Beef, Squash, and Potato Tagine

We've had a ton of squash from our garden this year. Stupid amounts really. I knew that if I was going to prepare it for dinner, I'd better hide it in as many spices as possible. So that is what I did. Any time you want to force your family to eat veggies, just make a tagine recipe. If you're unfamiliar with tagines, just think of them as a North African stew. The meal is called tagine, and the cooking vessel is also called a tagine. If you don't own a tagine, just use a clay or heavy cast iron pot with a lid.

In other news, my little man Emmett has been crawling for a few months, and now he's standing and traveling along the furniture. He gets into everything. EVERYTHING. He's a busy little boy. My Mimi is doing well also. She spends a good chunk of her day outside with our new dog. When she's inside, she loves to help with the cooking. She even photographs the food with me. It's adorable. :)

Onions and Bell Peppers

Garlic, ginger, and spices

Soften the veggies

Add the spice mix

Add the whole tomatoes and water

The never ending yellow squash

Potatoes

Cilantro

Beef, Squash, and Potato Tagine
Serving Size = 2

• Oil (EVOO)
• 1 onion
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 yellow squash (2 cups or so), large pieces, about 1 1/2 inches or so
• 1 - 15 oz can of tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water (more as needed)
• 1 lb of sirloin (I cut them into big pieces, about 2 inches at least, but you can reduce a bit)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 
• Salt/Pepper, to taste
• 3 - 4 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1/8 - 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped roughly
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Brown the meat in the tagine, over medium heat, with some oil and then remove to a plate.
2. Add the onions and bell pepper. Cook, scraping the bottom a bit, until tender. Add the spices, garlic, and fresh ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add 1/4 cup or water to deglaze a bit. Add the tomatoes and the meat (with juices). Stir well, add another 1/4 cup of water if necessary (liquid should be half way up the meat, or so). Reduce heat a bit, to medium low. Cover and cook for 1 hour, or until mostly tender.
3. Add the potatoes and cook 10 - 15 minutes, then add squash and cilantro and cook 15 - 20 minutes, or until tender.
4. I served mine with flat bread. 

Linking to: Gallery of Favorites

Chicken Curry

I have had a crazy busy week. I cannot even begin to explain how relaxing it is to sit here and work on my blog. Even though I should start by discussing the amazing curry seen above, I'm going to jump right in and announce some good news. We've adopted a dog! Yep! I have now joined the pet ownership club. She is a mutt, and appears to be mostly a black lab/basset hound mix. She's short, with a long body, a lab head, and big paws. Very cute! And her name is Hannah. The BEST part about having Hannah is how much my daughter Mimi loves her. She spends almost every minute of the day outside with her.

Ok, back to the curry. I'm not very familiar with Indian cuisine, so I cannot promise that this is authentic, but I can assure you that it is delicious. If you're not a fan of spicy, then be careful with the cayenne pepper. I made ours pretty hot by adding 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne. Although, keep in mind that the rice will take the spice level down a bit, so it should have a little kick to it. The curry was cooked in my tagine, which worked perfectly, but if you don't have one, just use a deep skillet with a lid. And finally, the warm spices are my version of garam marsala, so feel free to adjust to taste (or just use a garam marsala mix - about 1 teaspoon)

Spice mix

Garlic

Onions

The onions, garlic, ginger, spice mix, and a touch of water

Coconut milk

Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, and yogurt to the spices and onions

The chicken and cilantro. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Chicken Curry
Serving Size = 2 - 3

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces (any size you want)
• Oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger root (or grated)
• 1 can crushed tomatoes, with juice (15 oz)
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt + 1/2 cup coconut milk (or all yogurt, all coconut milk would probably work as well, or heavy whipping cream)
• Water (optional, if it's too thick, add a bit)
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons water, to thin out the spice mix

Spice Mix (have this ready before you start cooking):

• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (you can push this back to 1/8 teaspoon if you're not a fan of too many warm spices)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons salt (adjust to taste)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper 

I served this with 2 cups (2 cups before cooking), plain rice.

