Tagine 101

Tagine is one of Morocco's and North Africa's most famous dishes. The name refers to both the earthenware pot in which you cook and the dish that you are making...Explanation? Ok, you can say" I need to buy a tagine because I feel like making a tagine!" So there, it means both, the pot and its content.

Why cook in a pot made out of clay when you have stainless steel and non stick pots? Easy answer: Flavor! and lots of it...I am a big fan of this cooking method which uses a minimum of water (thanks to the cone shaped cover that trapps moisture in) and gives you a kind of stew (It hurts to call it stew because it's not) with very earthy flavors . My mom is the best tagine maker and I learned a thing or two from her. Below is part of my tagine collection; some of them are just for serving (The decorative ones) and some are for cooking. Now all these hang around my kitchen and look pretty until I decide that it's time to put the stainless steel away and get some clay out!!

I will follow by detailed step by step directions on how to cook a basic tagine but I thought it's necessary to have this post as a little introduction. You can buy your own tagine on line or become really good friends with me and I'll see what I can do LOL

Strawberry jam and more

I've been seeing strawberries being sold on the side of the road for a couple of weeks now and I finally caved in this Friday. I stopped on  my way back from work and bought not 1, not 2 not 10 baskets...18 baskets is more like it!! The guy looked at me like I was crazy and said: "You sure love'em strawberries!" I laughed and said: "I am making strawberry jam with these so I do need a lot" He smiled and looked at his wife and said:"You wouldn't guess that about her now would you?!" Seeing the confused look on my face his wife leaned and whispered to me: "It's the high heels" We laughed.

I actually bought a lot more strawberries than I needed for the jam, but look at them, can you blame me?!

This jam is simple to make and so delicious, you only need three ingredients and some spare time. Your house will smell amazing while you're making it too!!



Delicious with toast



Ingredients:

8 cups hulled and quartered strawberries

4 cups of sugar

1/2 cup of lemon juice

Directions:

Put your strawberries in a large non stick pot and slightly crush them (I prefer them chunkier) let them simmer over medium low heat for about 10 minutes.

Add the sugar and let them simmer, you will see that they will release a lot of liquid but it will reduce and thicken and this will take sometime to happen just keep a close eye on it and stir from time to time. Don't try to go healthy and reduce the sugar; it is important in this recipe since it helps the strawberries release their natural pectin and that is key to the final result.

After about 30 minutes add your lemon juice and continue simmering until desired consistency is achieved, you will know this by dropping some of the jelly on a cold plate and checking on it after a minute. Don't judge the consistency by what's still in the pot because it is still hot and will look runnier than you would prefer and that's where the cold plate trick comes in.

Skim the foam at the end and store in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Or if you are familiar with the canning process that gives home made jam some shelf life you can go ahead and do that at this point.

Ok, the recipe calls for 8 cups of strawberries but I sure had a lot more than that...Here are a few ways I was able to use those and store them for future use.

First, I made some strawberry orange juice by simply tossing both in the blender. The little ones loved it!!

I made strawberry ice cubes by pureeing them with some water in the food processor; just pour them in an ice cube tray and store them in a ziploc bag in your freezer once they are ready.

Add them to your lemonade for some strawberry lemonade or add them to your favorite fruit smoothie and no ice cubes will be needed!!

I had some leftover strawberries still so I pureed them too but with no water, I poured the puree in Ziploc bags and stacked them in my freezer. I will use them in baking recipes.

I had fun working on my strawberry project this morning and so did the kids; they helped with a few things but enjoyed the strawberry orange juice more than anything else!

Vanilla cupcake with nutella cream cheese frosting

I have found it! I have been searching for a no fail vanilla cupcake recipe and I am finally satisfied with this one; it is light and moist and begging to be filled or topped or both!!

I made these cupcakes for my co-worker's last day with the company and wanted them to be like her; bubbly and happy!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

3/4 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp vinegar (yes vinegar)

Directions:

In a stand mixer, beat the two eggs and add the sugar and beat until creamy

Add Vanilla and oil and keep beating.

In a cup combine the milk and vinegar and let stand for 5 minutes (This is a substitution for buttermilk which a lot of cake recipes call for but you're less likely to have in your fridge) Don't mess with this just do the milk and vinegar combo because it works :-)

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt

Pour half the milk mixture into your stand up mixer and beat until combined

Add half the flour mix and beat on low

Repeat with the other half of the milk and the remaining flour and beat until the batter is smooth (it will be runnier than you're used to)

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean

Frosting:

Beat 8oz of cream cheese (1 small container) with the paddle attachment until light and airy

Add 1tsp of vanilla and 8oz of Nutella and continue beating until you reach a very smooth frosting.

Add some sprinkles or a lot of sprinkles like I did :-)

Tangy garden salad

I knew I wouldn't be in the mood for cooking today so I did what I do whenever I  don't feel like spending too much time in the kitchen; I got some steak out for hubby to grill!!
I made this garden salad on the side and it was very fresh and tangy; I just made a little vinaigrette for it and it was ready in no time.

