Warming up to Spring, Tagine style; or: Toddler approved Tagine

It is still chilly here, but the shelves of the supermarkets are beginning to fill with signs of spring, like in season fennel bulbs, beets, and many others. I wanted to try an easy recipe that would incorporate these new findings with something still warming for the body and soul.

I need to get to Morocco ASAP!

This recipe is a stovetop 'tagine', a stew of meats, vegetables, herbs and spices. Traditional tagines (or tajines - from North African countries like Morocco and Tunisia) are made in conical clay pots, with a flat bottom. Inexpensive meats and additions gently bake and simmer; meat is tender and falling apart, vegetables are aromatic with a flavourful sauce.

For your kitchen (if you don't have said pot), a heavy sauce pan with a cover will work just fine. Also, there is no long baking required to get all the mentioned qualities (although that is not a knock against the traditional method!), just simmering on the stovetop.

Additional vegetables I would try next time would be artichokes, halved baby potatoes, asparagus segments and snap peas. Add the first two along with the fennel and carrots, the last two I would add to the last 15 minutes of cooking. I think lamb would be lovely here, as would pork! The beauty of tagines is the endless possibilities of deliciousness.

For stews and braises, I like to do these the day before. The flavours intensify and you get more bang for your effort, making a perfect do-ahead meal.

Chicken Tagine with Spring Vegetables
Recipe inspired from Bon Appetit, April 2003
Makes 8 servings
Serve with cooked pasta, or couscous

1/2 cup (about) olive oil
1 pound onions, chopped
8 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons (packed) grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
8 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
8 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

4 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 beets, peeled, cut in 3/4 inch wedges
3 fresh fennel bulbs, trimmed, bulbs quartered vertically
5 large carrots (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, cut into 1-inch lengths

Preparation:

Heat 1/4 cup oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.

I crush the garlic clove with the flat of the knife, then mince away

Cumin and coriander powdered together - excellent scent

 Add next 7 ingredients and 6 tablespoons each parsley, dill, and mint; sauté 3 minutes longer. Scrape contents of skillet into heavy large pot (used a Le Creuset cast iron pot); reserve skillet .

Wow - the smell here is amazing

 Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 of chicken and sauté until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to pot with onion mixture. Repeat with remaining chicken in 2 more batches, adding more oil by tablespoonfuls if needed. Add broth to skillet; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Transfer broth to pot; add fennel and carrots.

Chicken thighs - cheaper and tastier

All the browning is perfect for adding flavor to the tagine

Deglaze the pan with stock (or water) 

I thought the yellow beet adds a nice touch of colour and sweetness

Bring tagine to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is almost tender, about 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer until chicken and all vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes longer. Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken and vegetables to large bowl.

Ready to simmer away!

Just needs the sauce reduction and you are ready to go!

Boil sauce until reduced enough to coat spoon, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Return chicken and vegetables to sauce. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated.)
Rewarm tagine over medium heat. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons each of parsley, dill, and mint.

Toddler and adult approved!

Gluten free Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Quite the mouthful! A lovely reader requested this recipe - one I have never tried, but since this is a curious kitchen....

Gnocchi (nee-yo-kee), a soft Italian dumpling made of traditionally flour and potato, can be as delicate as a fluffy pillow, or as heavy and dead as its name implies (nocchio, knot of wood). The key is to have as little flour as possible, enough to hold the dough together, otherwise the gnocchi becomes leaden in the mouth. The wonderful thing about these dumplings is they can be dressed as you like, fried in butter, tossed in pesto, coated in your favourite pasta sauce with any variety of vegetables or meats, even broiled like a gratin. They can be a main course or an appetizer for a party; either way, gnocchi are versatile and delicious!

So what of our friends who must stick to gluten-free diets? Are they left out of the party? No way! With increasing understanding of food allergies, there are more products on the market catering to people afflicted with a gluten allergy. Supermarkets carry a wide variety of flour alternatives that do not contain gluten (Bob's Red Mill have a number of products). If you are making these for a 'GF' friend, check if you need to clean your utensils properly to remove any residual gluten (just in case!).

