Chicken veggie tagine (non traditional) with couscous.

Chicken veggie tagine (non traditional) with couscous.  

I left most numbers out because I really change it around often and go by what I 

 have at the time

for the tagine:

• 1-2 onions, halved and sliced3-5 garlic cloves or to taste, peeled and minced
• 1/2-1 hot pepper of your choice, deseeded if you want less heat, minced finely
•  carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch wide sticks 
•  potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
•  1-2 preserved lemons (can be found in middle east stores in jars), rinsed, halved, de-seeded, and thinly sliced.  You could substitute fresh lemon juice (and maybe a bit of the pulp) in a pinch, but it will not taste the same
•  pitted green or red olives.  I've even used those cheap stuffed olives in a pinch
•  handfull of cilantro leaves, chopped
•  chicken, skinless.  what sections you use is up to you, I prefer boneless breasts  and/or thighs. You can also leave out the meat if you want a vegetarian version
•  Other seasonal veggies if you prefer-- in this case I used 1 bell pepper cut into strips, a zucchini from the garden, quartered lengthwise and cut into thick slices, and some overripe garden tomatoes 
•  pinch of crushed saffron threads soaked in a few oz of hot water
•  chicken or vegetable broth (water is ok)
•  olive oil
•  salt and pepper
•  1 tsp ground ginger (or use fresh ginger if you prefer)
•  1 tsp ground coriander
•  1/2 - 1 tsp ground cumin
•  1 tsp of paprika
•  large, deep frying pan with a lid or a dutch oven-sized covered pot

 Instructions:

 1. sautee onion in olive oil over medium heat until translucent.  add peppers and 

 garlic and chicken and brown.  season with salt and pepper and add all the spices 

 but the saffron, stirring to distribute evenly.

 2.  Add the rest of the vegetables, olives,  and preserved lemon, and stir.  pour in the saffron water and throw the chopped cilantro on the top.  If you're using a pan, it should be pretty full right now. Add enough broth to almost reach the top of the food mixture-- the point is to stew it, not really boil it to death, so it'll probably be 1/5 cups or so depending on how large of a dish you're making. Cover dish and simmer over medium-low to medium-high heat for 45 minutes or so, checking to make sure all the liquid hasn't boiled away.  You want it to be saucy, but not soupy.  Add more broth if you need to.  test veggies and chicken if you're unsure, but by then it really should be well cooked.  serve by itself, or with a crusty french bread torn up to use as cutlery, or over couscous

 Basic Couscous-

You could use a box mix if you want and just follow their instructions.  If you can find small instant couscous in bulk at your grocery story or at the local mid eastern store, use that! (not the big Israeli couscous which look like huge tapioca balls)

I usually use a ratio of 1.5 amount of broth to 1 amount of dry couscous.  It might vary for others, though

I usually do this- 

 Saute 1/2 minced onion in olive oil until translucent or golden.  Then add 1-2 cloves of minced garlic and saute for another minute or two. Add broth and some salt and occasionally other seasonings and herbs (i've even used vegeta before) and bring it to a boil.  remove from heat.  if your pan is large, you can stir the couscous into the hot broth, cover it with its lid, and let it sit for five minutes.  Alternatively, you can pour the hot broth into a pyrex bowl with lid and stir in the couscous and 

 cover that.  You'll literally be able to watch the couscous absorb the liquid.  After five minutes or so, fluff the couscous with a fork and serve!

Bissara

Bissara
Morocco


1 c large size dry fava beans, soaked overnight and drained
3 cloves garlic, crushed
salt to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
8 c water
5 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 c chopped parsley

Place the fava beans (fooel beans), garlic, salt, 4 tbsp of olive oil, and water
in a pot; then cook over medium heat until the beans are tender. (personal
note-- I dont recommend adding salt to cooking beans because I find they tend
to toughen up the beans)

Place the beans in food processor and process until smooth, then return to the
pot. Add the lemon juice and cumin, and cook for 5 minutes over low heat.
Spoon into a serving platter. Pour the remaining olive oil evenly over the top;
then sprinkle with the paprika and chili powder. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Moroccan Potato Casserole

Sauce:
6 medium cloves garlic, peeled
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne (red pepper)
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of one lemon
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 stalks celery, cut into 2 inch pieces
3 large bell peppers (capsicum) (one of each color-red green and
yellow)
3 medium tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges
1-2 tbsp oilve oil
Preheat oven to 350 F. Make sauce- In food processor, combine garlic,
paprika, salt, cumin, and cayenne and process until a paste forms.
Add cilantro and parsley and pulse a few times to blend. Add lemon
juice, vinegar, and oil and process until blended. Season with salt
to taste.
In large bowl, combine potatoes, celery and bell peppers. Season
with salt to taste. Add sauce and toss to blend. Transfer to large,
shallow baking dish, tuck tomatoes into mixture and drizzle with oil.
Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes. Uncover and bake until potatoes
are tender, about 20 minutes more. Serve hot.

Mishweeya

3 large green peppers (capsicums)
3 large firm tomatoes
minced parsley
dressing:
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 tbs wine vinegar (or other vinegar if you prefer)
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp red pepper
2 tbs minced parsley
2 tbs minced cilantro

* grill the peppers (under broiler or over a flame if you have a gas stove)
turning constantly.
* When all evenly cooked (skin will be blistered/black), plunge into cold
water or ice water.
* under running water, rub off the charred skin (some ppl put the peppers
in a paper bag or in a closed bowl to help separate the skin first) Remove
seeds and white stuff and cut into pieces about 1 inch square.
* Boil a large pot of water and drop in the whole tomatoes. Cook for 1/2
minutes (skin will crack sort of if you run a fork on the skin), then
transfer to a bowl of cold water. Remove the skin and cube or dice the
tomatoes. (some ppl roast the tomatoes the same way as the peppers)
*make the dressing by combingin dressing ingredients in a closed jar and
shaking (or however you prefer). pour over the peppers and tomatoes and toss.
Marinate for about an hour and garnish with parsley.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Ingredients

1/2 cup water
salt
1 pound carrots-- pared and cut into 2.5 inch X 1/4 inch sticks (generally)
fresh parsley, minced

Ingredients For The Dressing

1 clove garlic crushed with salt (or pressed)
3 tbs lemon juice or vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp red pepper (or more)
2 tbs minced parsley
2 tbs minced cilantro

Instructions

Bring the water to a boil, add salt and carrots, and steam over medium heat until tender-crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.Prepare the dressing by putting the ingredients together (the recipe recommends putting it in a Tupperware box and shaking it together)Stir the dressing and the reserved cooking liquid into the carrots, cover and simmer about 7 minutes. (the carrots will be soft). Add the fresh parsley and toss. Serve chilled or at room temperature.