Chicken Tajine with Potatoes and Green Olives

Tajine refers to the infamous north african earthenware pot designed especially to allow the evaporating liquids to cool as they come up and thus drip back down into the dish being cooked. Many types of stews and dishes exist in the various countries in which this method of preparation is common, and often times the stews are served alongside a serving of couscous. This special method of slow cooking allows the meats and vegetables that make up the various stews to become very tender and aromatic, giving Tajine dishes a unique taste that leaves you wanting more!

This particular tajine recipe has moroccan influence in it's creation, but simply came to be on one chilly autumn night from ingredients that I had laying around the house. So I don't have any famous or official dish names for this one, but it turned out to be absolutely delicious so I had to share the creation! 

INGREDIENTS

1.5lb chicken thighs

2 medium potatoes

1 large onion

1 large carrot

1 large apple

½ can pitted green olives

4 garlic cloves

2 tsp chopped ginger

2 tsp shawarma spice

2 tsp moroccan paprika (1 tsp for milder spiciness)

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp cardamom

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp black pepper

5 tsp chicken soup powder

1 tsp turmeric

Ghee/Coconut oil/Butter

Olive oil

2 cups Couscous
3 cups water
1-2 tbsp salt

METHOD

1.    Chop the onion and fry in ghee until transparent (personally I use a combination of coconut oil and olive oil, but you can use butter with olive oil instead).

2.    Add chopped garlic, chopped ginger, shawarma spice, paprika, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, chicken soup powder, and turmeric. Alternatively, if you don't have chicken soup powder simply use chicken broth instead of the water in the following steps.

3.    Cut chicken into stewing size cubes, add to tajine and brown lightly.

4.    Add enough water (or chicken broth) to cover the chicken.

5.    Cube the potatoes and apple, coarsely grate the carrot, and add to tajine along with the green olives. Make sure the liquid covers most of the content of the pot, but don't overfill. 

6.    Cover and cook on low for 1hour until all ingredients are soft.

7.   Couscous preparation: boil 3 cups water, add 1-2tbsp salt (to taste) and place couscous in the water, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand for 5minutes and fluff with fork. Transfer the couscous to a large container where the couscous can breathe and be properly fluffed.

8.   Serve all together!

Romanian Eggplant Salad

No meal in my household can be had without the absolute basic - our eggplant salad! It's like bread and water, you just have to have it! It consists of nothing other than roasted eggplants with some oil and salt, but the taste is divine and one serving is never ever enough! The directions might seem a bit confusing so I added a few pictures so you can realize they're not as intimidating as they might sound.. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

4 large eggplants

Vegetable oil

Salt

Tomatos (optional, to garnish)

Green onion (optional, to garnish)

METHOD

1.     Broil the eggplants for 40minutes, turning them over after half the time. You may broil using the broil function of your oven or use an open flame to roast them stove top. 

2.     Place a colander in a large bowl, peel the eggplants (careful, they'll be very hot), and place the meat in the colander.

3.     At this point the eggplants have to drain for at least an hour otherwise they will be very bitter. In order for all the juice to drain well we maintain pressure on the eggplant during this hour. A simple way that we use to do it is to place something heavy directly on top of the eggplants. Start by placing a plate over the eggplants and hand pressing it to get some of the juice out. When most of the major juice has sifted out, place a heavy bowl full of water to maintain the plate pressed down and leave for an hour. It may look something like this:

4.     When all the juices have drained place the eggplants in a food processor and mix, adding oil and salt to taste. Make sure you only pulse and don't let it run too much, you want to still be able to see most of the seeds. Be somewhat generous on the oil and salt until you reach a smooth texture, but once it's chopped you can take it out of the processor and add the oil and salt by hand mixing until it tastes good.
If you don't have a processor or just want to make it like in "the good ole-days," place the meat on a large cutting board and use a large knife to chop the eggplants until they reach a smooth, even texture. Then place in a bowl and add salt and oil until it tastes good! 

5.    Garnish with slices of tomato and green onion and serve!

Avocado & Egg Salad

Extremely easy, perfect for last minute prep, and absolutely delicious! A creamy texture with a slightly citrucey and salty twist makes for a perfect avocado salad! Serve it as part of a brunch, as a dip, or simply as another salad on the table as part of any meal, which is what we typically do. Use the 1 avocado to 2 eggs ratio as a guide to prepare the desired amount.

