Course the Third: Lamb Tagine with Apricots, New Potatoes, Baby Artichokes and Moroccan Butter

More updates below. This is also written in restaurant style. As is, makes for one. Multiply as needed.

Lamb Tagine with Apricots, New Potatoes, Baby Artichokes and Moroccan Butter

We had this with a very tasty Beckman 2004 Grenache.

lamb shoulder 4 oz trimmed, in 1-inch cubes
cinnamon, ground ¼ tsp
coriander, ground ¼ tsp
smoked paprika 1/16 tsp
saffron 1/16 tsp
olive oil 1 tsp
onion 2 oz diced
preserved lemon peel ½ tsp fine mince
dried apricots 2/3 oz rough chop

potatoes, new fingerling 2 oz cut in 1-inch pieces, boiled
artichokes, baby 2 oz trimmed, cut in quarters, boiled

butter 1 TB
cilantro ½ tsp minced
parsley ½ tsp minced
mint ½ tsp minced

smoked paprika 1/16 tsp
cumin, ground 1/8 tsp
salt
pepper
chives 2 fine mince

Toss lamb with cinnamon, coriander, smoked paprika, saffron, salt and pepper. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat, when hot add lamb in a single layer. Cook until browned on all sides. Drain off all but 1 tsp of fat. Add onion and stir to combine. Cook until onion is translucent. Cover with water and scrape up any browned bits. Bring to a simmer and add preserved lemon peel and apricots. Cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until lamb is fork-tender.

Combine butter, cilantro, parsley, mint, smoked paprika and cumin in a bowl. Toss mixture with warm potatoes and artichokes. Salt and pepper.

Place vegetables and tagine side by side. Sprinkle with chives.

What I Learned Today

My hands have gotten quite a beating over the last few weeks. I grated a knuckle, sliced a finger on something mysterious and sharp (and never discovered) in the kitchen sink while doing dishes, and today was quite a doozy. Onto the lazy bloggers' favorite type of post:

1) I'm getting pretty good at sharpening my knife.
2) Under no circumstances should I lose track of my fingers as I dice canned tomatoes (Maybe I should have gone with my original plan of using the pre-diced ones).
3) I'm not as squeamish as I thought.
4) I really ought to look into health insurance plans because if I needed to go to the E.R., I would be in huge financial trouble (Reminder that the health care options in this country are deplorable).
5) Animal-based sources of iron are called heme, veg sources are non-heme.
6) Non-heme iron is absorbed more easily by the body if it is consumed with Vitamin C or white wine.



Lentil Soup with Spinach and Lemon

We had this with whole-wheat (more iron) mustard-cheese toasts and Au Bon Climat 70% Pinot Gris 30% Pinot Blanc 2005. Not only is this crisp, bright wine delicious, it's also super affordable considering its from an excellent winery. If I had the space, I would buy a case of it.

2 TB olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
6 cups stock
1.5 cups brown lentils, rinsed
lots of spinach
3 TB chopped parsley
3 TB chopped cilantro
1 TB chopped mint
1 lemon, zested and juiced

Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. When hot, add garlic, Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add stock and lentils. Bring soup to a simmer and lower the heat. Let cook until lentils are soft, about 25 minutes. Add spinach and stir until spinach begins to wilt. Right before serving, stir in herbs, zest and juice. Taste for salt, pepper and acid. Serve with white wine.

Serves 4 generously

Balancing

One of the most useful things I've learned in culinary school is the importance of proper seasoning, or balance. Almost everything one makes should be tasted throughout the cooking process and constantly checked for salt, pepper, etc. Most food can also be punched up with a good hit of acid (no, not that kind), like different vinegars, citrus juices, whatever happens to look interesting in your cupboard...

I've been having some trouble recently, trying to re-balance my life. A few weeks ago, my neighbor told me that her friend was looking for some help for her meal-delivery service. I jumped at the chance and for the last three weeks have been gainfully employed. Being employed is great, if you like what you do. This is the first real job I've had that I genuinely enjoy. Currently, I'm working about 20 hours a week, and going to school full time and trying to be a supportive partner/friend/family member. It is taking me a long time to re-adjust.

I'm slipping on a lot of things. School isn't very interesting right now and my quality of work is pretty sporadic. Yesterday, I got back two quizzes from particularly boring class: perfect score on one and 60% on the other. What a perfect example of how I'm feeling right now, off-kilter. I have this work-thing under control, but everything else feels like it's just out of reach. This corner of the web has been low on content lately too. I'm trying to remedy that. I know that things will get better and that eventually, I will get a good grasp on my straws, it's just taking more time than I had anticipated.

Moroccan Vegetable Tagine

Food from Morocco is all about balancing flavors: spicy, tart, salty, sweet, savory, earthy. All of the quantities in this recipe are variable. Without the couscous, this is gluten-free. Quinoa would make a good substitute.

Olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 lbs trimmed, cubed vegetables, I like a combination of sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips, cauliflower, butternut squash, parsnips, rutabaga
1 16 oz can of tomatoes, diced (Muir Glen Fire-Roasted are great!)
1 1/2 TB tomato paste
2 cups vegetable stock, or water
Cumin, to taste
Cinnamon, to taste
Ground ginger, to taste
Ground coriander. to taste
Aleppo pepper, or cayenne to taste
Peel of 1 preserved lemon, finely chopped, or zest of one lemon and juice
1 1/2 TB pomegranate molasses, optional
1/2 cup raisins or apricots
1/4-1/2 cup good quality olives, pitted and chopped
1 16 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
toasted almond slivers
chopped cilantro
cooked couscous, or quinoa

Heat enough oil to coat bottom of large skillet with lid. When hot, add onion. Cook until translucent. Add vegetables, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, veg stock and spices. If you have the preserved lemon peel and molasses, add those as well. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a simmer, reduce heat and cover. Cook about 20 minutes, or until vegetables can be easily pierced with knife. Taste for salt and spices, adjust. Add lemon zest, juice, raisins, olives and garbanzo beans. Mix well. Continue to cook until beans are heated through. Serve over cooked grain and garnish with cilantro and almonds.

