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Remember those preserved lemons I made? This is one of the recipes I use them in. This time I finally arrived at a point where I am comfortable with the results of this recipe. I have a confession to make: I hate eating bone-in chicken. I love how it tastes, but I hate having to pick it apart and getting my fingers all messy. It only makes it worse if there are little bits of onion and couscous mixed into the situation. This is my tidy version. Probably not very authentic as tagines go (a Moroccan specialty) but delicious nonetheless.

Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Israeli Couscous; Moroccan Orange Salad

Adapted from Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon, by Claudia Rodin
Serves 3-4

2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1-inch chunk fresh ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4-6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
1 T honey
1 t salt
generous pinch saffron threads, crushed
1/2 a preserved lemon, rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup Israeli couscous

Heat 1 T olive oil in a large heavy skillet with a lid. Saute the onion until softened and golden-brown. Stir in the ginger and garlic, and cook and stir for a minute or two. Remove the onion mixture and set it aside. Add 1 T olive oil to the pan and place the chicken pieces in a single layer, skinned side up. Fry them until browned, then flip and fry until the other side is browned. (They always stick dreadfully for me, so that’s why I do the smooth side second and leave them there for the next step.) Add the onion mixture back into the pan, around the edges of the chicken. Add the chopped preserved lemon, scattered over the chicken. Drizzle with honey, sprinkle with salt and saffron, and then pour over the wine and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked thru. Take the chicken pieces out with tongs and set them aside, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cover with foil. Add 3/4 cup of water to the liquid remaining in the pan, and raise the heat to bring it to a boil. Stir in the couscous. Simmer for 10 minutes, checking after 5 to make sure there is enough liquid, adding a little more water if the couscous is sticking to the pan. The couscous is done when it is tender but still a bit chewy. Serve the couscous alongside the chicken, with salad – I recommend Moroccan Orange Salad.

Today we went to a Chinese New Year party. No one there was remotely Chinese but we got to eat rice balls, wontons, and some other delicious pan-Asian treats. I brought my Cabbage Salad. I got the recipe originally from CM, one of the ladies from my Bible study, and now I bring it to most holidays – Thanksgiving, Christmas, and now Chinese New Year. It’s a crowd-pleaser.

Chinese Cabbage Salad

1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
2-3 green onions, sliced
2 T sesame seeds
1/2 c slivered almonds
1/4 c salad oil
3 T rice vinegar
1 1/2 T sugar
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
Optional: crispy chow mein noodles
Also optional: 1 c cooked shredded chicken

In a dry skillet, toast first the sesame seeds and then the almonds. Whisk the oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Combine with the salad ingredients and refrigerate before serving. (If using crispy noodles, sprinkle them on top just before serving.)

Yesterday I decided to take another stab at making naan, the chewy flatbread of Indian restaurant fame. I had bookmarked a few recipes over the last year or so, and I pulled those up. This one seemed very detailed, it called for active dry yeast which is what I had on hand, and it was originally published in a magazine so I figured it was legit, so I decided to go for it. One main difference between other bread recipes I’d baked was the large amount of liquid it called for – 3 cups, and 6 cups flour.

9 cups of flour later, I still wasn’t able to actually knead the dough. I decided to just stir it like heck and hope it would actually rise, since I’d only used part of a yeast packet. I let it sit in the bowl until I got back from my women’s bible study. Yes, it did rise – I put it into the fridge where it continued to rise. By the time I was ready to bake it was level with the top of the bowl. I hoped the results would at least be edible and that huge amount of dough wouldn’t go to waste.

I don’t have a pizza stone, but my camp griddle rocks as a baking sheet so I preheated it in the oven to 500.° Whoo-hoo!

The first batch last night came out delicious – the top was basically perfect, bubbly and chewy with a few crispy spots. The bottom was pretty hard, though – I figured that might be due to the amount of flour I used to keep the dough from sticking to everything in sight. (I spent a long time cleaning the kitchen after my near-dough-disaster.)