INGREDIENTS

1 Avocado

2 eggs

Mayonnaise

Lemon

Salt

METHOD

1.     Boil the eggs

2.     Clean the avocado and mash it together with the eggs using a fork. 

3.   Mix in mayo, lemon juice, and salt to taste and serve. 

Spinach & Feta Shakshuka (Runny Eggs with Dip Dish)

In the spirit of the holiday, and with the weekend coming up, here's a great Sunday brunch idea. As I've mentioned in my previous Shakshuka recipe, the typical Shakshuka is made with sunny side up eggs with runny yolk on top of a thick tomato sauce and eaten with bread by dipping or serving as a sandwich. This recipe is a twist on the classic shakshuka for those who aren't huge fans of tomatos, or simply for an interesting and tasty morning variety. In the picture you can see I've added some mushrooms and made a smaller portion, so definitely feel free to be creative! This recipe serves 6, so adjust as you wish for your party size. Great with french bread or pita bread, but any bread will do!


INGREDIENTS

2 leeks (white part only), finely sliced

1 tbsp butter

500g fresh  spinach leaves washed and trimmed

2 garlic cloves, crushed

salt

pepper

6 eggs

100g crumbled feta cheese


METHOD

1.     Melt the butter in a deep skillet and sauté the leeks until soft and translucent but not brown.

2.     Add spinach and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Season gently, remember that feta is salty.

3.     Break the eggs onto the spinach arranging the yolks around the pan. Sprinkle the cheese around the pan.

4.     Turn heat to low, cover the pan and simmer until the egg whites set, 5-7 minutes.

5.   Serve immediately with your favorite bread.

Spanish Tortilla with Red Peppers

Spanish tortilla is probably one of the most famous and universally loved exports of Spanish cuisine, offered in many high class restaurants around the world in it's many variations and flavors, and yet it is such a simple and basic dish that anyone can enjoy at home. The tortilla can be enjoyed as a breakfast dish, you can impress your friends at a pitch in brunch, or serve it as an esthetic appetizer cut into small pieces. This particular recipe is simply how I like to make it, if you don't like this combination of spices feel free to change it up. As far as the potatoes go, you may cut them and put them raw on the pan and cook with the peppers for about 15minutes, but for time saving purposes I like to pre-microwave them so they are somewhat soft before they are on the pan. The fresh peppers can also be substituted for ready made chopped roasted red pepper, this way you save even more time on a busy Sunday morning! These quantities make a tortilla for 2 on a small frying pan, if you need to serve more make sure to multiply the ingredients and use an appropriate size pan so you get the nice height of the tortilla as can be seen in the picture. Buen Provecho! 

INGREDIENTS

2 medium sized potatoes

1 red pepper chopped

1 onion

4 eggs

a splash of milk

salt

pepper

tsp garlic powder

sweet paprika

turmeric

METHOD

1.     Cut the potatoes to 1-2cm size cubes. Place on a plate and microwave for 3minutes.

2.     Oil a small frying pan and turn on medium heat. Salt and pepper the potatoes, add the potatoes and pepper to the pan and let cook for a few minutes until almost soft but not brown.

3.     Beat the eggs with a splash of milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, sweet paprika, and turmeric to taste.

4.     Pour eggs over potatoes, cover and let cook until bottom is solid and separates from pan easily.

5.     Place a plate over the pan, quickly flip it over and let the tortilla fall into the plate, then slide it back into the pan with the uncooked side down.

6.    Cover and let cook for a few minutes until eggs have cooked through on the bottom.

Golubtsi / Sarmale (Stuffed Cabbage or Grape Leaves)

This is my favorite food of all times, from when I was very little to this very day. Golubtsi refer to cabbage leaves or grape leaves stuffed with a mixture of ground meat and rice. You may use this same mixture to also stuff red bell peppers, which may be a little less work since you don't have to do any wrapping. Many countries have their recipes for stuffed vegetables or grape leaves, and all somewhat vary. The kind that we make have more meat and are bigger and less standard in size than the ones that you usually see in the Mediterranean section of the supermarket, which are usually skinny and have mostly rice in them. The flavor of these is distinct from others, so even if you've tried them before, don't rule out this recipe!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground turkey

1 medium onion

1 medium carrot

1 tbsp tomato paste

Dill

1.5 tsp Salt

Chicken soup powder (1-2 tbsp for a large pot)

Heaping ½ cup rice

Cabbage head / grape leaves

Sour cream – to serve

METHOD

1.       Chop onion and fry with regular canola oil.

2.       Largely grate the carrot and add to onion to fry some more.

3.       Add 1tbsp tomato paste, some dill, and mix well.

4.       Remove from heat, add to the meat and add some salt.

5.       Mix in ½ cup of rice after washing it well and add salt or chicken soup powder.

6.       If using cabbage, cut off the head. Boil water and when boils throw in the leaves for few seconds until they separate. Immediately remove, put in a bowl and close it for them to soften. The spine should be cut off the leaves.

