Harissa Holiday

It's beginning to feel a lot like vacation!

Chris and I depart tomorrow -- Morocco here we come! I cannot wait for our culinary adventure of North Africa to begin!

We went to a local, authentic Moroccan restaurant this weekend for a preview of what's to come and well, are we in for a treat! Sweet, smoky spices, briny olives, bowls of nutty couscous, falling-off the bone lamb, succulent seafood, glasses of hot mint tea with honey--and bright red dollops of the spicy/salty traditional condiment, harissa.

To keep us in the mood (and because I received one last CSA box that I wasn't expecting) I decided to make a lovely Moroccan stew with beets, radishes, buttercup squash, potatoes, yams, lemon, chickpeas and raisins.

CSA Bliss: Check out that giant china rose radish, the red beets and buttercup squash!

I typed in "beets, radish, squash" into my search engine and this recipe for a Moroccan-style stew popped up, so I used it as my starting point and then tweaked it. Instead of preserved lemons, I halved and seeded about three large lemons and cooked everything using my slow-cooker (set to 6 hours), adding the chickpeas during the last hour of cooking. I also added potatoes and yams to the ingredients, since I wanted a heartier version. The beets and harissa turned everything a lovely reddish-orange color, perfect for the holidays! (Don't worry, the beet stains on your hands will go away when you do the dishes.)

Chris declared it delicious and I had to agree -- it was tasty. We drank a lovely, dry Riesling to accompany it. Yum and yum.

Hearty Harissa Stew
Ingredients:
1 (1 1/2-pound) buttercup or butternut squash
1 pound radishes (2 large china rose variety, otherwise use about 2 bunches regular)
4 large potatoes
2 large yams
1 pound beets (about 3 large)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 large shallot, minced
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon paprika (I like smoked)
2 teaspoon garlic powder
5 TBS harissa
2 TBS honey
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup raisins (golden or regular)
3 large lemons, halved and seeded, plus the zest from 1 lemon
1 (15-ounce can) chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups couscous
3/4 cup squash seeds, toasted
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

To Do:

• Peel, halve, and remove the seeds from the squash, reserving 3/4 cup of seeds for later. Chop into large chunks. Place in bottom of slow cooker crock.

• Remove stem from radishes (peel if needed) and chop into medium-size chunks. Place in slow cooker.
• Peel and chop potato, yam and beets into medium sized chunks and add to pot. (Do beets last or your cutting board/knife will stain everything else red.)
• Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add onion, garlic and shallot, stirring until tender. Add to them, the salt, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, harissa and honey and heat through, then transfer to slow cooker.

• Add the chicken stock, raisins and lemons and 1/2 the zest to the slow cooker pot and stir gently to combine everything.

• Set slow cooker to 6 hour setting.
• After 5 hours, stir in the chickpeas.
• When you have 30 minutes left, chop the cilantro. Also, clean the squash seeds and then toast in a pan until browned/popping. Make the couscous according to the package directions. (I toast my couscous in olive oil, stirring it in the pot until it browned, and then cook it -- makes a big difference.)

• When the slow cooker turns off, scoop a few spoonfuls into a small bowl and test the seasonings. You may want to add a bit more salt and/or spices. Also, be sure to remove the lemons.

• To serve: Place a mound of couscous in the middle of a large bowl. Top with the stewed veggies and sprinkle with seeds, the remaining zest and the cilantro. 

Delish!

May your holidays be filled with good food, family, friends and fun!
I'll return to cookery in January.
xoxo

Simple Summer Snackages

Hello, June -- Hello, Summer!

The time for al fresco dining, chilled bottles of Rosé, fruity cocktails and impromptu patio parties is upon us. Which also means you need a few quick, easy and impressive dishes for those last minute soirees.

Here are three great snackage options to get you started:

Don't Get Crabby Potato Balls
12 oz crab meat (imitation is okay)
6 large potatoes (peeled)
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS lemon juice
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 TBS cilantro, minced
1/4 cup mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip!)

