a second excellent chicken dinner.
Couscous pilaf:
(Note: this makes a LOT of couscous. Half this amount would probably be sufficient to accompany the chicken recipe. Cook's claims it serves 4 to 6 as a side dish; I'd say it makes at least 10 cups of pilaf, which is more like a side dish for 8 to 10 people in my book.)
0) Cut two 2-tbsp chunks of unsalted butter. Measure out 2 cups couscous in a large mixing bowl, .75 cup sliced almonds in a small bowl, .75 cup raisins, .75 tsp salt, 1.75 cups chicken broth, and 2 cups water.
1) Finely dice a small onion. Juice one lemon.
2) Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a heavy-bottomed non-nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When it's stopped actively bubbling and foaming, toss in the couscous and stir it frequently until some grains start to brown, about 3 minutes. Return the couscous to the large mixing bowl, scraping the pan with a spatula to get all the grains.
3) Put the almonds in the same pan and toast, stirring frequently, until browned, about 2 minutes. Return them to the small bowl.
4) Melt the other 2 tbsp of butter in the skillet. Throw in the onion, raisins, and salt, and cook about 5 minutes until the onion has softened and started to brown. Add the broth and water. Turn the heat up and bring to a boil. Pour the boiling liquid over the couscous, stir briefly, and tightly cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit 12 minutes. Fluff with the tines of a fork (NOT a spoon), stir in the lemon juice and almonds, and serve immediately.
Moroccan chicken:
0) Into a small bowl, measure 1.25 tsp sweet paprika, .5 tsp each cumin and ginger, and .25 tsp each cayenne (we didn't have any, so we used urfa-biber), ground coriander seed, and cinnamon. Drain and rinse a 15 oz. can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans. Measure out 1.75 cups chicken broth and 1 tbsp honey.
1) Thoroughly scrub two organic lemons, peel off three 2" strips of zest (scraping off any white pith), and juice the lemons for about 3 tbsp of juice. Mince one of the strips of zest, combine it with 1 tsp of minced garlic, and mince them together or grind them with a mortar and pestle until they form a fine paste. Measure out 1 to 4 additional tsp garlic, depending on how garlicky you like your food. Cut 1 medium carrot into .5" coins. Halve a large onion pole-to-pole and cut into .25" slices. Measure out 1 cup dried apricots and halve them (or cut them into smaller pieces if you like). Chop up 2 tbsp parsley or cilantro.
2) Rinse and pat dry ten skinless boneless chicken thighs. (The recipe calls for a whole 3.5-pound chicken cut into parts, or "four chicken thighs and two chicken breasts, each breast split in half", but thighs were what we had; it all works out.) Salt and pepper both sides. In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke. In a single layer, brown the pieces of chicken 5 minutes on the skin side and 4 minutes on the flip side. (You may need to do this in batches.) Remove them to a plate. If using a whole chicken or equivalent, brown with the skin on and peel and discard the skin once the chicken has cooled enough.
3) Add the onion and remaining lemon zest strips to the pot and cook 5 minutes until onion browns at the edges but is still firm. If things seem very dry or are starting to blacken, add 1 tbsp of water. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spices and cook until very fragrant, about 45 seconds to one minute. Pour in chicken broth and honey, and scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Add dark meat, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 minutes. If you're making the couscous pilaf, this is a great time to start it.
4) Add apricots and stir in. Sprinkle the carrot pieces over the top and layer any white meat on top of those. Pour in accumulated juices from the chicken plate. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through.
5) Transfer chicken to plate or bowl and tent with foil. Add chickpeas to pot; increase heat to medium-high and simmer until liquid has thickened slightly and carrots are tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Return chicken to pot and add garlic-zest mixture, cilantro, and lemon juice to taste; stir to combine and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
For a more tangy flavor, skip the apricots and chickpeas and instead add 1 cup Greek cracked green olives, pitted and halved, in step 5.
I thought this was pretty lemony, so add the lemon juice a little at a time until it's where you want it.
Serves five or so.
Oh, and the subject line is from this page of Moroccan proverbs. I have no idea what it means.
(crossposted to my journal as usual)
no subject
on 2009-05-24 08:24 pm (UTC)This recipe looks lovely and I'm adding it to my stash. :)
no subject
on 2009-05-26 05:01 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2009-05-30 06:21 pm (UTC)For the chicken, I think I'd go for the non-apricot version. There are very few fruit/savoury combinations I like.
The pilaf sounds great!