Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Carrots, Onions, Greek Olives and Preserved Lemon

Morocco is credited with inventing the tagine in the 9th century.

What is a tagine?

It's a vessel with a conical shaped lid which has a hole in the top for venting.  Its unique shape cooks what's inside in a way that circulates the flavors while keeping the ingredients very moist and not making them mushy.  

For years, I wanted a tagine.  I know it's not practical.  It's a pain to store.  I know a covered casserole works almost as well. But I still wanted one. When I saw one pretty enough to sit out on display along with my other oversized ceramic dishes, I asked for it for Christmas. Santa Tom bought it for me at Williams-Sonoma.  

Fast forward 3 years.  It was still sitting in the window, unused.  Until now.  

The results were excellent. My recipe isn't probably an authentic Moroccan chicken tagine. I cobbled together ideas from a few recipes plus my experience with braising chicken. Definitely going to make it again.  Very easy to make.  The hardest part was finding the jar of perserved lemon in the grocery store.  It took two of us to figure that out.  

---Barbara

Buttermilk Biscuits

Buttermilk reacts to baking soda to produce gas to give biscuits lift.

Made two batches of these babies.   The first batch was a little flat so I added more leavening the second time which made them nice and fluffy. They freeze well.  Excellent for making breakfast sandwiches.  

--Barbara

Beef Short Ribs Adobo (NYTimes) by Barbara

Delicious!

This recipe has a well-deserved 5-star rating in the NYTimes recipe box.  It's Filipino. The meat is braised in a coconut broth with vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaf, and black peppercorn.     

---Barbara

Cast Iron Skillet Potatoes

Don't let the bacon fat go to waste

I have always been interested in cooking with cast iron, but only started using it about 5 years ago when I collected cast iron pieces belonging to my mother-in-law and her mother, Boo.  

I purchased a 12-inch Lodge skillet because it has a handy handle for lifting.  Cast iron is heavy!  It has become my go-to skillet for browning chicken. Sometimes I use it for making bacon and eggs.

Before mopping up the bacon fat and disposing of it, I've started roasting potato halves to use with future meals and soups.  

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.   Place the potatoes face down and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes.  The pan might smoke because the fat will be hot so be sure to turn on the fan.  Take extra care when removing the skillet from the oven to avoid being splattered by the fat.  

Cooling them on a rack prevents the potatoes from being greasy.  They are golden brown on the outside and soft on the inside.  

I've rewarmed them as a side, but also cut them into wedges for a cold Nicoise-style salad.  I've put them in Indian curries and vegetable soup.  I think they would work well in a frittata or quiche, too.  

Store them in tightly sealed containers in the fridge.  

---Barbara

Montreal-style Spice Rub by Barbara

Montreal Steak Seasoning is a popular mix sold by McCormick but we didn't have any on hand.  I thought I'd try making a version of it to put on boneless beef short ribs which I planned to roast in a slow oven for a long time.  Well, I put too much salt in the rub --- so here, I have dialed it back to edible levels.  

When preparing this post, I found an excellent article on Epicurious:  History of Montreal Seasoning.  Further research suggests I should have used dill instead of thyme.  But I thought I did a pretty good job!

---Barbara

Cranberry Tamarind Mustard Sauce with Pork Chop by Barbara

The sauce is under the pork chop.  Roasted sweet potato and green beans.

This is a restaurant-worthy sauce.  Best way to serve it is under the pork chop.  I used the leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving and turned it into a savory sauce for pork by adding tamarind, mustard, garlic and a little honey. There is orange in my cranberry sauce so it tastes bright and tangy.  

---Barbara

Hot Skillet Cornbread by Barbara

Hot out of the Oven, Ready to Slice

Wish I could remember who told me about this technique!  You pour the batter into a very hot pan before baking.  I used a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and a favorite cornbread recipe by chef Tom Douglas.  

---Barbara

Roasted Red Grapes in White Wine and Balsamic Vinegar by Barbara

Grapey and Gooey

This is a great use of grapes that are past their prime in the fridge.  I thought, what have a I got to lose?  Try this or give them to the birds. Very pleased with the outcome.  

However, it did take a long time to get them to this state.  Three hours.  So plan an afternoon of letting them hang out in the oven, stirring them every so often, while you do something else.

They will keep in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for a long time.  You can use them like you would chutney or as a side for a pork chop.  Not sweet like a jam or jelly but savory and goes well with roasted pork tenderloin, chicken or fish.  

---Barbara

Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup by Barbara

Thick and Hearty

Store-bought rotisserie chickens are one of the best bargains at the grocery store.  Here is a good way to use the leftovers.  You can freeze the carcasses until you have enough meat to make a soup.  Thaw completely before starting to make the soup.

---Barbara

Cream of Celery Soup by Barbara

Celery can be a Star 

It tastes similar to vichysoisse when cold or cream of potato soup when served warm.  Surprisingly good.  One of my better soups created when using up what's in the fridge before we have to go away.  

---Barbara

Curried Carrot Soup by Barbara

Pho- ish by Barbara

A Big Pot of Slurpy Deliciousness:   Homemade Pho-ish

One of Tom's favorite dishes to make is Beef Broccoli Lo Mein. I thoroughly enjoy it, but it generates quite a lot of leftovers because there is just the two of us.  So, I experimented with making a brothy soup, similar to pho, out of these leftovers.  Pho is pronounced "fuh" and is a delicious Vietnamese dish.  We don't have a Vietnamese restaurant around here, so we can't get the real thing.  Mine isn't authentic but it is pho-ish.  

---Barbara

Buckwheat Muffins with Coconut and Golden Raisins

Very Moist Muffins with Lots of Flavor

One of the best muffin combinations I've ever made. 

In the past, my "go-to" recipe for buckwheat muffins used dates and toasted pecans---and they are indeed excellent --see Buckwheat Date Nut Muffins-- but this one might top it! The coconut adds sweetness ---and moisture--- and texture ---and goes really well with buckwheat's earthiness.

Buckwheat is not wheat. It is related to rhubarb and is not technically a grain.  It is gluten-free.

---Barbara