• Boil potatoes and smash them in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and pepper and salt, then mix into the potatoes.
• Place potatoes on a greased cookie sheet in one layer and broil for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. They should be pretty salty. Remove from oven and let cool.
• Shred the crab and add to the potatoes.
• Stir in the cilantro and the mayo.
• Form into small, bite-sized balls and chill at least an hour.
• Serve while cold.

My Mouth's on Fire and Garlic Shrimp

3-4 dozen large shrimp (tails removed, peeled and cleaned)

2 TBS sriracha

1 TBS garlic powder

3 TBS unsalted butter (melted)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp kosher salt

12 skewers for grilling

• Toss the raw shrimp with the rest of the ingredients and marinate for at least an hour. Bring to room temperature, add 4 shrimp to each skewer and grill 2 minutes per side.  Alternately, cook in a skillet on the stove until pink and serve with mini forks. 
• Note: these are pretty spicy. If you or your guests can't take the heat, serve with a dip of sliced scallions stirred into sour cream.

Drunken Olives

1 cup each of brine-cured black (Kalamata are my fav) and green olives (cracked)

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 TBS lemon juice

2 TBS olive brine

1/4 cup vodka

3-4 large garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon grated lemon or orange peel

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon Herbs de Provence

• Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.  When ready to serve, let the olives come to room temperature, adjust seasonings (more herbs or red pepper?) drain off any juice and spoon into serving bowl. Be sure to set out a small bowl for pits.

Serve these snacks with chilled wine or fizzy cocktails.  Add a cheese plate with some toothsome crackers or assorted flat breads, a bowl of dried fruit and nuts, some baby carrots or apple slices, and you're on your way to a lovely, stress-free, tasty evening.

Cheers.

xoxox

30 minutes or less?

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate.  --Julia Child

Chris and I often commute together to and from work, which is very nice. We ride the train into the city together each morning and usually come home together about 3 nights a week. (Chris often stays in the office later than I do, and when he does, I try to get an earlier train so I can get a head start on dinner, etc.) 

However, last night we were on the same train home.  I had planned to make a nice meal of chicken, potatoes and some veggies that were waning in the crisper, and mentioned that plan to Chris on our short walk home.  He gave me a worried look, which I knew meant "how long will that take?"  I told him to trust me, and it would be ready in 30 minutes or less.  He raised his eyebrows skeptically and left me to my project.  That was 7:06 p.m.  By 7:28 p.m., we were sitting down to dinner.  Score.

Here's what I did:

I preheated the oven to 400F degrees and lightly oiled a baking sheet. I took three boneless, skinless chicken breasts, patted them dry, added a dash of salt/pepper to each and sautéed them in a pan (medium high heat) with 2 TBS butter and 1 TBS soy sauce until browned.  I transferred the browned chicken to the baking sheet and then covered the top of each piece with garlic powder, brown sugar, and pinch of salt. Don't be shy with the garlic/sugar.  I baked in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, moving the sheet to the top rack for the last 5 minutes so the sugar could get all nice and caramelized (keep an eye on it though).  

While the chicken was browning, I took 6 smallish potatoes, peeled and cut them into bite-size chunks. I put them in a microwave safe bowl with 1 TBS of butter and some garlic powder  (a dash or two) and zapped them for 1 minute until the butter had melted. I stirred the potatoes and then put them back in the microwave for another 12 minutes, until cooked through and tender (check at the 10 minute mark, depending on microwave power). When they were done, I stirred in some powdered ginger (a pinch), a handful of sesame seeds and 2 tsp of sesame oil, along with a pinch of salt. I covered the bowl to keep warm.

I had some baby bok choy, so thought I'd continue the Asian-theme of my meal. I cut off the very bottom stem of each piece and then separated and rinsed the little leaves clean. I wiped out my chicken pan, leaving just a bit of the browning juices behind, and then tossed in the bok choy. I added a bit more soy sauce, 1 tsp of minced ginger, a pinch of salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes and cooked until they had softened a bit.

The chicken was juicy and garlicky and sweet, and the potatoes were nutty and soft. The bok choy added some color and the flavors all went very well together.

The picture doesn't do it justice, but since time was of the essence, I didn't want to waste it getting a perfect shot. It was a really tasty meal...and best of all, it didn't take all night!

Yum!

xoxoxo