Posted on 03/03/2019 3:47:44 PM PST by Jamestown1630
Tajine (or tadjine or tagine), which derives from words for a kind of earthenware cooking pot, can also refer to the Moroccan or Algerian stew, often a sweet-and-savory or sweet/sour combination, that is traditionally cooked in it. (There is also a Tunisian dish called tajine which is different altogether from the more commonly known stew, being more like a frittata. )
The tajine generally begins with searing of the meat, poultry or fish, and then the addition of sauteed vegetables, sometimes dried fruit, and herbs and spices. The dish steams under the cone-shaped cover of the pot - needing very little water since the steam is trapped - and creating great flavor.
There is no end to the various recipes for a tajine; here is one using chicken and olives, from ChickenChannelWeb:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9TSlbjwTvY
The tajine pot is traditionally a clay pot; there are many different sizes and types for sale, including some more modern ones that have stainless steel or cast iron bottoms, which might be preferable today: even good pots can crack over a modern range, even when used with a diffuser.
And while the dish may turn out more flavorful and authentic using the traditional pot, it can certainly be made without it. A web search on tajine without a tajine brings up lots of ideas, including the clever idea from Brothers Green Eats of using a clay flowerpot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqvlUCrthcM
One of the typical ingredients of a tajine is preserved lemon very easy to make, but takes about 2 weeks to cure. If you can't wait, these can now be purchased at specialty food stores. Many recipes use only salt and water, but this one from Epicurious adds turmeric, clove and coriander:
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Preserved-Lemons-51187340
-JT
That sounds really good.
A local Greek restaurant makes zucchini fritters with feta and pistachios......that’s just for an appetizer.
Kitchen twine, burlap, brown-checked ribbon, and faded cotton lace makeup these elegant eggs.
Set them in an old wooden box for a country centerpiece on Easter Sunday.
Sorry it took so long to get back to you.
Montreal steak seasoning has been my seasoning of choice since it came out. Love it. Never, ever thought about it on fish!!!
Brain fart! Major. Lol!
THANK YOU.
Hi there! Just love that stuff and not just on steak. Try mixing some in next time you do burgers. Mix in and I hit the burgers with just a splash of soy sauce when they are half done. But the fish was a pleasant surprise, we had a mess of lake trout from a charter fishing trip. Lake trout is not very flavorful but the MSS really makes it. If I didn’t mention it before I rinse and pat the fish dry, rub with some butter and sprinkle lightly but evenly with MSS. It’s Lent so I am not doing much cooking those days. Lots of soups, made hot and sour the other day.
How spicy is Peri Peri?
Ate at a Peri Peri chicken place recently. I think the sauce I put on the chicken did me in. Enjoyed it immensely until the heart burn set it.
Thanks much for the recipe. I just gotta figure out how much spice. Wet finger test always works.
Very hot. It also has a lot of flavor. Use sparingly. Wet finger test will tell you.
Spent hours in my Grandma’s kitchen with her son-in-law. (Her daughter never did and I think that why every body in my family learned well. It was survival!)
When my son was leaving for college I told him he had to learn to cook. He rolled his eyes and said “Mom, they will never de-invent the microwave.” I thought “you will learn”
His second year he was in an apartment. After 2 weeks I get a call from him one Saturday morning, “Mom, at a Super Wal-Mart. What did I need to cook? I answered “Lessons”.
He came home for the basics.
“Chef’s Tip——with the remaining half package of pudding, add cup milk and beat as directed on the package to make 2 servings of pudding”
Add some Ghirardelli dark chocolate melted... Heaven.
Bookmark
LOL!
People always remember and want the good food that they grew up on. Frozen pizza forever may fill a lot of nutritional needs, but it won’t fill the Soul :-)
Potato Casserole / serves 4-5
METHOD Layer in buttered baking dish Russet potato slices, overlapping slightly; s/p. Sprinkle on shredded
Cheddar and shredded Monterey Jack cheeses, then crumbled cooked bacon. Add another layer of potatoes,
and cheese. Now pour on Custard. Sprinkle w/ chp parsley.
FINAL Cover with foil; bake 375 deg 90 min, til custard, eggs and milk are cooked and set.
SERVE Let rest for 15-20 min on counter before serving.
CUSTARD Mix 2 c milk and 2 lge eggs.
Chef Notes
Use 9x13 baking dish. Or two 9-inch pie pans; freeze one.
Can use leftover ham slivers instead of bacon second time around.
CHEESY YELLOW SQUASH / JUNIOR LEAGUE RECIPE
ING 2 lbs sliced yellow squash, large onion, chopped teaspoon sugar 2 tsp salt softened
butter, 4 beaten eggs 4 c shredded cheddar 2 c milk 4 c bread crumbs tsp cayenne parm
METHOD Simmer tender combined squash, onion, sugar, and salt, water to cover; drain.
