Moroccan Kefta Tagine

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure to attend a Moroccan cooking class taught by my friend Norma.  Norma is not Moroccan but lived there for several years, and the food she made was amazing!  Since my husband and I had lived in the Middle East I had randomly picked up the special cooking pot called a tagine that is used in Moroccan cooking.  I had found some recipe online for a tagine recipe, but was sorely disappointed in the result.  So when I tasted Norma's food I was so excited to finally be able to use that pot! 

A very basic tagine, or Moroccan cooking pot.

I made two tagines (the pots and the dishes you make with them are both called tagines) the following week, and my kids and husband could not get enough.  I had expected leftovers, and was left with none.  It was wonderful (except that I didn't get to eat that amazing food again for lunch the next day).  This one was our favorite, but I'll post the Chicken and Carrot one later on this week, which was also very good.

Of course, not everyone has a tagine pot.  If you'd like to buy one without traveling to Morocco, you can get them at Sur La Table or World Market.  Or if not, you can always use a standard American stock pot.  That will work just fine. 

Kefta is the Arabic word for ground meat.  In this case it means meatballs.  I used ground beef for the meatballs but you could also use ground lamb or goat meat.

As a side note, Norma said that generally these dishes are served with an artisan-style bread.  You can quite easily make the one I used.  The recipe is here.  It was delicious with this tagine. 

Kefta (Meatball) Tagine
Recipe by Norma Bergaust

Meatballs:
1 lb hamburger
1 medium onion, minced (you will use 1/4 of it for the meatballs and the rest in the sauce)
1 egg yolk or whole egg
1 clove garlic (or more--I used about 3 cloves)
1 T minced parcley
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cumin

Remaining Ingredients:
Minced onion (the remainder from the meatballs above)
2 cloves garlic (or more)
4 oz can tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1 T olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Ground pepper to taste
1/2 tsp cumin
Small bunch parsley, chopped
Small bunch cilantro, chopped
1-2 eggs

For the meatballs, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, being sure to only use 1/4 of the minced onion.  Form into small meatballs, about 1/2"-1" in diameter.  Place on waxed paper on a baking sheet and refrigerate until needed.  You can also make the meatballs ahead of time, place them on the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze them overnight, then remove them to a plastic bag to store in the freezer.

Place the tagine or a stock pot on the stovetop at medium heat.  In a food processor place the remaining onion, garlic, tomato paste and water.  Process until well combined, then pour into tagine.  Heat for several minutes until hot, then add olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin.  Stir to combine, then drop in the meatballs.  They should cover the entire tagine.  Add enough water to just cover the meatballs, then add the parsley and cilantro, reserving some cilantro to use as garnish.  Cover with lid and cook over medium or medium low heat until the sauce is a nice consistency and the meatballs are cooked, about 15-20 minutes. 
Uncover the pot, crack eggs onto the top of the meatballs, and cover and continue to cook until they're set, about 10-15 more minutes. 
Serve with artisan-style bread.
Makes 5-6 servings.

Grilled Chicken and Garden Salsa

This recipe is from Southern Living Magazine, and is a lovely and quick thing to cook on a nice hot day.  It's a great idea to cook the vegetables on the foil, because they still get grilled, but without falling through the grates.  The flavor was great and I felt good about all those vegetables!  Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken and Garden Salsa
Recipe from Southern Living (May 2012)

Ingredients:
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbs mayonnaise
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/2"-inch-wide strips
1 small onion, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, quartered
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

In a small bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, then brush with cheese mixture.  Toss vegetables with oil, then place on a large piece of aluminum foil. 
Place chicken and vegetables (on the foil) on a preheated medium-high grill.  Grill for 6 minutes, flipping chicken and stirring up vegetables after three minutes.  Turn heat to medium-low and cook an additional 3-6 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.  Sprinkle basil over vegetables just before serving. 
Makes 4 servings.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

This is another one of my favorite Thai recipes.  After tasting this recipe, you will forever be disappointed by the satay you eat in restaurants.  Sorry about that. 

A note about the ingredients:  you can easily find fish sauce and Thai red curry paste in the Asian Foods section of any grocery store.  Be sure you get the THAI curry paste, which is very different from Indian or other curries.  As for tamarind paste, you should read the note about it on my previous post.  If you absolutely cannot get tamarind paste, you can substitute lime juice, but it's not the same, so don't do that and then tell me you hate this recipe.  I personally think that it's worth it to spend a few hours hunting down the right ingredients, because it's just that good.  And once you have them, you can make this lots of times in the future, which I guarantee will make you happy.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
Recipe adapted from "Thai" by Lesley Mackley

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips that are 1/4"-thick and 1"-wide
2 Tbs vegetable oil
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 tsp tamarind paste
1 tsp lemon zest
2 cloves garlic, minced (about a teaspoon)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbs lime juice
1 tsp brown sugar

For the Peanut Sauce:
2 T smooth peanut butter
1 cup coconut cream or coconut milk
2 tsp red Thai curry paste
1 Tbs fish sauce
1 Tbs brown sugar

First make the marinade.  Combine oil, soy sauce, tamarind paste, lemon zest, garlic, cumin, coriander, lime juice, and brown sugar in a food processor or blender.  Blend to make a thin paste.  Transfer to a ziplock bag or a bowl and toss in the chicken, making sure everything gets well coated. Refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to 4. 

