Moroccan Grilled Rack of Lamb
Cut into individual chops and serve.
Tag: North African
Kbab (Algerian Chicken with Chickpeas and Potatoes)
Kbab (Algerian Chicken with Chickpeas and Potatoes)
Kbab is a classic Arabic dish of chicken, chickpeas, and potatoes, simmered in a lemony egg mixture sauce. With this dish, you can either make your own fried potatoes or use thick cut steak fries. Once the chickpeas are tender, the potatoes are added to the sauce the last 2 minutes of simmering. Then the pan is placed under the broiler to brown the chicken.
Equipment
- broiler-safe stainless steel sauté pan
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup dried chickpeas soaked in water overnight
- 3 tbsp parsley chopped
- 3 whole chicken legs drumsticks and thighs separated
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 cups water plus more if needed
- 1 lb steak fries prepared according to package directions
Egg Mixture
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 ladle chicken sauce from the pan
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
Instructions
- Melt the ghee into the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the onions, garlic, chickpeas, and parsley for 5 minutes.
- Season the chicken pieces with ginger, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Brown in the sauté pan for 15 minutes on all sides.
- Pour in 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. If the chickpeas aren’t cooked through, add a 1/2 cup of water at a time and continue to simmer until tender.
- While the chicken is simmering, prepare the fries according to package directions. I like to bake mine to cut back on calories.
- Scoop out one ladle of the sauce from the pan. Best with an egg, lemon juice, and parsley. Set aside.
- Take out the chicken pieces from the sauté pan. Add in the fries and the egg mixture sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- Add the chicken pieces back into the pan. Place under your oven’s broiler for 6-8 minutes until the top of the chicken pieces are crispy.
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.
Dukka Roasted Potatoes
Dukka Roasted Potatoes
Dukka is an Egyptian spice blend made out of ground nuts, seeds, and seasonings. Traditionally it is mixed with olive oil and served with crusty bread. It also happens to turn roasted potatoes into something magical.
Equipment
- Spice grinder
Ingredients
Dukka Spice
- 2/3 cup blanched almonds
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp chilie powder
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp celery salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Dukka Potatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 lbs red potatoes washed; cut into cubes
- 6 garlic cloves smashed
- 3 tbsp butter melted
- 3 tbsp dukka seasoning
- salt to taste
Garnish
- parsley chopped
Instructions
- Add the almonds, sesame seeds, coriander, and cumin in a spice grinder. Grind into a powder and mix with the rest of the seasonings. Set aside.
- Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Place the potatoes and garlic in a glass baking dish. Pour over the lemon/olive oil mixture. Place in a preheated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes, stirring every 10.
- Mix together the melted butter and 3 tbsp of dukka seasoning.
- Pour over the potatoes. Bake for another 15 minutes.