Spoon into a bowl and mash. Add butter and mix. Stir/mix in eggs; add cheddar, milk, bread crumbs
and cayenne. Spoon into buttered 8x8" baker, sprinkle with Parm. Bake brown and bubbly 350 deg 30 min.
Tamale tips.
I try to use every scrap of food and not waste a thing. Well, I’ve been stupid all these years. I was making pork tamales yesterday but didn’t have any lard and didn’t want to make the trip to the grocery store for some. Duh, right in front of me was the congealed meat broth with a layer of fat. Hellooo, pork fat v. lard. Oh my, that pork fat made the most tender masa ever. I’m now going to freeze meat fat.
The basic recipe is the one on the Fooknetwork but bump up the seasoning - https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/pork-tamales-recipe-2042129
Purchased tamales cost too much and usually end up being given to the dog but he’s smart enough to turn up his nose just like us. Making your own tamales is an all day process (mainly the cooking time) but well worth it. A while back, I bought some pork butts on sale for $1/lb. (can’t go wrong with that price) so pulled one out of the freezer. One butt roast will make a few dozen tamales.
Corn husks seem expensive but one bag will last through several batches. Don’t skimp but fill that husk up as full as it can be - one equals a meal size. That will save your hands on time, saves on husks and saves a bit on the carbohydrates and calories from the masa. Start spreading the masa on one of the long sides but end it just short of the other long end and top and an inch bare at the bottom. Roll snuggly from the covered side and fold up the small end about an inch. There is no need to fold the top over or to tie it up. Frankly, the only reason not to fill the small end is because the tamale will break/spill and not turn out uniform so it has nothing to do with the cooking process.
If you don’t have a tall pot to steam them upright, not to worry. Just lay them on their sides (seam side down) with a little steamer thing in the bottom of a large pot. When standing upright, the steam drips into the tamales which you don’t want. Laying down, they don’t collect the drips.
ING 5 lb whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces 1/2 cup olive oil 6 garlic cloves minced 2 tsp ea ground cumin
kosher salt, black pepper, Mexican oregano 4 oz achiote paste packet 1/2 c ea fresh orange juice, lime juice
METHOD --- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, and half of the achiote paste and cook for several minutes, stirring. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Set aside. Put cooled achiote garlic mixture, orange juice, and lime juice in a large Ziploc freezer bag. Add chicken pieces, seal bag, and massage chicken and marinate 2-4 hours or overnight. Any longer will toughen the chicken. We want TENDER.
FINAL Preheat grill to 350°F to 400°F. Liftout chicken from marinade. Grill covered to 165°F on therm inserted into thickest portion....
20-30 min. Dont turn, no need for grill marks. Baste often w/ puréed marinade. Discard when done.
Serve with lime wedges, side of rice.
Chef Notes
1. break up and smash the achiote paste in the marinade, making sure it's blended in (or blender after it cools).
Here is an achiote spice blend substitute. Double this recipe for 5 lb chicken. Use as is for half a chicken.
Achiote Paste Alternative
combine 1 1/2 tbsp paprika tb white vinegar tsp dried Mexican oregano 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 tsp ground cumin
Then use to marinate chicken along with other seasonings and citrus juices.
2. Acid bases include vinegar, wine, citrus juice, and tomatoes. Acidic marinades might actually toughen chicken. When using a highly acidic marinade for chicken, add a little olive oil and/or minimize marinating time. With the garlic, spice and achiote mixture included, overnight (8 hours) is OK.
The bowl of blue robins eggs are a nice touch.
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Red Cabbage-Dyed Edible Robins Eggs
BTB rough-chop red cabbage, 5 c water; simmer 30-45 minutes. Cool completely then strain out cabbage. Stir into dye 4 tb white vinegar as a fixative.
Place eggs in deep dish; pour dye over to completely submerge and not touch each other. The dye is purple!! In an hour the blue magic happens.
For a lighter robins egg blue, leave eggs in about 1-2 hours. Because bottoms make contact with dish, rotate eggs every half hour or so. When you pull an egg out after 1-2 hours, the color will look super faint. Its okay; color will darken and develop a richer, greenish hue as it dries.
To get blue ombré eggs, stagger the times you remove the eggs.....take some out after an hour, then after two hours, after three hours and after four hours. Longer than that, I suggest putting the eggs and dye in the fridge.
To get that gilded look......speckle on gold paint with old paint brush.
That’s so odd, that they come out blue...
Saving that dye recipe.
Yes....an interesting recipe.
I guess the chemistry of vinegar and red cabbage combine to make those beautiful blue colors.
Cinnamon Crunch Bagels put through the bread machine......side of honey nut butter.
I just made a gluten free cherry cheesecake and it was fabulous!
Here’s a link to the recipe:
https://www.thespruceeats.com/gluten-free-new-york-cheesecake-1450985
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