Note: I used my tagine to cook this, but feel free to use a deep skillet with a lid.

1. In a tagine (or other pan), add a tablespoon or two of oil (I used EVOO) and brown the pieces of chicken. When they are mostly cooked, and have some color on them, remove to a plate.
2. Add the onion and cook until soften, then add the garlic and ginger. Add the spice mix and a tablespoon or two of water (just enough to help the spices move around a bit). Cook for a few minutes, stirring.
3. Add the tomatoes, yogurt, coconut milk, cilantro, and stir. Add the chicken back and cover with a lid. If it seems too thick, add a bit of water (I never need to).
4. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the meat is cooked and pulls apart easily.
5. Add the lemon juice, stir, and serve over rice.

Linking to: Gallery of Favorites, Foodie Friday

North African Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Sauce and Date Pearled Couscous

My toddler has been a fan of this meal since she could eat real food. I hesitated on feeding it to her for the first time because of the spices, but I went ahead and tried it. She was in love and to this day she still eats more of this than anything else. Yep, North African meatballs (aka Moroccan Meatballs, or as we call it, Kefta).... just about the only food my toddler will eat. So after making them 50,000 times, I think I've perfected the recipe to exactly how we like it. Also, I used my tagine but a large, deep saute pan with a lid would work just as well.

The couscous is out of this world. Normally my husband isn't a fan of sweet/savory pairings, but even he was going for seconds. I added approximately half water and half orange juice to a pot, along with some dates and cooked the couscous in it. The OJ gives it a light hint of citrus (VERY light) and the dates give it a punch of sweetness. You could use regular couscous or pearled, but I prefer pearled because of the texture. If you don't have OJ, you could use all stock (whatever kind you have) or water.

Mixture of cilantro and parsley

Roll the meatballs

Brown them very well in a pan, try not to turn them too much

Spice mixture for the sauce

Saute the onions and then add the spices

Add the tomatoes and other sauce ingredients

Add the meatballs to the sauce and cover

Check on it, spooning sauce over it

Here it is, a family favorite in our house. I sprinkled on extra herbs.

North African Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Sauce and Date Pearled Couscous
Serving Size = 2 - 3
Meatballs

• 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• Cayenne, to taste
• Cinnamon, just a pinch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (optional)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used fresh)
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Salt/Pepper, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice (optional)
• Pinch of cayenne, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
• 1/4 cup water
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1, 14.5 oz can whole tomatoes, with juice
• 4 tablespoons tomato sauce (could also use tomato paste, about 2 tablespoons)
• 1/2 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

1. Place a large, deep saute pan or tagine over medium heat. Add a touch of oil (EVOO).
2. Mix together all of the ingredients for the meatballs, except the beef. Once blended, add the beef and mix with hands as little as possible, just until combined. Roll into golf-ball size meatballs. Once done, add to pan and brown on all sides, turning as little as possible. Remove from pan, drain off excess oil and add a bit of EVOO.
3. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes, until it starts to soften, then add the spices, zest, and mix. Cook about 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup of water to deglaze a bit, then add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Stir and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the meatballs and cover, cook until the meatballs cook through (about 20 minutes), turning once. I also reduce the heat a bit to keep the sauce at a simmer.
4. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, start the couscous.

Roughly chop the dates

Measure out the couscous

Finished result

Orange and Date Couscous
Serving Size = 2 - 3

• 1 cup pearled couscous
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup chopped dates
• Pinch of salt

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the OJ, water, salt, and dates to a boil. Add the couscous, cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 8 - 10 minutes.
2. Serve the meatballs and sauce over or next to the couscous.