P.S you can use a store bought dressing of course just keep it on the zesty tangy side rather than the creamy side (think italian dressing or vinaigrette) I don't like masking the different flavors of a fresh salad like this one with an overwhelming creamy sauce and I save those for a simple salad like a ceasar that relies a lot on the taste of the dressing and not so much on the ingredients themselves.

For the vinaigrette:

Mix some canola oil with vinegar and salt and pepper (amounts to taste) in a bowl.
Start with canola oil and salt and pepper and add your vinegar little by little until you reach the level of tanginess you like.

Salad ingredients:
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Avocado
Kalamata olives
Goat cheese (feta is even better but I had some goat cheese waiting to be used)
Corn
(Any ingredients you prefere can be added)

Preserved lemons (Mssayer)

I ran out of my precious preserved lemons :-( I always have a stash of them in my fridge ready for my lemon chicken recipe or other moroccan dishes that call for this truly amazing ingredient!

I have always had them brought to me from Morrocco by family or friends but I haven't had visitors from the other side of the atlantic in a while and nobody I know is going there any time soon, so I was forced to make my own preserved lemons that I will need to wait on for at least 6 weeks before I can use them. It will be all worth it at the end if they are anything like the ones I am used to.

 I started by selecting these gorgeous lemons

Ingredients:

Lemons

Kosher salt

White vinegar

Warm water

Canola oil

Directions:

Wash your lemons and cut each one into 4 quarters lengthwise but not all the way to the bottom, It will look something like this

Fill each lemon generously with the kosher salt and place in your glass jar, add more salt to the jar.

Fill the jar with 1/2 cup of vinegar and warm water; you want the lemons to be completely submerged in the liquid so don't be afraid to push them down a little.

You will not need to sterilize your jar as you normally would when making jams or that sort of thing; there's just too much acid and salt for anything to stay alive :-)

Top with a generous drizzle of canola oil or olive oil and close your airtight jar

Store in a dark place at room temperature for 6 weeks. Transfer them to the fridge when they are ready and keep them stored there.

When ready to use, wash the lemons from the excess salt and cook according to the directions of you moroccan recipe (Do not use as a substitute for fresh lemons in other recipes)

Tapas style shrimp and egg

I had planned to make chicken for dinner a few days ago except that I came back home from work and realized that I forgot to transfer it from the freezer to the fridge to thaw...To be honest this is not the first time this happens; I find myself in this situation at least once a month so I've learned to think quick about the alternatives...Something that requires little to no thawing will be either vegetarian, egg based or shrimp based (It thaws under running water in no time).

I had made this dish before and really enjoyed the combination of homemade tomato sauce with shrimp and the juices of the over easy egg. Come armed with some bread for soaking up all that ymminess!!

 These mini pans were the perfect serving vessel for this dish, I had found them at Marshalls and have been serving eggs in them since (they are just too cute and make for a nice presentation)

Ingredients:

1 chopped shallot
1 big tomato
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
Shrimp
3 eggs
salt/pepper/paprika/1/4 bouillon cube
3 tbsp tomato sauce (unflavored)
Olive oil

directions:

In a big pan, heat up some olive oil and toss in the chopped shallot.
Once the shallot starts wilting add a very finely chopped or pureed tomato (no canned puree please!)
Add your spices and the cilantro and follow with the tomato sauce
Stir for 1to 2 minutes and add your shrimp
Let it cook just until the shrimp turns pink.
If you will be serving in the same big pan you cooked in, you can add the eggs at this point and cover just until they set to your cooking preference.
I transferred the shrimp and sauce to the individual mini pans and then added one egg on each and dusted it with a little paprika/salt and cumin and let it set to over easy. I added a little chopped cilantro right before serving.

Artisan bread

I am in bread making heaven; I used to knead my bread and wait on it to rise for a first time and shape it and then wait on it to rise for a second time and then I would have to bake it right away, so unfortunately I didn't make bread as often as I wanted to...Until now!!

This new method allows me to mix my dough and let it rise at its leisure at room temperature all night long and then I would wake up in the morning, shape it, let it rise and then bake it. But what if you don't have time to bake it in the morning you'd ask? No problem, I read that there's a variation to this method where you don't let it rise at room temperature all night long because you can actually let the bread rise at room temperature for only 2 hours, stick it in the fridge in a lided plastic container and keep it there until you're ready to make some bread up to 1 week (I suggest 2 to 3 days max if you don't want the taste to be more like sourdough).

 I followed this variation to make today's bread; I mixed the dough in the evening and let it rise for 2 hours and then stuck it in the fridge before I went to bed, I let it stay there until I was ready for it...Ok, this is big for me because I always felt like bread was in control of me whenever I decided to make it; I have to be available after it rises for the first time so I can punch it down and shape it and then once it rises the second time there's no going back!! YOU HAVE TO BAKE IT RIGHT AWAY. It was insane that I had to dedicate a whole afternoon of my precious weekend to bread (So it didn't happen very often)

You can find the method here, just put the dough in the fridge after 2 hours of room temperature rising and when you're ready to bake some bread, shape it and let it rise a second time at room temperature for about 1 hour. Easy!