Meanwhile, make the peanut sauce.  In a small saucepan combine the peanut butter, coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, and brown sugar.  Heat over medium heat, stirring with a whisk, until sauce is warm and smooth.  Sauce can be set aside and reheated when ready to use.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and thread onto skewers.  Grill over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through.  You can also cook it under a broiler, though it will take a few more minutes. 

Serve with the warm peanut dipping sauce.
Makes 8 appetizer servings, or 4 main dish servings.

Pad Thai

Several years ago I traveled to Thailand, and as a Thai food lover, I was very excited to eat there.  The first thing I wanted to try was authentic Pad Thai.  I was very disappointed to hear that Pad Thai is actually not a traditional Thai dish, but rather something that was invented in China, and is the Chinese way of making Thai-style noodles.  I did eat a lot of other fantastic food on that trip, and I still love Pad Thai even though it's not officially Thai. 

This recipe is one I got several years ago online, and I've modified it over the years to make it easier to make while still retaining the flavor of real Pad Thai.  There are so many recipes out there for Pad Thai, and most of them are terrible, but I promise you this one is very very good. 

In most Thai dishes there are a few ingredients that really make it taste Thai.  This recipe utilizes three of those key ingredients, namely fish sauce, tamarind paste, and lime.  Fish sauce and lime are easy to come by in any grocery store; tamarind paste is a bit trickier.  I have found it in my local Wegman's grocery store, in the Asian food aisle.  I have found it at our Asian grocery store, H-Mart,  though it was very difficult to find because of the communication barrier.  Probably the easiest place to get it would be to go to an Indian or Middle Eastern or Asian market, a little store where it won't take you an hour to walk every aisle, and get it there. 

Once you have tamarind paste (it's also sometimes called tamarind concentrate, or tamarind juice, even though it's a thick paste (the thickness of peanut butter)), you can keep it practically forever in your refrigerator and it's used in LOTS of Thai recipes.  You can also thin it with water and make it into a juice, but I personally think it tastes terrible!  I guess it's an acquired taste.

So, without any more delays, here is the recipe for Pad Thai.  I hope you love it as much as I do.

Pad Thai

Ingredients:
1/2 lb dried thin (1/8" wide) rice noodles (also called "Oriental Style Noodles," gkuay dtiow in Thai, or ban pho in Vietnamese)
3 Tbs fish sauce
3 Tbs tamarind paste
2 Tbs brown sugar or palm sugar if you have that
4 tsp peanut oil (or you can use vegetable oil)
1/3 lb fresh shrimp, shelled, deveined and butterflied, OR 1/2 lb boneless chicken, cut into 1/2" cubes
3/4 cup firm pressed tofu, cut into thin strips about 1"x1/2"x1/4"
4-5 cloves garlic, minced (that's at least a tablespoon of minced garlic.  I usually put in 2 T)
1/2 medium onion, chopped, or 3 shallots, chopped
2 T soy sauce (if you can get dark sweet soy sauce it's better)
1 tsp ground dried red chilies, or 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 eggs
3 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 cup garlic chives, cut into 1-1/2" long pieces
2/3 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts (for garnish)
1 lime, cut into 4 or 8 wedges (for garnish)
Cilantro springs (for garnish)
4 green onions, root trimmed and top cut back until the onion is about 4-5" long (for garnish)

Soak the dried noodles in a large bowl of lukewarm water for about 40 minutes, until the noodles are limp but still firm to the touch.  While the noodles are soaking, combine fish sauce, tamarind paste, and brown sugar in a small bowl.  Prepare all other ingredients so they will be close at hand while cooking, as the cooking process goes very quickly.

When the noodles have softened, drain and set aside.  Prepare a large wok by heating over medium high heat until smoking.  Add 2 tsp oil and stir-fry the shrimp or chicken until cooked through.  Remove from pan and place in serving bowl.  Drizzle just a little bit of fish sauce over the meat.

Add another tsp oil to the wok, and swirl it around to coat the surface.  Wait 20 seconds or so until it is hot, then add the tofu, frying and turning for a few minutes until they begin to brown.  Add garlic and stir-fry for 15 seconds, then add onion and cook another 15 seconds.  Add soy sauce and ground chilies, stirring to combine everything.

Add the noodles in, and toss well with everything in the wok.  Cook for about 2 minutes, until noodles have softened and are nearly cooked.  Push the whole mass of everything up on the top sides of the wok so you have a free cooking surface at the very bottom.  Add the last tsp of oil to the bottom, wait for it to heat for a few seconds, then crack the eggs in that spot.  Scramble them as they cook, and when they're set, cut them up a bit with your spatula and mix them into the noodles.