Linking to: Mix It Up Monday, Mangia Mondays, This Week's Cravings, Hearth and Soul, Whole Food Wednesday

Chicken and Cauliflower Tagine

As I was browsing the net looking for new recipes I ran across the blog Moroccan Cuisine Marocaine and started looking around. Since I have a tagine that's always begging to be used, I narrowed down the hunt to chicken tagine. And then I found it.... chicken and cauliflower. I never thought to add cauliflower for some reason. Unfortunately, when I went to make the recipe my internet died and I had no way to see the recipe so I had to make up my own. Traditionally, it's served with bread. I like mine with rice though and you could even use couscous if you wanted. Also, a lot of recipes call for a large amount of cinnamon but my husband and I do not care for that too much. I keep the amount of cinnamon low, just enough to give the recipe some more spice and depth, but not enough to identify. Adjust to taste. :)

If you don't have a tagine you could use a clay pot or a pot with a heavy lid. It doesn't taste exactly the same, but I think it works pretty well. Just make sure the heat isn't too high. By the way, I know the instructions look long (as usual), but I swear it's an easy recipe.

Click here for more tagine info.

Have the spices and garlic ready to go

Cook the onions and add the spices

Add the potatoes

Serve

Chicken and Cauliflower Tagine

Serving Size = Roughly 3

• 6 chicken legs (pat dry)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1, 14.5 oz can of whole tomatoes, or 4 - 5 small tomatoes, chopped
• About 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water or chicken stock (I usually use water)
• 1/2, 14.5 oz can of peas, or roughly 1/2 cup of frozen peas
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• Salt/pepper to taste (about 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper)
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• Roughly 2 - 3 cups chopped cauliflower
• Roughly 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• Roughly 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 small potatoes,  peeled and diced
• A few tablespoons of oil (EVOO)

1. Place the tagine on the stovetop, no lid, and set the temperature to medium. Add the oil right away. Once it heats up, add the chicken legs and brown them. Remove to a plate.
2. Add the onions (and more oil if necessary) and cook until they start to soften and get a touch of color.
3. Add all of the spices and garlic at once to cook them a bit, just a few seconds, then add the tomatoes (if in a can, add about 1/4 of the juice as well). Stir well, getting the brown bit and spices off the bottom. Put the lid on and let cook about 5 minutes.
4. Add the chicken legs back in and fill the tagine about 1/2 way up the chicken legs with water or chicken stock. Gently stir and put the lid on. Cook for about 45 minutes to and hour on medium-low heat, stirring from time to time.
5. Add the potatoes, put the lid back on, and cook for about 30 minutes (You might need to add more liquid, keep checking throughout the process. It's ok if it's a little less than half way up the chicken but you don't want it too dry.... you can also add too much liquid though).
6. Add the cauliflower, cilantro, and parsley and cook for another 20 minutes with the lid on. At some point taste it to check if it needs more spices. (When cooking a tagine, the cooking time should be around 2 hours normally. If you want to reduce the time a bit, you could cut the potatoes very small and cut the time back by 30 minutes. I wouldn't recommend any less cooking time though).
7. At the end I add the peas and cook for about 5 minutes since they're already cooked.
8. Serve with bread (traditional), or rice or even couscous.... heck, I think it would even be yummy over mashed potatoes, it's up to you. :)

Here is the tagine that I use: Emile Henry 3.7 quart in red

Linking to: Made from Scratch Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday Party, Tasty Tuesdays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday, Whole Food Wednesdays, Gallery of Favorites

Tagine Quail with Lemons and Olives, Turnip and Potato Mash

Yep, I tried quail again. This time I learned my lesson and actually tied the little legs together. I think that improved the appearance a bit. :) I cannot brag enough about this recipe. It was a HUGE success in my house. We were licking the plates and my husband even went back to the kitchen to scoop out anything extra he could from the tagine and turnip/potato mash bowl. Easily one of our top all-time-favorite meals. The only tiny thing I would work harder on next time is browning the quail. I didn't really brown it well, so it looks a bit pale still. Other than that.... perfection. Yum yum yum! And don't fear the spices, it's not that strong (like my other dishes). 