Artisan bread

The smell of bread filled my house at 9:00am this Saturday morning!! No, I did not stay up all night kneading and waiting on it to rise. This was possible thanks to this new method that I found on the blogsphere; I saw it on so many blogs that I don't know who it belongs to anymore but all I know is that many people are now able to enjoy freshly baked bread right out of the oven for breakfast!

The method is simple, mix your flour (I used half white half wheat), yeast, salt and water with a wooden spoon until combined (the dough needs to stay sticky) cover and let it rise for 12 hours...Yes, you can go to bed :-) When you wake up the next day punch the dough down and form it into a ball using plenty of flour so it won't stick to your hands too much. Sprinkle a baking sheet with some fine semolina and transfer the ball to it, sprinkle it with some semolina and cut it with a sharp knife. Let it rise for another hour.

Place a pan with 1 cup of water in the bottom rack of the oven when you're ready to bake your bread (This makes it develop a nice crust).
Bake your bread in a 400 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. To check that the inside is cooked, pick up your bread and knock on the bottom; you should hear a hallow noise when it's fully cooked.

Potato salad

My mom used to make this potato salad as one of the side dishes whenever she made fried fish. It can be served warm or cold but I personally prefer it at room temperature. It is so much lighter than the common potato salad and to me it's more delicious because you can actually taste the potato instead of just mayo.

Ingredients:

Red potatoes

cilantro

canola oil

vinegar

salt/pepper/cumin

Directions:

Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Cook the potato cubes by either boiling them or steaming them (I steam mine in my pressure cooker's basket)

In a small bowl add a tablespoon of chopped cilantro, salt, pepper, cumin, 1 tablespoon of canola oil and 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar and combine using a fork.

Once the potatoes are cooked, add the dressing and combine gently.

Enjoy!



Braid bread

There's nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread...No wait...actually, there's something even better; that same bread with some butter on it as soon as it comes out of the oven!!!

The ingredients I listed yield two big braids or in my case 1 braid and 3 big round rolls.



Ingredients

2 eggs

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup warm milk

1 tbsp dry yeast

2 tbsp melted butter

5 1/2-6cups of flour

Semolina for sprinkling

Sesame seeds for spinkling

egg wash (1 egg+ 1 tbsp water)

Directions:

In a stand mixer, dilute the yeast in the warm water and add all the wet ingredients (eggs last) add one cup of flour and mix until smooth.

Change to the hook attachment and add the rest of the flour cup by cup and let the machine knead your dough for another 6 to 8 minutes.

Roll your dough into a greased bowl, cover it and let it rise for about 1 hour, after it doubles in size punch it down and devide it into 6 balls.

Form each ball into a long "stick", pinch the ends of the 3 sticks together, braid and pinch the ends on the other side together.

Sprinkle a cookie sheet with fine semolina and carefully place your braid on it or do the braiding on the cookie sheet if you're not comfortable with transferring it (that's what I will do next time)

Cover your braids and let them rise for about 45 minutes, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake in a 350 F degree oven for about 30 to 35 minutes.

Another charlotte

Yes, I made a raspberry pineapple charlotte twice this week! It was my boys' birthday and my oldest asked that I make him the same cake I made for my co-worker's birthday instead of the chocolate cake he had requested (I was delighted since it's easier to make).

My boys are born within 4 days of each other so we celebrated both birthdays with this beautiful cake. Yummy!

Raspberry pineapple charlotte

I made this charlotte to celebrate a co-worker's birthday and everyone enjoyed the light texture and fresh taste.

You can find the recipe here just add raspberries.

Enjoy!

Apple turnovers

I decided to make a special breakfast for the family this week; they usually have to wait for the Weekend to get home made goodies for breakfast :-)
This apple turnover was just the right thing to make; it's very simple and is ready in no time. The original recipe is french and is called "Chaussons aux pommes" but I know that there is a variation of this pastry in many countries and nobody can claim ownership of the idea of stuffing puff pastry with sweet delicious apples (It's just a great idea that a lot of people had in different parts of the world LOL)

Directions:

Thaw 2 puff pastry sheets following the package directions
Peel and cut 4 big apples into thin slices about 1/4 inch thick (I used golden and delicious)

In a sautee pan melt 2 tbsp of butter with 2 tbsp of sugar and 2 pinches of cinnamon
Add the apple slices to the melted butter and sugar and stir from time to time until the apples are soft
.
In a bowl, mix a small mascarponi cheese container (8 oz) with 1 tbsp of apricot jam.
Cut the puff pastry into equal squares, cut 3 diagonal openings into half of the squares only

 Place 1 tsp of the cheese mixture in the center of the uncut square, top with some apples (leave enough space on the edges)
Wet the edges of each square with some egg wash (egg yolk+water) and top with another square (with cuts) and seal the edges by pressing a fork all around.

Brush some egg wash all over the surface and place in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!