I froze the extra dough and have enough for 4 more meals! Upon reflection, I’m fairly certain I mismeasured the water I used in the recipe – by 1/2 a cup. So I probably won’t have to add 3 extra cups of flour next time! I think the goal here is to move beyond batter but not all the way to kneadable.

Tonight I tried another batch. Rolling the dough out on parchment paper didn’t work – still too sticky. I put the dough directly onto the (not hot) camp griddle and moved the oven rack from the 2nd lowest to exact middle. This time, the top was crispy and the bottom was chewy. Getting closer! My next move will be to put the dough directly on the pan, rolled thin, no floured surfaces, and use the lower oven rack. We shall see how it works out.

Because I was busy with the naan production, I made a simple dal for dinner rather than an elaborate curry. With rice, lentils are a complete protein and a great source of fiber. Best of all, after sitting in the fridge overnight, the dal tastes even better the second day!

Basic Dal
Adapted from Indian Food Kitchen

2 T butter or oil
1 t cumin seeds
1/2 an onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch chunk fresh ginger root, minced
1/4 t turmeric
1/4 t cayenne or to taste
1 t salt
1 cup red lentils, washed and drained
chopped cilantro, to garnish (optional)

Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds. Add the chopped onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are golden. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and spices. Cook and stir for a moment or two. Add the lentils and 4 cups water.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Serve garnished with cilantro, and serve with one or all of the following:

Naan (see above)

Spiced rice: add 3 whole cloves and 5 cardamom pods to 1 cup white basmati rice and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice and remove the spice pods before serving.

Roasted vegetables: Separate a small head of cauliflower and a small head of broccoli into florets. Toss in a large bowl with 1 T vegetable oil, salt, and pepper. Spread in a single layer in a baking pan or sheet and roast in a 375° oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until tender and browned.

This is my most successful restaurant-food-at-home. It’s actually better than most restaurant versions I’ve tried! One of my top favorite soups of all time. Try it, I’m pretty sure you’ll be hooked.

Tom Kha Gai: Thai Sour Chicken Soup
Serves 4-5

Note: it’s best to make the broth the day before you plan to serve the soup so that the broth can cool and you can skim off the fat.

For the broth:
8 c water
1 stalk lemon grass
5 kaffir lime leaves, torn
2-inch chunk fresh galanga root, sliced
1 T fish sauce
1/2 an onion, quartered
4 bone-in chicken thighs (about 1.5 lbs)

Bring the water to a boil. Using a mallet or the back of a heavy knife, pound the lemon grass stalk to crush it and release the flavor. Add it to the pot along with the torn kaffir leaves, galanga, fish sauce, and onion. Add the chicken pieces and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the broth, and when it’s cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the skin and bones. Reserve the meat, refrigerated, and return the bones to the broth and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes. Pour it into a large container through a sieve; discard solids, cool the broth, and refrigerate overnight.

Vegetables and seasonings:
10 oz mushrooms (Crimini or white), quartered
1/2 an onion, cut in wedges
2 large tomatoes, cut in wedges
15 oz can coconut milk
2 limes, juiced
2-3 T chili paste in soya bean oil (Nam Prik Pao)
4 T fish sauce
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
Steamed rice, to serve

Skim and discard the solidified fat from the chilled broth. Bring the broth to a simmer.

Preheat the oven to 400° and toss the mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Spread in an even layer on a lined baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes or until tender and browned.

Whisk together the lime juice, chili paste, and fish sauce.

Stir coconut milk, reserved chicken, roasted vegetables, and seasoning mixture into the broth. Add salt to taste if needed. Place a portion of steamed rice in each bowl, ladle soup over the rice, and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

BN’s brother has a Meyer lemon tree. They are always ripe and abundant right as we are visiting for Christmas – the last 2 years we have taken home a big bag full.

