Lamb Tagine & Couscous

I have had my Tagine (clay pot) for over a year... maybe longer. I thought it was about time I made something in it ! I love Moroccan food and love lamb. Here it is - my first tagine !

INGREDIENTS :

1 lb lamb chunks

1 onion

1 Tb mince garlic

1 tsp cardamon

1 tsp ginger

1 TB tumeric

good pinch of saffron

1 Tsp cumin

2 TB paprika

1 TB cinnamon

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup chick peas, cooked according to direction on package. 

1/2 cup chopped dried apricot

Small bunch cilantro, chopped

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup preserved lemons chopped, sliced (optional but adds a unique flavor)

salt and pepper

olive oil

HOW TO :
In a pan with olive oil. Add lamb and brown on all sides. Remove and set aside.
* I heated the ingredients on a pan on stove and not in the tagine.. I love my tagine and didn't want to risk having it break on an open flame. I'm sure it would have been OK.
In the tagine or in a pan that browned the lamb, add onions, garlic and all the spices. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes. Mix.
In the tagine, add the lamb and the spice tomato mixture.
Add remaining ingredients - chick peas apricots, cilantro, chicken broth, lemons, salt and pepper
Cook in 350 convection oven for about 90 minutes or until lamb is tender and sauce has thicken.


Couscous :
Plain couscous, cooked according to package - Boil water, turn off and add couscous , then add 1/2 cup currants, 3 TB taosted pine nuts, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 2 TB butter, 1 TB olive oil. Mix and Cover. When ready to serve - fluff with a fork.

CONFESSION :
I used canned chick peas because making the lamb tagine was an impulsive dinner.  In planning ahead of time... go for the dreid chick peas !


Enjoy Every Bite !

Chorizo Stuffed Squid in a Tomato Paprika Sauce

I really enjoyed this dish... the spiciness of the chorizo and the sweetness of the raisins worked well together. The tomato paprika sauce was so yummy.. the anchovy paste really make this sauce complete... yes ! Anchovy! The idea of cooking squid always intimidated me because over cooking it will make it rubbery and chewy but it wasn't a problem with this dish.
For Squid

2 - 8 inch whole squid, cleaned

1/4 cup raisins, chopped

1/4 cup pine nuts

3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs

4 TB olive oil

1 TB minced garlic

1 cup ground chorizo

2-3 TB chopped parsley

2 eggs

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Sauce :

1/2 onion, fine diced

3 TB olive oil

1 TB minced garlic

1 cup tomato sauce

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1-2 TB anchovy paste ( I like it so I used 2 Tb)

1/2 cup red wine

2 TB paprika ( I used 1 Tb of smoked and 1 Tb sweet )

zest of half lemon

In a pot over medium heat, add olive oil and onions, until translucent.

Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

How To : Chorizo mix

Mix all the Chorizo ingredients together, stuff 3/4 of the squid, secure end with a toothpick.

In a pan, seared both sides of the squid. You don't need to do this but I like to.

In a baking dish add the tomato sauce, place the two squid in the tomato sauce. Cover with tin foil. (I took off tinfoil last 5 minutes)

Bake 30-40 minutes, in a 350 degree convection oven. Time varies depending on oven.

Plate it :

Remove the squid from the oven and let stand about 5 minutes.

Slice squid, place some sauce on a plate, nestle sliced squid on the sauce.

Serve and Enjoy every bite !

Tomatoes Provençal

These baked tomatoes are a great side to a meal or even a light meal on it's own. I was craving these today. I had served it with some left over Grilled Tri Tip with Chimichurri. The tomatoes are soooo good !
I was cooking for one today so I used one tomato.

1 Whole tomato - vine ripe or beefsteak, cut in half

Two thick slices of leftover baguette

1 fresh garlic clove

1 tsp Herb de Provence

Fresh Parmigiano Cheese, grated

fresh cracked pepper

French Grey sea salt

In a small blender or coffee grinder, pulse the bread slices until the bread is finely crumbles, add garlic clove, pulse again.

Add the salt and pepper.

Cut tomato in half, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle some of the bread crumbs on each tomato half, then sprinkle some of the Herb de Provence and grated some Parmigiano over top. Drizzle a little more olive oil over top of bread crumbs.