Serves 4-6

Middle Eastern Deliciousness

I all ready mentioned how I came into possession of this book and how a more than handful of recipes from this book are utterly fantastic. I neglected to say that the only other positive thing to come from that class was meeting my good friend GG. The past few recipes she hasn't been able to make because some of the ingredients aren't available in Montevideo. I hope that you can make this though. It's perfect for a cold night. I love the combination of heartiness from the rice and lentils, sweetness from the onions and tanginess from the yogurt. It's one of those dishes that is perfectly balanced. We upped the amount of onions in ours because they're our favorite part. There is such a thing as too much though, I think 1 lb or even a little more is good, but not too much more than that. This is really meant to be a side dish but we have it dinner. A green salad would be nice to get in some veggies.

Megaderra, adapted from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden

3 TB olive oil
1 lb onions, sliced
2 pinches ground coriander
2 pinches ground cumin
1 1/4 cups whole brown lentils
1 1/4 cups long-grain rice
Plain yogurt
Good quality olive oil

Heat 3 TB olive oil in a large skillet with a lid. When hot, add onions. Stir to coat onions in oil then turn heat down low. Cover and let cook for 20 minutes; stir occasionally.

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a pot. Add coriander, cumin and lentils. Return to a boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer. Cover and let cook for 20 minutes, or until lentils are about halfway done.

Add rice to lentils. Salt and pepper. Stir to combine and cover. Cook for about another twenty minutes or until both lentils and rice are tender.

Remove lid from onions and and turn heat to medium. Cook off all water and turn heat up to medium-high. Stir often until onions are a deep brown. This will probably take about twenty minutes.

Once everything is done, you can serve this two ways. Combine all components together or leave them separate, which is more attractive. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and a drizzle of the good oil on top. Mmmm.

Reason #49 to Have a Garden: Turkish Herb Salad with Fried Eggplant

I don't really know if this is authentically Turkish or not. Unfortunately, I don't have that much understanding of the divisions between Middle Eastern foods. Anyone out there who knows if this is the real deal or not? Even if it isn't, it's still delicious.

We first made this salad last summer when it appeared in the August '05 Bon Appetit. I vowed that we would grow our own nasturtium just for this salad and the partner was kind enough to defer to my culinary wishes. I only wish that we had enough space and sunshine to grow everything else for this salad. The mint, chives and flowers came from our tiny plot, but our basil is being devoured by some caterpillars and everything else will just have to wait until we win the lottery and buy a house.

I realize that I am on a huge eggplant kick lately which shows no signs of abating. Tonight we're having eggplant stir-fry, and sometime later this week we're going to have this pizza again. The partner just pointed out to me that summer is two-thirds over, might as well eat all the eggplant (tomatoes, strawberries, melons and summer squash) that we can to hold us over til next summer.

Turkish Herb Salad with Fried Eggplant adapted from Bon Appetit

Have:
1 shallot, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2" thick
1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups arugula
1/3 cup basil leaves
1/3 cup parsley leaves
1/3 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup chives in 1/2" lengths
Nasturtium flowers, if you have some

Combine shallot and lemon juice in a small bowl.

Lay out eggplant in a single layer on a flat surface. Salt and pepper eggplant slices on both sides. Set aside.

Combine all greens, except for the chives. Wash and spin dry. Transfer to a large bowl. Add chives and toss to combine. Salt and pepper greens.

Whisk 2 TB olive oil and salt and pepper in with the shallot and lemon juice.

Heat 4 TB olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan. When hot, add as much eggplant as will fit without overcrowding. You might have to cook the eggplant in batches. Fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. If the pan looks dry, add more olive oil. Layer a plate with paper towels. When the eggplant is done, remove from pan and place on lined plate.

Toss greens with vinaigrette. Divide salad among plates. Lay eggplant on top of greens. Decorate with nasturtium, if you have them.

Serves 4 people as a starter or 2 greedy people dinner.

MENU: Middle Eastern Feast

My sister, J, is graduating at the end of the month (Yay sister!) and I have volunteered myself to make lunch for her celebration party. My mother keeps on insisting that pasta salad is the way to go, while J is vehemently opposed to such a plan. I spoke with J about what she wants and her answer is "Whatever you think is best."

Going along with that useful information, I have come upon this menu:

Hummus, Tzatziki and Baba Ghanoush with Mini Pitas
False or Lying (Meatless) Dolmas
Marinated Olives with Feta
Tabbouleh
A Different Greek Salad from Best American Recipes 1999 via The Barbeque! Bible by Steve Raichlen
Broiled Lemon-Garlic Chicken Skewers with Fresh Mint

I was struggling with sweets because J is a very odd duck and does not like nuts in dessert and I could not think of a single thing that would fit the theme and would please the guest of honor. My aunt has graciously taken on that responsibility. Anyone know of anything sweet that would fit the bill? Also, any beverage ideas? Claudia Roden in her fantastic The New Book of Middle Eastern Food has a interesting recipe for a hibiscus drink but I don't know how welcome that would be here. Perhaps just some minty lemonade?