A few weeks ago I found a copy of The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time by Laurie David on the shelf at the library. I started to read through it this week and it's full of great looking recipes. Last night I made one that is well outside of my family's usual fare and everyone except the Pirate and miss le ate it down with pleasure. (The Pirate ate the chicken though and little miss doesn't have any teeth or eat solids yet!)
Since I recently signed up for the Foodie Challenge, I thought I'd share this one with you, with my notes.Moroccan Chicken Tagine
You need:
2T olive oil
1 large onion, sliced into wedges
1.5 lbs skinless, boneless organic chicken thighs, trimmed (I used chicken breasts)
1T grated fresh ginger (I used powdered, cause I didn't have fresh)
1 cinnamon stick (again, powdered)
1/2t turmeric
1/2t cumin
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1.5 cups chicken broth
1/2 c small pitted green olives, like picholines
10 dried apricots
salt and pepper to taste
lemon juice to taste
handful of whole blanched almonds (I used slivered ones)
handful of chopped fragrant tender herbs, like cilantro, parsley and basil
To Make:
Heat up a heavy-bottomed pot and drizzle in the olive oil. Add the onion and saute until it's soft and golden. Add the chicken and the remaining ingredients, saving the almonds and herbs for later. Let the tagine gently simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, toast the almonds in a dry skillet until they are golden. Watch them carefully as they burn easily. Just before serving, taste for seasoning, remove the cinnamon stick and sprinkle on the herbs. Top with the toasted almonds.
Serve with couscous cooked according to the package, then toss with plenty of lemon juice and a mixed green salad with fresh sliced oranges topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Ok, I left out the olives. I didn't think we'd eat them and I didn't want to spend the money. Next time I make it, I'm putting them in, I think it needed the saltiness. I served it with rice (didn't have couscous) and well, corn. Like I said, everyone in my family liked it and we plan to make it again some time, perhaps even for company!
I'll say more about the book once I get to the end, but it looks to be an excellent addition to the shelf, wish mine weren't a library copy.
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