So, as you can imagine, the yummy dinner made my day even better. I've been in such a good mood lately. My blog is going very well, our baby girl makes us smile constantly (even when she's a tiny pain hehe), our boy has a name (we're going with Emmett), we found lots of toddler/infant clothes on sale, I bought several cloth diapers to try, our play room is looking so so so good, our house is de-cluttered and I just feel like such a lucky person. We're moving forward as a family in every way. Plus, I found the curtain material that I plan to use for the play room and I am excited to get started. Hopefully I can figure out how to work a sewing machine. *crossing fingers*

Thinly slice the lemons

Place the quail into the tagine

Cover and cook for 10 - 15 minutes

Tagine Quail with Lemons and Olives
Serving Size = 2

• 4 quail
• 4 thinly sliced lemon pieces
• Salt/Pepper to taste
• 2 cups of water
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley (I use stems too)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (I use stems too)
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• Pinch of cayenne, to taste
• Large pinch of saffron
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup or so of green olives

1. Add EVOO to a tagine and turn the heat to a little below medium.
2. Take the quail, rinse with with water, dry and then stuff one slice of lemon into each quail. Tie each quail up by placing the string behind the bird, above the wings, wrap over the top under the breast (but above the legs), and then loop up and tie the legs together (easy to do, hard to explain). Salt each one and then place them into the hot oil and quickly brown each side.
3. Once brown, remove from the tagine and add the onions. Stir and cook for a few minutes until they start to become clear. Add the spices and garlic all at once (not the saffron). Stir quickly and then add 1 cup of water. Stir well, making sure the spices come off the bottom. Add the cilantro, parsley and saffron. Let this cook for several minutes to allow the flavors to blend (about 10 minutes or so).
4. Stir in the butter and then add the quail and olives. Cover the tagine and cook for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the quail is cooked through.
5. Serve over the turnip and potato mash. Don't forget to pour on some of the sauce.

Turnip and Potato Mash
Serving Size = 2

• 3 small potatoes
• 1 large turnip
• 1 tablespoon or so of heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1/2 - 1 tablespoon of sour cream
• Salt/Pepper

1. You can do this two different ways. One, peel and cut up the turnips, peel and cut up the potatoes, place each into different saucepans, cover with water and boil until tender. OR, and this is the way I do it, place both into the same saucepan and boil until tender (I usually cut the turnips a TINY bit smaller than the potatoes because I feel like they take a little longer to cook). The first way is the safest way, the second way is the lazy Elsa way. :)
2. Drain well, add the butter and start mashing. Be careful with the amount of cream and sour cream, just add a touch, continue to mash. Then, using a hand mixer, mix it well until it's smooth and almost fluffy (this also helps thicken it up a bit). 

Click here for more tagine info.

PS: You don't need a tagine, you could use a heavy pot as well.

Linking to: Savory Sunday, Mangia Mondays, What's on Your Plate, Hearth and Soul

Chicken and Olive Tagine

A few notes:

1. You could use any part of the chicken you want. I just used legs today.
2. It's spicy, not super-hot spice but packed with spices spicy. I serve it with couscous but you could also serve it with rice or eat it with bread. Bread is the traditional way to eat it.
3. You cannot really overcook chicken in a tagine since it's a combination of boiling and steaming. I usually cook mine for 1 1/2 - 2 hours (low heat, slow cooking). The chicken should be fall apart tender. Just keep an eye on it.
4. And yes, this post has a ton of pics. I wanted this to be as detailed as possible for the people that have never made or even eaten chicken tagine.
5. This recipe is not complicated even though the instructions seem long. I just added a lot of detail. :)

The Tagine
Tagine is the name for the meal and the vessel the meal is cooked in.
Do you really need a tagine? No, probably not, but I would recommend one. I use an Emile Henry Flame Top 3.7 Quart Tagine. It's huge but it's worth it. I love the extra room to brown and saute. It works for 3 people or 10. If you don't have one then just use a large pot with a lid (I would say cast iron would be best). The reason I love Emile Henry is because it's flameware, meaning you do not need a defuser to place on the burner and it's much less likely to break. It can withstand a lot of abuse and high heat. That being said, it's still clay so you have to be careful with it. I do not turn it up passed medium heat even though it says I can, I just don't need to (clay heats up faster and hotter than most pans). In fact, I usually have it below medium to saute and then halfway between medium and low to cook covered. I wait until it cools COMPLETELY before I wash it. Since it is not non-stick (clay isn't), then I make sure to stir the food often (about every 10 or 15 minutes), and after we eat and the pot is still warm I scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to make sure nothing sticks.

