I woke up this morning after a good 6 hours of sleep and felt good, despite it being a damp gloomy morning out. I got up, showered and went out early in hunter gatherer mode, before all the other hunters hit the shops. I bought all the ingredients for a veggie Tagine dish (Moroccan version of slow cooker) I am going to make later to share with my daughter. Everything flowed and the checkout people were lovely, and I came home feeling full of joy at being alive, and now the sun has come out, it's a gloriously warm spring afternoon. I felt inspired to start a happiness thread where we can share anything that inspires us, any acts of kindness we have received .........wisdom we have gained,..........music, poetry, art anything that makes us happy to be alive.
Since having a few vacations in Morocco I fell in love with their cuisine, especially their tagine dishes which are usually lamb, similar to a stew with spices. I make them regularly in a Tagine or more recently often in a slow cooker. I make up the dish as I go along but nowadays make vegetarian versions, often adding cinnamon and chilli or whatever I feel like on the day. A recipe here if you want to try one. Ingredients 1 sweet potato (about 300g/10½oz), peeled and cut into roughly 2cm/¾in chunks 1 aubergine, cut into roughly 2.5cm/1in chunks 2 courgettes, halved lengthways, sliced into 2cm/¾in half-moons 1 red pepper, stalk removed, seeds removed, cut into roughly 2.5cm/1in chunks 3 tbsp mild olive oil or sunflower oil 1 small onion, thinly sliced 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cumin 400g tin chopped tomatoes 1 tbsp harissa paste 2 tbsp clear honey 100g/3½oz ready-to-eat dried apricots, halved 400g tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained handful chopped fresh coriander, to garnish salt and freshly ground black pepper Method Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Mix the sweet potato, aubergine, courgette and red pepper in a large bowl. Drizzle over 2 tablespoons of the oil and mix to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over a high heat. When the pan is hot, add the vegetables in batches and fry, stirring and turning regularly, for 3-4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Heat the remaining oil in a lidded casserole over a medium heat. Add the onions and fry for 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened. Add the garlic, coriander and cumin and fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, harissa paste, honey, apricots and chickpeas until well combined. Add the vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 30 minutes, then stir in 200ml/7fl oz cold water until well combined and return to the oven, covered, for a further 15 minutes, or until the tagine is thick and the vegetables are tender. Sprinkle the tagine with the chopped coriander and serve with freshly cooked couscous or rice. Full page here
Hmmm, Terry..I'd love to taste that..sounds interesting I like sautéed veggie dishes..stir fry...I add chilies flakes for heat or sometimes a little smoky chile powder..or cumin...but I don't care much for really heavy Indian style spice blends.
Here is a traditional recipe which is similar to what I have used in the past, the variety of spices is what makes it special MOROCCAN TAGINE OF LAMB RECIPE PREP TIME 20 mins COOK TIME 1 hour 40 mins TOTAL TIME 2 hours This is a traditional Moroccan lamb tagine simmered in numerous amazing spices. Don't let the long ingredients list put you off as it's well worth it and you won't be disappointed. Author: goodfoodieblog.com Serves: 2 to 3 INGREDIENTS 2 teaspoons paprika ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric ½ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon black pepper 1 pinch of saffron 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground cloves ½ teaspoon ground cardamom 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground ginger 1 clove of garlic minced ¾ teaspoon ground coriander 1 lemon zest 1 tablespoon oil 1 pound (0.45kgs) lamb cut into bite size pieces 1 tablespoon oil 1 onion chopped 3 cloves of garlic chopped 1 tablespoon of grated ginger 2 tablespoons tomato puree 1-2 cups (½ pint) beef stock 2 carrots chopped ½ cup (115g/4oz) dried apricots ½ cup (55g/2oz) dried dates 1 tablespoon honey 2 tablespoons harissa 1 tablespoon parsley chopped 1 tablespoon coriander chopped INSTRUCTIONS Mix the paprika, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, pinch of saffron, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, salt, ginger, garlic, coriander, lemon zest and oil in a plastic food bag. Add the lamb mix well and marinate in the fridge for a few hours or over night. Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3 Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the lamb and brown well on all sides and set aside. Add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute. Add the carrots, apricots, dates, lamb, tomato puree and cover with the beef stock. Add the honey and harissa. Bring to the boil and transfer to the tagine and place in the oven for 1 hr 30 minutes. NOTES The lamb tagine is best made the day before and left in the fridge overnight for the flavours to develop.
One of my favourite cuisines is Indian but not the hot vindaloo variety, I love the fact that Indians use liberal amounts of fresh coriander which is orgasmic to me, the smell of it in the streets there is wonderful
Well, I guess where I live Mexican, Chinese, Italian were the heavy hitting cuisines at the time. I think food and memory are big issues..your memory of coriander..is my memory of garlic in anything cooking..love it.
Well, if I found myself in Russia..I'd want some killer borsch...and beyond that you'd have to advise me, Terry..lol
Borscht is great but Georgian cuisine is my favourite, hoping to get to Georgia (Tbilisi) this year when we can find a airline that still flies there