Bake in the over for about 8 minutes. Until the crumbs are golden.

SERVE AND ENJOY EVERY BITE !

Baked Eggs, Bacon, Spinach & Béarnaise Sauce

Yummy Breakfast! I love spinach and eggs with Bearnaise sauce... in any combination - eggs benedict, scrambled eggs or in a quiche. This will become one of my favorites as well.

Ingredients :

2 eggs

4 slices of bacon

bag of fresh spinach

bearnaise sauce (recipe will follow)

Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated

Cracked pepper

2 ramekins

HOW TO :

In a frying pan, fry bacon until half cooked - still floppy.

Place 2 pieces of bacon in the ramekin, with the ends hanging on the edge slightly.

In a pan, melt 2 TB of butter, add two big hands full of fresh spinach leaves (I used half of a bag) Turn off heat. Turn the spinach over a few times until it wilts slightly. This will not even take a minute.

Divide the sauteed spinach into the two ramekins.

Spoon about 2 Tb of the bearnaise sauce onto the spinach.

Crack open an egg and place in each ramekin.

Grate a little of the Parmigiano on to each egg top.

Sprinkle fresh cracked pepper.

Cook in a 375 over for about 12 minutes.

* I cooked 12 minutes, egg yolks were still somewhat runny - great for dipping a crusty bread or toast.

Bearnaise Sauce :

2 sticks of butter = 1 cup

4 large egg yolks

1/4 cup white wine

3 TB fresh lemon juice

about 1 tsp of fresh Tarragon (or good qulaity dreid Tarragon)

salt

There are many ways people makes this sauce but I am pulling a Frank Sinatra and doing it My Way :)

In a double boiler OR a pot with boiling water and heat resistant glass bowl sitting in the pot ( make sure the boiling water does not touch the glass bowl - eggs will cooks to fast and scramble)

Add the wine and vinegar

Add the egg yolks

Whisk the eggs and and when they start to thicken, drizzle the melted butter in a steady stream and whisk into eggs.

Add Tarragon.

Enjoy Every Bite !

Spicy Red Lentil Soup with Crab & Cucumber Salsa

I have always wanted to make a lentil soup and now I have and I love it ! It would be great in the Winter months with a nice crusty bread. It's so simple to make too. I had this as a warm soup but I also tried it later, thinned it out more and had it chilled with avacado and it was quite nice as well.

1 large carrot, peeled, diced

1 celery stalk , diced

1 medium shallot, diced fine

1 tsp red pepper flakes

3 Tb tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1/2 dried red lentils

1 can chicken stock

zest of one lemon

1 TB minced garlic

1 TB red chili paste - less if you don't want it as spicy

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cumin

1 TB paprika

In a pan, add olive oil, carrots, celery and onions, cook on med-low until soft.

Add red pepper flakes, tomato paste - cook 3 minutes.

Add lentils, tomatoes, tomato sauce and chicken stock and remaining ingredients.

Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

Put the soup in a food processor and blend until smooth. Adding more warm chicken broth to thin out if you want a thinner soup. * careful when puree this in blender, the top might blow off from the heat !

I recommend that the crab be warm/hot when placed on the soup. Also, the cucumber salsa be brought to room temperature.

Cucumber with Lemongrass

Fine dice half of an English Cucumber, seeded

fine dice 1/4 of red onion

1-2 tsp of prepared lemongrass, adjust to your taste.. I like the flavor so I added 2 tsp.

Mix together. Place a small amount on top of the crab.

Serve and Enjoy Every Bite

Veal Shoulder with Lemon White Wine Sauce

When I made this dish I had no intention of blogging about it because it was something I just threw together and put in the oven. It ended up tasting amazing ! I am learning that anchovy paste makes everything (well almost everything) taste awesome. The anchovy flavor is subtle and is in the hidden, like background music... you know it's there, you like and wouldn't be the same if it wasn't there. Try not to be put off by it.. not everyone likes it but I assure you.. you'll like this dish.

2 boneless, Veal shoulder (you could use pork shoulder as well)

flour for dusting

1 can chicken broth

2 lemons, cut into quarters

1cup white wine

few sprigs rosemary

2 TB anchovy paste

1 TB garlic , minced

1/4 cup olive oil

kosher salt and cracked pepper.

