Sunday, May 24, 2009

Spicing up cold nights

This week has been cold and wet and very windy so the one-pot hearty meal has been our standby. We've had a version of chicken cacciatore (which means something like hunter's chicken in Italian) and is a hearty chicken stew with any number of variations. I brown chicken thighs (6-8, halved) in the Le Creuset, then put aside. I then saute onion, garlic and halved button mushrooms until onion is soft. Add a squeeze of tomato paste, a tin of crushed tomatoes, 1 cup chicken stock and 1/2 cup rinsed red lentils. Return chicken to the pan and simmer covered for about 1/2 an hour, until chicken is done. Before serving, stir through a handful of olives & capers and some fresh oregano & chopped parsley. I love this meal and it is great reheated the next day.

I also did a spicy lamb stew which is a great standby in our house. This is so simple I'm not sure I should share - at the table it gives the impression I've gone to a lot of trouble. Cut about 500g lamb leg steaks into cubes & toss in flour. Cut 1 or 2 onions into thin wedges & soften in the pan (Le Creuset again), then add the floured lamb & brown. Stir in 1 tsp each of ground cinnamon & turmeric and cook 1 minute, then add about 1 cup beef stock and a handful of prunes (even if you don't want to eat them, put them in as they really add flavour), cover & walk away. The lamb will be tender in about 1/2 an hour but can handle longer if you're busy. To make it go further I often add a tin of drained chickpeas 15 mins before the end and if, as I did this week, I have rows of spinach in the garden calling to be picked, I add a large handul of roughly chopped spinach to wilt just before the end. If you don't add the spinach sprinkle on some chopped coriander leaves or parsley. I usually serve with couscous because we all love it and it soaks up the juices, or you could serve with rice.
We had the chicken pilaf I talked about last week again and, just because I could, I sprinkled some of my freshly sprouted puy lentils on top. That turned out to be a great idea. We served the pilaf with Lois Daish's Afghan sweet poached pumpkin from this month's Cuisine.
I had been put in mind of tagine, having recently had a phone call from my cousin who is an excellent cook herself. She had asked for some tagine spice advice and I couldn't remember where my best lamb tagine recipe came from. This was itself a concern and had been on my mind since the phone call. Luckily I have an excellent book of tagine recipes given to me by aforementioned cousin and that is usually my source for other tagines. Yesterday morning it came to me and so we had it for dinner and here it is for you.

I have just bought a new pestle & mortar (on special at 1/2 price), as the one we had didn't quite cut (or grind) the mustard. I would recommend investing in a good, heavy one as it is really satisfying making your own spice mixes and you will find more & more uses for it. In another blog I'll introduce you to a fantastic garam masala mix we learned off a visitor from Guyana. Remind me if I forget. I have a tagine but if you don't, use the Le Creuset. With our tagine we also had a beautiful chickpea dish - with spinach (from the garden), onion and preserved lemon.


Another thing I have been meaning to tell you about is Canaan Israeli cheeses. They are based in New Lynn and you can get them at Botany New World in Auckland or in Wellington at Moore Wilson or the Mediterranean Warehouse in Newtown. Try the Galilee. It's indescribable.
As I seem to be on a bit of a Middle Eastern theme tonight, we had chicken roasted with spices. Cumin, cinnamon & Spanish smoked paprika - I use La Chinata. To accompany we had roasted pumpkin rubbed with cumin and roasted beetroot (from the garden) dressed with honey & pomegranate balsamic vinegar and feta (great for those who are not so keen on beetroot!). To complete the ensemble I prepared the couscous in hot chicken stock and mixed through some finely chopped spring onions and pinenuts.
Before dinner this evening we sat down with a plate of home made water crackers and a selection of cheeses. Remember those onions I pickled a couple of weeks ago - well they are ready and delicious. And you may be interested to hear that the olives are coming on nicely.

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