Moroccan Grilled Rack of Lamb
Cut into individual chops and serve.
Tag: Moroccan
Chicken and Caramelized Pears Tagine
Chicken and Caramelized Pears Tagine
This tagine has the perfect pairing of savory and sweet flavors, which is very typical for many Moroccan dishes. The chicken is cooked in an onion sauce. This method of preparation is called mqalli. Then pears are poached, then caramelized in butter, honey, and cinnamon. At the last second of caramelizing, orange blossom water is stirred in. The chicken is plated on a platter. The onion sauce is poured over, then followed by the caramelized pears.
Equipment
- tagine
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 1 pinch saffron
- 1 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 bunch cilantro
- 1/2 bunch parsley
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp butter or smen(cured and aged butter)
Caramelized Pears
- 3 pears peeled and quartered
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 cup chicken sauce
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water
- 1/2 stick butter
Garnish
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Soak the saffron in a couple tbsps of warm water for 5 minutes.
- Mix in the ginger, turmeric, black and white peppers to form a paste.
- Marinate the chicken for 8 hours.
- Place the onions, parsley and cilantro bunch, 1/4 cup water, and the cinnamon stick in the bottom of a tagine over medium heat.
- Place the marinated chicken pieces on top. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Add the oils and butter, plus another 1/2 cup of water. Season with salt.
- Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
- Place the pears in a small pot with the lemon juice and 1 cup of the chicken juices that developed in the tagine. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- While the pears are simmering, remove the chicken from the tagine. Continue to simmer the onion sauce for 20 minutes over medium low heat.
- In a separate sauté pan, melt the butter, honey, and ground cinnamon over medium heat.
- Add the pears to the butter. Simmer for 8 minutes, occasionally stirring the pears in the sauce.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the orange blossom water.
Spinach and Chickpeas
Spinach and Chickpeas
This Moroccan dish has Spanish influences; with Spain being right across the Alboran sea. What makes this dish unique is that cubed bread is sautéed with garlic and spices, then processed into a paste with red wine vinegar. The paste is used as a thickening agent to bring all of the ingredients together. The spinach and chickpeas are seasoned with smoked paprika and a little freshly squeezed lemon juice to add acidity.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz baby spinach
- 15 oz canned chickpeas drained
- 1 slice bread cubed
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 3 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
- lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat up 2 tbsp of the oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in the spinach. Season with salt.
- Cook for 4 minutes until it is wilted. Remove from the pan.
- Add in 1 tbsp of oil. Sauté the bread cubes for 5 minutes.
- Add in the last tbsp of oil and sauté the garlic, cumin, and chili flakes for a minute.
- Add the contents of the pan to a food processor. Pour in the red wine vinegar.
- Process into a paste.
- Add the paste back into the sauté pan with the chickpeas and tomato sauce. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the spinach back in. Cook for a minute. Season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
Kefta Tagine with Saffron Butter Sauce
Kefta Tagine with Saffron Butter Sauce
Never have meatballs been so luxurious until now. These mini meatballs are poached in a saffron butter sauce with onions and Moroccan spices in a tagine. If you don’t have a tagine, you can definetily use a sauté pan. Traditionally, the meatballs are scooped up with a Moroccan bread called khobz; kind of like pita. If that’s not the way you want to go, serve the meatballs and sauce over basmati rice or mashed potatoes. Either way, you’ll be full and satisfied.
Equipment
- tagine
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
- 1 small onion grated
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Saffron Butter Sauce
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion grated
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/2 tsp saffron threads
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 cup beef stock
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Mix all of the meatball ingredients together.
- Form into small meatballs; about the size of a cherry.
- Melt the butter in your tagine over medium low heat. Add the onions, parsley, cilantro, spices, and cinnamon stick. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the beef broth. Season with salt. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Add the meatballs into the sauce.
- Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