7.  If using grape leaves, start from here. Stuff the leaves by putting some of the filling in the middle in an elongated shape. Fold in length wise, then both sides, then the other edge. 

8.   Put in a pot, cover with boiling water with chicken soup powder, bring to boil, and let simmer for an hour. 

Potato, Portabella, and Goat Cheese Salad

Created, again, when there was nothing else around, this salad turned out quite pleasant. Portabella mushrooms and goat cheese are among my favorite ingredients in the kitchen, so needless to say their combination is always a winning one! I haven't made this salad in a while so I don't have a picture available, but I'll get one up here next time. As far as quantities, I never made it the same way twice, so I'll leave the judgment up to you!

INGREDIENTS

Red potatos

Portabello mushrooms

Onions

Black olives

Hearts of palm

Goat cheese

Olive oil

Oregano

Salt

Pepper 

METHOD

1.   Cook/microwave potatoes and cut to cubes.

2.   Chop onions and cut mushrooms into strips/squares, fry them together in olive oil.

3.   Add spices and potatoes to the pan.

4.   Remove from stove and add hearts of palm and black olives.

5.  Mix in goat cheese while warm to allow it to evenly cover ingredients.

Traditional Couscous Soup

Couscous, to those unfamiliar with it, is a traditional Moroccan dish that is made of semolina wheat. It is typically eaten with this vegetable soup or other types of stew-like sauces. Today couscous has become quite popular around the world and in most supermarkets you can buy a box of instant couscous without a problem, all it takes is covering it with boiling water and waiting a few minutes. The lengthier part is this soup, but couscous can be eaten simply with salt as a side dish next to just about anything, so if you've never tried couscous before you can start out light!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup chickpeas soaked in cold water overnight and rinsed

4 carrots cut into 2-3 pieces

4 medium potatoes, quartered

1 large onion, quartered

Salt

Pepper

Small pinch of saffron or 1.5 tsp turmeric

200g pumpkin into 4-5 chunks

½ of a green cabbage, quartered

4-5 stalks celery, peeled and cut coarsely, save the leaves

½ kg couscous

METHOD

1.   Put the chickpeas in a large saucepan, cover with water and cook for 30min until tender.

2.  Add the carrots, potatoes, onion, salt, pepper, saffron or turmeric, and cook for 45min until vegetables are tender.

3.   Add remaining vegetables, except celery leaves, cook 15mins, until tender.

4.   Taste and adjust seasoning, add the celery leaves and cook 15mins.

5.  Prepare couscous and serve soup on top of cous cous.

Pita Bread / Pita with Za'atar

Pita bread is a well known basic middle eastern food. The pocket inside is used to make sandwiches of all sorts, or alternatively, pieces are torn off and used to "wipe hummus," as we say in Israel, basically referring to dipping pita bread in hummus dip. Another favorite variation of the pita is called "pita im za'atar." This is a pita without the pocket and covered with olive oil and a special spice called Za'atar which you can find in either international/mediterranean markets, or in the mediterranean section of your regular supermarket. It is a kids and adults favorite alike, I highly recommend to try this version of the pita! Find more great recipes like this in my favorite book: The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey

INGREDIENTS

3.5 cups bread flour

25g (1oz) fresh yeast or 1.5 pack active dry yeast

1.5 cups water

1 tbsp sugar

½ tbsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

Za’atar spice mix:

½ cup za’atar

2 tbsp sesame seed

1 tbsp sumac

½ cup drid hyssop or oregano

½ tsp salt

½ cup olive oil
**The za'atar spice that is sold around here already has sesame seeds so I didn't add any additional sesame or oregano when I made it.

METHOD

1.       Mix the yeast with the flour in a mixer with kneading hook. Add water, sugar, salt, olive oil, and knead for 10mins until dough is smooth, shiny and slightly sticky. If you don't have a kneading hook (which I don't), you can do by hand just the same. 

2.       Transfer to a large greased bowl, sprinkle with olive oil, cover with cling wrap and allow to rise to twice its size.

3.       Place dough on floured surface, divide to 10 parts, roll each into a ball, cover with moist towel, and let sit for 10mins.

4.       Roll each ball into a disk 10-12cm in diameter and ½cm thick.

5.       Preheat oven to 500F and bake for 5mins until they swell and begin to show golden spots. Avoid over baking, cover with kitchen towel for few mins to keep them soft.

6.   For pita with za’atar: combine ½ cup of za’atar spice mix with ½ cup olive oil, coarse salt, few drops of lemon juice, to form paste. Spread 1 tbsp on each pita, bake at 400F for 10mins.