Here is a recipe I gleaned off the internet, adjusted to my specifications. In place of potatoes, are sweet potatoes (not as starchy and more moist than regular potatoes) - adds an additional sweet flavour and hit up of vitamin A etc. And in place of flour are a 'Gluten-free all purpose baking flour' from Bob's Red Mill, and hazelnut meal. To hold the dough together, whole milk ricotta cheese (do not substitute skim milk ricotta).

Helpful tools:
*food processor or blender
*food mill, or potato ricer, or potato masher


Gluten-free Sweet Potato Gnocchi

2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 medium-large)

2/3 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour, plus generous amount for the work surface
1/4 cup hazelnut flour/meal (can purchase, or make by processing to a fine powder, whole hazelnuts. See below for pictures)

Makes approximately 100 gnocchi.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Slice sweet potatoes in half. Bake the sweet potatoes until tender and fully cooked, between 40 to 55 minutes depending on size. Cool slightly. Cut in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl.

Handy food mill - a potato masher is just as effective

Finished product - any extras can go straight to baby!

I processed the sweet potatoes through a food mill, which is highly effective for drier potatoes, but perhaps for these, may not have made a difference. Measure out 2 cups of sweet potato puree, and place in large bowl.
Add the ricotta cheese, salt, and pepper and fold in until well mixed.

Blend flours together in a separate bowl. Add the flours, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing gently each time. This dough does not become a solid dough like the regular potato-flour gnocchi, so look for the 'dough' to come together, but still quite wet.

A lone hazelnut on a field of his fallen comrades

Ready to go, mise en place

Folding in the flour - it is becoming 'dough-ier'

After becoming alarmed at how wet this dough was, I took a breath. Should I add more flour to this dough? So instead of likely ruining the batch, I generously floured the work surface before beginning the next step. The outer coating of flour helped the dough from sticking and helped with its shape very well.

Scoop out a handful of dough. On the floured surface, roll out each ball into a 1-inch wide rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces. Re-flour surface in between each scoop.

Roll dough, moving hands from the center out, taking the dough gently with you

Still sticky! Just sprinkle a bit more flour and keep going

If you like, roll the gnocchi over the tines of a fork. This dough does not handle it very well, but the ridges formed help to hold sauce, and it just looks cute! I tried a few, but left the rest plain.Transfer the formed gnocchi to a large baking sheet. Continue with the remaining gnocchi.

I left the extras on the tray - pop them in the freezer , bag when solid. Instant supper!

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.

Salting the water after it has boiled gives the gnocchi a hit of flavour

Add the gnocchi in 3 batches and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the gnocchi using a slotted spoon onto a baking sheet. Tent with foil to keep warm and continue with the remaining gnocchi.

From here: you can do any number of methods to finish the gnocchi. I fried these darlings in butter (over medium-low heat) until crispy and browned, turning occasionally (about 5-7 minutes), and tossed with a Parsley-nut pesto. This browning caramelized the sugars in the sweet potato and gave that 'extra' something. The resulting gnocchi went as follows: bite, crispy-sweet-savoury, soft-gentle-light texture, smile.

Vegetable of the Week: Swiss Chard

Taken on a stroll in Richmond, outside London (sigh) - thanks E!

A lovely reader in London, England sent in a suggestion for an excellent recipe. Spring is sprung in many places (even in these snowy climes!), and one of the vegetables soon to be truely in season is Swiss chard. A member of the beet family (in fact descends from the native English sea beet), it is not only green and leafy, but has a tasty and colourful stem.

Whether you pan fry, stream, bake or broil, it will add the flavour of 'green' to your dish. The leaves can be used like cabbage, and wrapped into Gołąbki (cabbage rolls), with a juicy center of meats studded with sweet raisins, or meaty mushrooms. You could use them in place of pasta sheets, and make a very healthy lasagna. I very much love to use them in wintery or early spring pasta dishes, in combination with red onions, currants, and walnuts. The stems also add flashes of white, yellow, and red (try to find 'rainbow chard') to a quiche (or anything else), and might spark the interest of a young (or old) eater. Chard is also very high in vitamins A, C, and K, so why not? This vegetable is at the top of my 'to plant' list, and I can't wait to try some baby chards - would make a lovely salad!


