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September 30, 2010
My Kitchen, My World: Morocco
It's been awhile since I've done one of these My Kitchen, My World challenges. And I'm sliding this one in right under the wire.
Started the week out with roasting a chicken. And I think I met my culinary demise. It turned into a logistical nightmare, not getting done, even after giving it much more time than called for. I think that my oven doesn't heat up to the right temperature, so I often just make meals in my toaster oven, or just rely on my crockpots. It finally got done after the kids' bedtime (I shoved it into our toaster oven, barely fit, but finished it up nicely), and we have the remains in the crockpot. I diced up some of that chicken for this recipe.
And the fun bit of this recipe was finding a fairly simple recipe for ras el hanout, which I adapted for the spices I had in my cupboard. As I was creating this, I was reminiscing about our lovely Moroccan dinner for our anniversary, especially the b'stella (a sweet, cinnamony poultry pie), and tried to bring out the counterpoint between perfumed, savory spices against sweetness that fascinated me in the cuisine. I served some fancy olives beside the stew because it seemed the thing to do.
Moroccan chicken stew with herb and fruit couscous
Stew
1/2 large onion (or one small), diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. ras el hanous, divided
2 cups crushed tomatoes (or sauce)
1 can or 2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup golden raisins (sultanas)
2-3 tbsp. amaretto liquor (or 1/2-1 tsp. almond extract)*
1 cup cooked chicken (or raw, just give it a little more time in the slow cooker or pan
A few tablespoons almonds or cashews
1) Sautee onion and garlic along with 1 tbs. ras el hanout in a little oil until tender
2) Add pureed tomatoes to the pan (along with a little broth, if you'd like)
3) At this point, either add all but the final two ingredients to the pan, and simmer until tender OR dump the contents plus all but last two ingredients into a crockpot on low for a few hours (what I did)
4) When you start the couscous, add the amaretto to the pan, along with 2-3 tsp. more of the ras el hanout
5) Serve alongside or over couscous, sprinkle with almonds or cashews
Couscous
3 cups water or broth
1/4 cup dried fruit, diced (I used a mixed bag with apples, pears, apricots and plums, but you can pick one or use a mix that you like or just use raisins)
1.5 cups couscous
Handful of fresh herbs, chopped (I used basil, but cilantro or parsley would be quite nice)
1) Boil water (add salt if not using broth) with the dried fruit
2) When water is boiling, add couscous and 2-3 tbsp. ras el hanout, and turn stove off
3) Cover for 5-10 minutes until water is absorbed. Stir in fresh herbs and fluff
And go to the My Kitchen, My World blog in a day or two for a post with pictures of everyone else's lovelies (they're so inspiring!).
*I know that using alcohol would be non-traditional, but this was added a nutty and sweet flavor to the stew.
My Kitchen, My World , slow cooker | By Tim and Jo | 4:45 PM
Comments
Wow - that looks delicious. I really want to try it. Looks like a good "fall" dish as well. I loved our travel to Morocco, didn't you? Can't wait for next month's adventure!!
Posted by: peggy at October 1, 2010 10:36 AM
I like the idea of adding amaretto liquor or almond extract to the couscous. I've never tried it but will experiment with it next time.
Posted by: Corina at October 2, 2010 2:52 AM
Delicious...I had such fun with this month as I didn't know a thing about Moroccan cooking going into it, so I learned a lot. Such fun...yours looks great! Now, on to Japan!
Posted by: Kayte at October 2, 2010 8:25 PM
I have a similar problem with my oven not heating properly, so I placed a cheap kitchen thermometer inside so I can monitor the temperature easily. Like Kayte, I didn't know anything about Moroccan cooking before starting, but this was a great first MKMW experience. Looking forward to participating again :)
Posted by: Liz at October 5, 2010 12:24 AM
