Well it’s almost October and it’s time to gear up for colder weather and warmer food! This stew is perfect for the time of year since it’s hearty, spicy, and a perfect belly warmer. The stew is seasoned with coriander, turmeric, cumin, fresh thyme, fenugreek and cinnamon which makes a lovely blend of spices. I used Israeli couscous for this dish and it has a pretty great texture. It almost reminds me of a smaller, savory version of those tapioca balls in bubble tea. The lamb I chose was ground lamb which breaks apart in tender pieces. If desired the lamb can be rolled into meatballs as well. Preserved lemons also add a bit of savory sweetness that enhances the flavor of the lamb and curry. The nice thing about this dish is that it is filling but doesn’t sit too heavy either. This stew goes great with a generous spoon of plain yogurt, chopped cilantro and lemon for garnish.
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Moroccan
Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken Stew
It goes without saying that slow cookers are an excellent way to get a great meal together without a lot of time and effort. I’ve made all sorts of Moroccan inspired food but I had never tried using a slow cooker to cook them. This recipe combines a whole chicken, fragrant chili paste, chickpeas and spices together in one flavorful dish. If a whole chicken isn’t on hand, you can always use about 4 lbs of bone-in thighs, drumsticks, etc. I would recommend using bone-in varieties, that way you can make a flavorful stock later! I’ve found that some of my best stocks come from Indian and Moroccan spiced dishes. The slow cooker really allowed the flavors from the chili paste, preserved lemons, garlic and spices to merge together. You can make the Harissa paste a while in advance before you get started and that will help save time. If you don’t have chickpeas on hand, you can easily substitute potatoes in for them. Serve with rice and plain yogurt to cool things down. Garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro.
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Moroccan Chicken Soup with Chickpeas and Preserved Lemons
This recipe combines the heartiness of classic chicken vegetable soup with the flavors of roasted Moroccan chicken and curry flavors. For the freshest and most nutritious soup I use homemade chicken stock. Preserved lemons might be hard to find at your average grocery store which is why I just make them ahead of time. I had also found that roasting a chicken in the oven with spices and olive oil allows for the most tender, shredded meat for the soup. If you don’t have any chicken stock on hand, you can use the bones from the chicken and make your own. If you already have some ready, that’s great, because you can then freeze the bones and have it ready to go for next time! The recipe uses a whole butternut squash, carrots, red potatoes and chickpeas for heartiness and flavor. A few tablespoons of spicy Moroccan Harissa paste and a curry spice blend is all that it needs to take this soup to the next level! I was very happy with the results and will be incorporating it into my weekly meals! The recipe yields a lot of soup so it makes a perfect weekday dinner.
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Moroccan Rice Pudding
My mom always loved rice pudding, especially if it was from this one grocery store, Jewel, which according to her, “did rice pudding right.” This recipe is made for her because not only is she far away from any Jewel grocery store, she can make a batch of this at home in no time at all. This recipe has way more flavor than any pre-made rice pudding. Adding cinnamon and orange flower water gives the pudding a more traditional Moroccan flavor. The pudding was creamy with just the right type of consistency. You can also garnish the pudding with nutmeg, cinnamon and toasted almond slivers.
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Moroccan Chicken Tacos With Harissa Salsa and Goat Cheese
One of the great things about tacos is the endless possibilities that comes with them! I’ve always loved Moroccan food and I thought that tacos would be a great way to experience it again. The chicken is seasoned with a fragrant blend of spices and shreds easily with a fork. I always choose whole chickens for taco meat as I’ve noticed they come out perfectly tender every time. I chose a spicy salsa based on the flavors of traditional Moroccan Harissa paste. It gave the tacos a good amount of spiciness and flavor. Since preserved lemon is an important ingredient in Moroccan food I topped the tacos with a refreshing Preserved Lemon and Mint Salsa. To cool things down I garnished the tacos with creamy goat cheese.