Onto the recipe, from the famous Mark Bittman, who has come to embody (to foodies) everything simple in food (think simple chop+heat=hearty, healthy meal). Swiss Chard with Citrus and Shallots - earthy, green chard; bittersweet shallots (small purple onion); tangy, bright orange; and a complex splash of sherry vinegar (highly recommend adding this to your pantry, wonderful for salads). Makes a standout side or filling vegetarian main course. 



Chard with Orange and Shallots   


Recipe from How to Cook Everything.


Chard with Orange and Shallots


Makes: 4 servings


Time: 25 minutes


A perfect winter dish, this warm salad has vibrant color and tangy sweet-sour flavor. The skin of the orange or tangerine becomes almost candied and provides a nice chew, but if you’d rather not eat it, simply peel before chopping.


Other vegetables you can use: any chard, bok choy, kale, or any cabbage. For the citrus, use kumquats (quartered) if available.


1 pound chard, washed and trimmed


2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil


2 shallots, thinly sliced


2 tablespoons sugar


1 small orange or tangerine, seeded and coarsely chopped


2 tablespoons sherry vinegar


Salt and freshly ground black pepper


1. Cut the stems out of the chard leaves. Cut the leaves into wide ribbons and slice the stems (on the diagonal if you like); keep the leaves and stems separate.


2. Put the oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add the shallots and sugar and cook for a minute, then stir in the orange or tangerine bits and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently, until everything is caramelized, about 10 minutes. Stir in the vinegar.


3. Return the heat to medium and stir in the chard stems. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften a bit, just a minute or two. Add the chard ribbons, cover, and turn off the heat. Let the chard steam for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir and re-cover the pan for another couple of minutes. Sprinkle with salt and lots of pepper and serve immediately or within an hour or two at room temperature.

Quesadillas

I caught a glimpse of my copy of Rick Bayless' Mexico - One Plate at a Time today, and was inspired to have quesadillas for a light and simple lunch.

Quesadillas are Mexico's answer to the France's croque monsieur, and America's grilled cheese. It is a meal in hand - crisp tortilla, and basically any filling you can think of, topped with melted, rich cheese. Flour tortillas are the norm in the US when preparing this dish, but the most traditional form is corn masa tortillas. Fresh ground masa is the ultimate choice (check out your nearest mercado that makes this fresh daily for a ball or two), but the home cook can find instant corn masa in most supermarkets. The flavor of fresh corn tortillas is only 2 minutes away! Corn masa tortilla dough is the basis for many traditional recipes, like gorditas and sopes, so keep this one in your back pocket.

For 4 small tortillas (following package directions):
1/2 cup masa flour
1/3 cup water
pinch of salt

Here's everything you need!

Mix ingredients in bowl until a soft dough. If dough appears dry, add extra water a tablespoon at a time until dough feels moist. Keep in moist towel to prevent drying out.

Divide into 4 equal pieces and roll into balls. To press into tortillas, you can use the traditional tortilla press, or your own creation. Mine are two ceramic baking pieces (see below). Cut open a freezer bag, and place ball in between layers. Press down to flatten, and peel tortilla carefully from plastic. Keep moist until ready to cook.

I made quesadillas today with prepared refried black beans, a local cow-sheep smoked cheese, and fresh cilantro. Bayless suggests squash blossoms, Oxacan string cheese and epazote leaves - will try this in the summer. On each tortilla, spread filling on one half, folding gently to enclose with the other. Press edges to seal - if tortilla is getting dry it will tend to split. This didn't seem to effect the cooking or deliciousness.

Bayless instructs to fry tortillas in 3/4 inch oil (375F) - a definite treat, but I pan fried with a coating of oil today. Fry on medium high heat, turning 2-3 times until browning and crisp. Enjoy!

With a side of summer squash, tomatoes, cumin and oregano - lovely!