My most exotic cookbook is Arabesque: a taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon by Claudia Rodin. There used to be a Mediterranean grocery store near us, and I bought some unusual items there once to make one of the recipes in the book, including preserved lemons. The book includes directions for how to make your own, but it’s important that they not be waxed and so the grocery store ones are out. But with home-grown lemons, preserving your own makes sense. They are kind of in the same category as olives – they go well in salads, and I even tried them on pizza.

Lemons Preserved in Salt and Lemon Juice
from Arabesque by Claudia Rodin

4 lemons
4 tablespoons sea salt
Juice of 4 additional lemons, or as needed to cover the prepared lemons in the jar.

Wash a large jar in lots of hot soapy water and rinse well. Make sure your lemons are clean as well and remove any stems. From the blossom end, cut the lemon in quarters most of the way through but leave the stem end intact. Stuff each lemon with a tablespoon of salt, and squeeze shut. Put them in the jar and press down so they fit compactly.

Put the jar lid on and leave at room temp for 3 to 4 days. The lemons will disgorge some juice and become softened. Open the jar and pour in additional lemon juice to cover. Store in the fridge – the longer they are left, the better the flavor. (If a piece of lemon is not covered, it develops a white mold that is harmless and just needs to be washed off.)

Before using, scoop out and discard the pulp and seeds, and rinse the lemon peel to get rid of excess salt.

Chili and Cornbread

My mom prepares several batches of this rich chili for her Christmas guests, who arrive throughout the day in various states of hunger. Some head straight for the kitchen and the stack of festive mugs placed near the crock pot. Others, too full from other holiday treats, simply enjoy the warm, welcoming aroma.

Christmas Chili (serves 8 – 10)
Thanks, Mom!

2 16 oz cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 16 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 lbs ground beef, browned and drained
2 medium onions, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced (I usually use more like 6 or 8 )
2-3 T chili powder
1 t cumin
1/4 t cayenne (optional if you like spicy!)
1 t pepper
1 t salt or to taste

(Note: as you may know, I never leave well enough alone when it comes to recipes, and like to add a can of black beans and a couple of cups of frozen corn to the chili.)

Assemble the ingredients in a slow-cooker in the order listed. Stir briefly. Cover and cook on low for 10 – 12 hours, or high for 5 – 6 hours.

To cook on the stovetop, brown the meat in a large soup pot, spoon off the fat, add onions and bell peppers and cook until softened. Add the other ingredients and a cup of water. Simmer for at least 2 hours.

I require crumbled cornbread in my chili. It’s so easy to make, why not?

Corn Bread (serves 6-8)
Adapted from the Albers brand corn meal box

1 c yellow corn meal
1 c all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
1 c milk
1/4 c safflower oil
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400°

Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan. Combine corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Combine egg, milk, and oil in a small bowl; mix well. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined, don’t worry about lumps. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

This is one of those “magic” recipes – super-simple and easy but so lucious. Expect rave reviews.

Sesame-Roasted Butternut Squash (serves 6-8)
Adapted from Japanese by Lulu Grimes, Paragon Publishing

1 small Butternut Squash (or 1/2 a large one)
2 T soy sauce
1 T refined sesame oil or canola oil
1 T sake or mirin (in a pinch, use 2 tsp rice vinegar + 1 tsp sugar)
4 t sesame seeds
Salt

Preheat the oven to 400°

The only effort to this recipe is prepping the squash. I find it easier to peel if I first cut it into halves or quarters and scrape out the seeds and stringy pulp.

Cut the peeled squash into uniform wedges (about 1/2 inch thick) and put them in a large bowl. Whisk together the soy, oil, and sake, and drizzle this mixture over the squash. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and salt, and toss again. Spread the squash in a single layer on a non-stick or foil-covered baking sheet. Drizzle with any remaining sauce in the bottom of the bowl.

Roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until the edges are browned and the squash is tender.