4 large tangerines
1/2 cup halved pitted Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 head of butter lettuce, torn into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
whisk the stuff in chunk one, pour it over the stuff in chunk two, and pour that over the stuff in chunk three
+
found
moroccan fish tagine with chermoula
3 lb (1 L or 2 M) firm-fleshed white fish (bass, snapper, etc) (cleaned, gutted)
(for frying later,)
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
¼ t chilli powder
¼ t ground ginger
½ t paprika
2 13-oz cans chopped tomatoes; drained
(marinade / chermoula)
salt
1 handful green olives
3 cloves garlic; finely chopped
Peel from a preserved lemon; chopped
1 bunch flat leaf parsley; chopped
1 bunch coriander; chopped
2 bay leaves
sprigs thyme
1 t paprika
½ t ground cumin
¼ t Chili powder
1 lemon, juiced
To make Moroccan lacto-fermented (preserved) lemons, take 4-5 lemons, wash well and cut into 4, but not all the way through. Sprinkle coarse salt into the cuts, close up the lemons and put them in a large jar. Press down, put a weight on top and close the jar. In a few days sufficient juices should be released to cover the lemons. If not, add more lemon juice. Leave for a month before using and use only the skin, discarding the flesh.
(ed: i do preserved limes this way, but it’s basically the same idea. salt, citrus juice, and time.)
Make the chermoula by combining all the ingredients together to make a thick paste. Slash the sides of the fish in a couple of places to help the heat penetrate evenly. Put in a tagine or other ovenproof dish and rub well with chermoula, making sure there is some in the cavity and in the cuts.
Spread the remaining chermoula under and over the fish. Leave, preferably for several hours, to allow the flavours to develop.
Heat the oil and lightly fry the garlic and spices. Add the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and simmer until the mixture has reduced and thickened somewhat. There must be enough to cover the fish.
Heat the oven to 200C. Pour the tomato sauce over the fish. Scatter the olives on top, cover the dish and bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size and number of fish.
Accompany with rice if you wish.
EDIT, NEXT DAY:
yes! i’m tight on money until next week, so i just used some shitty catfish, and it was good! i did triple the spices (maybe more) and added some home-dried habanero flakes, and went pretty heavy on the ginger, which turned out brilliantly. strongly flavored enough to overpower the freezer burned, super-fishy catfish taste, but not overwhelming. recommended. nothing magical or unusual-amazing, but just a good, hearty middle-of-the-week dish.
i combined several recipes i found online to make this, but took most of the technique from this. it could use a little tweaking, but was probably one of the best chicken dishes i’ve ever made. the glaze is out of this world.
APRICOT-HONEY CHICKEN TAGINE
let chicken thighs sit in ground cinnamon, turmeric, ginger (fresh and powdered,) and fresh garlic. brown for about eight minutes and remove from pan. fry onion in butter, then add water, browned chicken, and a bundle of cilantro and parsley, and simmer.
in the meantime, start a saucepan with water, dried apricots, honey, and a cinnamon stick. simmer until apricots are tender and sauce has reduced to a glaze.
in the meantime, toast some nuts (i used a frying pan)
i used pistachios because i love them, but almonds would be great, too.
cook chicken for about forty minutes.
top with toasted pistachios and kalamata olives.
serve with a grain (yellow rice? quinoa? fresh grill-bread brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt? dosai?)
moroccan food. these are all from arabic food.
lamb apricot tagine
1/4 cup plain flour
8 (180g each) lamb forequarter chops, trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
400g can crushed tomatoes
3/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
2 tablespoons honey
2 small zucchini, thickly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
steamed couscous and yoghurt, to serve
Method
1. Preheat oven to 160°C/140°C fan-forced. Place flour and lamb in a large snap-lock bag. Seal. Shake to coat. Heat half the oil in a large, heavy-based flameproof casserole dish over high heat. Cook lamb, in batches, for 2 to 3 minutes each side or until browned. Transfer to a plate.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Heat remaining oil. Add onion, garlic, coriander, cumin, ginger and chilli. Cook for 2 minutes or until softened. Return lamb and juices to pan with tomato, apricot, honey and 2 cups cold water. Cover. Bring to the boil.
3. Transfer to oven. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Skim fat from surface. Add zucchini. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until lamb is tender. Stir in coriander. Serve with couscous and yoghurt.
lamb tagine with honey and apricots
2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed of fat (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups diced onions
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken broth
8 threads Spanish saffron, crushed
16 fresh cilantro sprigs, tied together with a cotton string
1 cup dried, pitted apricots
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Cilantro
Directions
Cut lamb into 1 1/2-inch cubes and place in a medium-sized bowl. Season the lamb with turmeric, ginger and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Heat a tagine or Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and half of the seasoned lamb. Cook the lamb until browned on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the lamb from the pan and set aside. Repeat with remaining oil and lamb.
Return the seared lamb to the pan and add the diced onions. Cook, stirring to get the browned bits off the bottom of the pan, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, saffron, and cilantro bundle and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender.
Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the apricots and raisins and let sit for 20 minutes. Strain and set the fruit aside.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat, place it on a clean plate, and keep warm. Bring the remaining liquid in the pan to a simmer. Add the sliced onions, apricots, raisins, honey, cinnamon, ground pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Return the liquid to a simmer and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until mixture is slightly thickened. Add the cooked lamb back into the sauce and cook to heat through, about 2 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs. Serve with Moroccan Vegetable Couscous and Moroccan Yogurt with Preserved Lemon Dip.