1 cup baby carrots

1 cup frozen peas

HOW TO :

Lightly dust Veal with flour, salt and pepper.

In a pan with olive oil, fry until a golden crust forms.

Place the Veal shoulders in a cast iron baking dish.

Add the chicken broth, white wine, lemons, anchovy paste, garlic, rosemary and oilve oil.

Cover and cook in a 350 degree oven for 60 minutes.

Take cover off and cook for 15-20 minutes more. Add peas.

** I served this with an Asparagus risotto which tasted great with the lemon sauce of the Veal dish. Nice roasted potatoes would also go great with this.


ENJOY EVERY BITE !

Ahi Tuna Appetizers - Two Ways

Ahi Tuna is one of my favorite things to have as an appetizer when I am dining out.. if it's on the menu - I'm trying it. I wanted to create something that I could make at home and enjoy without having to go to a restaurant, so here's what I came up with. They are two completely taste but I am really loving the Asian one the best. The Ginger Plum Sauce was an after thought. I was shopping at one of my favorite markets "World Food Market" ( Heaven on earth for me) and saw some sugar plums( I thought these were just in fairytales) and knew I could probably do something with them. While making the Asian Ahi Tuna I thought Ginger Plum sauce would accent the tuna quite nicely... and it did !

Mexican Ahi Tuna

INGREDIENTS :

Ahi tuna, diced, I used half of a filet, the filet was about 3/4 of a lb

1/2 tsp cumin

1 TB fresh squeezed lime juice

kosher salt

2-3 TB black bean ( use fresh cooked black beans, canned black beans - OK)

1 green onion, sliced thin

Corn tortilla, cut 1-2 circle, deep fried until crisp

Avocada Sauce

1/2 avocado, masked

1/2 lime juice

4-6 TB of Mexican Crema ( or use sour cream, thin out with half n half)

Fine shreded red cabbage, chopped cilantro, lime juice -toss together

How To :

Prepare Avocado cream sauce.

Deep fry tortilla rounds.

In a bowl, add Ahi Tuna, black beans, lime juice. green onion and cumin, pinch of kosher salt.

Put 1-2 Tb of tuna on tortilla, add a small dollop of avocado cream sauce and top with cabbage slaw.

Asian Ahi Tuna

Ingredients :

1/2 c Ahi tuna, diced

1 TB sesame oil

1 TB sweet soy sauce

1 TB Ponzu sauce

1 1/2 inch wonton squres, deep fry until crisp.

black sesame seeds, sprinkle

white sesame seeds, sprinkle

green onion, sliced thin, diagonally

Ginger Plum Sauce

about 6 sugar plums

1 big TB of fresh ginger - I use the minced ginger in a tube.
2 TB sugar

2 TB water

Peel plums, remove pit. Add plum pulp to pot, add sugar and ginger. Simmer on low until plum breaks down.

Remove from heat, pour in bowl and chill.

How To :

Prepare, Plum ginger sauce

Deep fry wonton squares.

In a bowl add Ahi tuna, sweet soy, sesame, ponzu sauce, green onion. Mix

On each wonton crisp top with 1-2 TB Ahi tuna, drizzle some of the ginger plum sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and top with a few of the green onions.

Serve and Enjoy Every bite !

Halibut & Baby Bok Choy with Miso Mustard Cream Sauce

Ingredients :

2 Halibut fillets

five spice powder

kosher salt and cracked pepper

In a pan, on high heat, add a couple of splashes of canola oil. Pat fish dry, sprinkle 5-spice powder kosher salt and cracked pepper. Sear both sides of Halibut. I always finish off my fillets in the over, apporoximately 7 minutes.. depending on side of fish fillet.

** I spread a little of the Yellow Miso paste on halibut before going into the oven. Not a lot... Miso is salty.

Miso Sauce :

2 TB Yellow Miso paste

1 TB Mirin

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp whole grain mustard

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp sugar

4 TB cream

In a pan add all above ingredients and heat on low temperature.

In a steamer or pot with small amount of water add Bok choy and steam for about 4-5 minutes.

Plate it

On a plate, place soem of the Miso sauce, lay the Bok Choy and place Halibut Fillet on top of the Bok Choy.. Drizzle some of the Miso sauce. I topped it off with some Enoki mushrooms.

Enjoy Every Bite !