I also love Emile Henry because I trust the brand. I am not afraid of being poisoned, yet it's still similar to a traditional tagine.

And just to give you an idea of how successful this meal was.... hubs and I both agreed that this was the best meal we've had in a while. It was amazing. Mimi was watching The Tigger Movie, so I have no toddler comments but I'm sure she would love it too. :)

The spices (I forgot to add the paprika before I took the pic though).
You'll see different spice combos in other recipes, but this is my own recipe.
You could add other flavors and personalize this as well.

Saute the onion and then add the chicken and lightly brown

Add the tomatoes, spices, water and optional tomato juice

Stir well and cover the tagine.
Cook over medium low heat.

After about an hour add the potatoes......

.... and olives....

....parsley, cilantro and chickpeas.

Stir and cook for another 30 minutes,
serve over couscous, rice or with pita.

Chicken and Olive Tagine
Serving Size = 2 - 3
Cooking Time = 1 1/2 - 2 hours

• A few tablespoons of oil (extra virgin olive oil)
• Salt/Pepper (about 1 teaspoon of each, to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• Pinch of cayenne, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can of whole tomatoes, diced (juice reserved) or 3 large tomatoes, diced
• 6 chicken legs, without skin (or any other part of chicken)
• Roughly 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup tomatoes juice from the can (or straight water. I don't think chicken broth is necessary, but it's up to you)
• 3 small potatoes, sliced as thick as you want (mine were maybe 1/2 an inch)
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley
• 3/4 cup or so of olives, with pits (I used green and kalamata)
• 1/2 cup or so of chickpeas (I used canned)

1. Place the tagine on the stove with 2 tablespoons or so of EVOO (never heat the tagine dry/empty). Turn the heat halfway between low and medium (I like to warm it up slowly, not necessary though, just out of habit I think), and then finally turn it a little under medium. Saute the onions for a few minutes and then add the chicken legs (skin removed), or any other chicken part or combination you want to use. Gently saute until it starts to have a little bit of color, turning it as you cook it.
2. Add the tomatoes and if you're using canned tomatoes, reserve the juice. Add the spices, garlic and bay leaf. Stir well and then add the water and some of the reserved tomato juice (if you used fresh tomatoes then just add more water in its place). You will want the liquid to go about halfway up the chicken. I do not use chicken broth because I think there is enough flavor and I don't want to waste my broth, but it's optional. Stir, lower heat between medium and low to keep a simmer, cover with the tagine lid and let cook for about an hour or so. Make sure you check it every 10 or 15 minutes and stir the bottom, getting all of the browned yummy flavor off of the bottom. Also turn the chicken in the sauce. The sauce should thicken a bit, but it shouldn't go dry so add more water if necessary (I never need to though).
3. In the last 30 minutes of cooking time, add the potatoes, cilantro, parsley, chickpeas and olives. Stir gently (again, checking about every 15 minutes), cover and cook until the potatoes are cooked and the chicken is fall apart tender. Check the seasoning, add more salt if necessary.
4. Garnish with parsley or cilantro. Serve over couscous. Do not flavor the couscous, you don't even need to cook it in chicken broth. The couscous should be plain and the sauce will provide the flavor. Keep in mind that the couscous will take the spice level down a bit so don't use too much couscous (plus it's extremely filling). You could also serve this over rice or with bread (pita bread, the traditional way to eat it). 

Linking to: Potluck Friday, Hearth and Soul