Pour the tamarind mixture over the whole thing, stirring to make sure everything is evenly coated.  If the noodles are still too firm, you can add a little water (1-2T) and let them cook for a few more minutes.  You may need to add more tamarind, sugar, and fish sauce if you do this. 

When everything is cooked and well-mixed, toss in the meat, bean sprouts, chives, and half of the peanuts.  Stir just until the vegetables are partially wilted, then transfer to a serving dish.  Arrange green onions, lime wedges, and cilantro on top, and sprinkle with remaining peanuts. 

Serve immediately, squeezing some lime juice onto it before eating.
Makes 4 servings.

Pear and Pecan Salad

With all the spring weather I've been making a lot of salads lately.  Also, I am growing my own baby lettuce mix this year for the first time, and it's so delicious I just keep eating it!  This salad was easy to throw together and was fantastic!  You can make a larger batch of the caramelized pecans and store them in an airtight container for a few weeks if you'd like.  That way you can throw them into any salad that comes your way.  Or munch on them in the dead of night.  Either way.

Pear and Pecan Salad

Ingredients:
2 T sugar
1/2 cup pecans
Mixed lettuce greens
1 pear, firm but ripe
1 small can mandarin oranges, or 1 clementine, peeled, sliced in half horizontally, and sectioned
1 avocado, peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks
1 T Craisins
2 T frozen or fresh blueberries
2 T goat cheese or feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp lemon juice


Lay out a sheet of parchment or wax paper.  In a medium-sized nonstick skillet melt the sugar over medium-low heat.  For a few minutes it will look like it's not doing anything, then all the sudden it will turn liquid, then will start to brown.  Just as it's become liquid but before it's brown, toss the pecans into the melted sugar.  Using a spatula, stir until the pecans are coated in the brown carmelly sugar.  Pour out onto the wax or parchment paper and let cool for about 15 minutes (you can put it in the fridge to speed it up). Then either break it into pieces or chop it roughly (you don't want them finely chopped!).

In a small bowl combine the water and lemon juice.  Cut the pear into 16 slices, then cut each slice in half crosswise.  Dip the cut pears briefly into the lemon water.  This will prevent the pear turning brown and mushy for a few hours. 

In a large bowl combine the lettuce greens, pears, oranges, avocado, Craisins, and nuts.  Toss lightly, then top with the cheese and blueberries.  Serve with poppy seed or a vinaigrette dressing.

Serves 4 as a main dish, or 6 as a side.

Summer Chickpea Salad

Sorry for the terrible picture--this was all that was left when I remembered to take one!

I love this salad.  It's so different from an average salad (read: no lettuce!), and is light and flavorful and perfect for a summer day.  Or a day where you're wishing it felt like summer!  The addition of fresh herbs is not completely mandatory, but it really does make a difference in the flavor, and appearance, of the salad, so I highly recommend using the real (fresh) thing. 

Summer Chickpea Salad
Recipe by Jamie Oliver

Ingredients:
1 small red onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
1 jalapeno or other chili pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 large tomato, roughly chopped
1 lemon, juiced
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 14-oz jar of chickpeas, drained
1 T fresh mint, chopped
2 T fresh basil, finely ripped or cut
7 oz feta or goat cheese (chevre)

In a large bowl combine red onion, jalapeno, and tomatoes.  Measure the lemon juice, then add it to the bowl. Add three times as much olive oil as you had lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add in most of the chickpeas, reserving about 10 percent.  Mash up the 10 percent, then add them to the bowl as well.  Stir everything together, and you can let it sit in the bowl at room temperature for awhile if you'd like. 

Just before serving, add in the mint and basil, then top with the cheese.  Serve at room temperature.

Makes 6 side dish servings.

Tandoori Chicken

This is another of my mother-in-law's recipes.  She serves this often when we have big summertime gatherings with the whole family.  It's easy to multiply if you're serving a big crowd, and can be prepared the night before to save time.  You can also adjust the amount of hot pepper if you prefer it less spicy (I generally use 1/4 tsp instead of the given 1/2 tsp).  We like to serve this with rice, Cucumber and Vinegar Salad and Mango Chutney.  Delicious!

Tandoori Chicken
Recipe by Ruth Beal

Ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" strips
1/2 tsp hot chili powder, such as Cayenne or Chipotle (you can use less to make it not so spicy)
1 tsp salt
2 T fresh lemon juice
4 T melted butter
3 T plain yogurt
1 T chopped raisins
2 inches ginger root, peeled and grated (or finely chopped)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp red food coloring (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a Ziplock bag and shake well.  Let marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.  Thread meat onto skewers if desired, and grill over medium-high heat for 9-12 minutes, turning every three minutes, or until cooked through.

Makes 6 servings.