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Preserved Lemon and Mint Salsa
This salsa is a wonderful way to play on the flavors in both Moroccan and Tex-mex food. The salsa is moderately spicy with flavors that come from the sweet preserved lemons and chopped mint leaves. It’s so simple to put together if you already have a batch of preserved lemons pre-made in the fridge. The mint is wonderful in this recipe and creates a nice counterpoint to the heat that comes from the peppers. Since the preserved lemons are quite salty I wouldn’t recommend adding any more salt to the recipe. I used this salsa to go along with the Moroccan Chicken Tacos and it turned out really well!
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Three Moroccan Dipping Sauces
To accompany the batch of Moroccan Chicken Skewers and flat bread I wanted to make a few sauces that would go along with the main courses as well as complement each other. The three I settled on was a refreshing Mint and Cilantro sauce, spicy Harissa, and a cooling Yogurt Lemon sauce. They complemented the chicken and flat bread and were perfectly balanced with each other. These different sauces allowed me to play “choose your own adventure” of sorts which made eating fun. Not only did the types of food and sauces matter in the experience, but the order played a key role in it too (not exactly a new idea in the historical record of food but a fun thing to experience at home by accident).
Since each sauce had a different “purpose” it stands to reason that each sauce affected the other ingredients differently as well. The easiest comparison to make would be dipping the chicken in the yogurt sauce vs. the harissa sauce. The yogurt enhanced the lemony flavor of the chicken and helped cool off its spiciness. The Harissa sauce is made of chilies and instead invigorated the chicken’s spicy seasoning. This seems obvious now, but I really wasn’t expecting how different the “experiences” would be. I came to notice that I enjoyed pairing the chicken more with the yogurt and mint sauces, and the flat bread with the harissa. Later I realized I probably did this to help balance things out a little bit in terms of spiciness. Although I also spooned generous portions of mint sauce and yogurt sauce on the bread as well so who knows really. This was one of those meals that I had a lot of fun making and eating. I loved all three sauces and I still can’t decide on a favorite!
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Grilled Moroccan Chicken Skewers
Flat breads and grilled meats are popular fare all over the world. I was so impressed with the Lebanese version I made a few months ago. I fell in love with the smorgasbord effect of the different condiments, seasoning, breads and meat. All of the different parts came together in a beautiful way. When there’s so many separate parts you can almost “choose your own adventure” (more about that in the sauces post). I decided to try out this idea with a version of Roasted Moroccan Chicken–one of my favorite recipes. This recipe takes the spice blend from the original recipe and uses it to season the chicken which is skewered and then grilled. It worked out great with the Moroccan Flat Bread and was a perfect accompaniment with the dipping sauces.
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Moroccan Flat Bread
I love flat breads since they are the perfect vehicle for amazing sauces! I have always loved Moroccan food and have been making it for a few years. This bread is not as flat as pita, but still works great as a dipping bread for sauces. The interior is pillowy, with not much crust on the outside. It wasn’t difficult to make but it does require some monitoring as you don’t want the dough to over rise. I was happy with how this turned out though I might try flattening the dough more to make it a little less thick next time. This couldn’t have been a better bread to serve alongside several tasty sauces!
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Moroccan Chicken Sandwich with Manchego Cheese and Preserved Lemons
After making Moroccan Chicken I had some leftovers that needed to be used. As I have said in previous posts, I make that dish pretty often so I am always trying to come up with new, tasty recipes for the leftovers. I decided to try the chicken on a grilled cheese sandwich along with Manchego cheese, caramelized onions and preserved lemons. The preserved lemons and caramelized onions are sauteed together with honey so their flavors can mingle. Manchego is a Spanish cheese that has the consistency of mozzarella and has a slightly tangy flavor. I had it once at a mexican restaurant and I was looking forward to having it again. It melts great so I thought it would work nicely on a grilled cheese sandwich. This sandwich was simple to make and the flavors were so good together.
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