North African Archives - Page 2 of 2

Roast Chicken with Couscous, Prunes, Apricots, Dates & Almonds

by Yvonne Maffei | Jul 18, 2014 | Iftar, North African, Ramadan

I guess this Ramadan proves that I’m drawn to Mediterranean and North African food as my go-to cuisine for the month. The mixture of sweet and savory, the healthy and light fare offered, the aromatic spices. Yes, please.

The original recipe (called Djaj M’Ammar Bil Kesksou) calls for stuffing the bird (chicken, pigeon, squab) with the couscous mixture after the bird has been cooking for some time, but it also says you can place it on the side. Stuffing seemed a bit difficult to me because, well, dealing with a very hot bird and a very hot pan, I honestly had trouble maneuvering around to scoop the couscous into the bird’s cavity. So, I did the next best thing- put the couscous all around the bird and covered the pan while it cooked, hoping it would not burn or dry out the couscous. What resulted was a perfectly moist bird and nicely steamed couscous. I’ll be doing it this way again and again, insha’Allah.

Here’s how you can do it, too:

Preheat your oven to 400° F.

Prepare the chicken (you can get Halal chicken delivered to you from Billy Doe Meats at my affiliate link here) first by gathering the spices (ground cinnamon, ground ginger, sea salt, black pepper), olive oil (for this dish, I recommend the very smooth Mina Moroccan olive oil) and a fairly runny honey that it will cook in first before placing the couscous. The couscous will also cook directly in the pot a bit later.

You’ll need something that’s not too shallow or not too deep, and definitely something that’s completely oven safe. I use the stainless steel Calphalon pans because they can go right from stove top to stove. You could also use a large tagine for this dish, which would actually be quite perfect. Just add them to the pan directly and combine.

Rub a whole chicken (or a whole one cut up) around in the mixture (olive oil, honey, cinnamon and ginger, sea salt, and the

You’ll need something that’s not too shallow or not too deep, and definitely something that’s completely oven safe. I use the stainless steel Calphalon pans because they can go right from stove top to stove.  You could also use a large tagine for this dish, which would actually be quite perfect.  Just add them to the pan directly and combine.

Rub a whole chicken (or a whole one cut up) around in the mixture (olive oil, honey, cinnamon and ginger, sea salt, pepper). Toss it around and be sure you get the whole thing covered up. Add about 1/8 cup of water to the pan, too. This will help prevent burning or drying up of any of the ingredients. 

The directions I’ve read all say to cook the chicken breast side down so that it stays moist and you can flip it later to brown it. I know, chickens look so funny in the pan, don’t they?

The problem I have with that is that the skin usually rips off and it doesn’t look presentable. What I do instead is cook it the whole time, breast side up, but I cover it during the last 40 minutes of cooking. Comes out great- super moist and it’s nice and browned all over. I’ve done it both ways, which you might notice here.

So, while the chicken is cooking, prepare the couscous by adding water and salt to it.

Let it stand for about 5 minutes so it can thicken. I love how quickly and easily this happens! You can sort of tell it’s ready for more by fluffing it up with a fork. That’s when it’s ready to have the other ingredients added to it, before it goes into the pan with the chicken.

 Like the olive oil. 

 And cinnamon, sugar, orange blossom water.

And you can’t forget about the mixture of  dried apricots, prunes (or raisins), and dates. 

The almonds, sautéd in butter, is probably my favorite part- it’s what truly adds all the flavor. So, sauté the almonds in butter for about 2-3 minutes, watching carefully so they do not burn.

Pour onto the couscous mixture.

Add a little fresh or dried citrus zest, if you have it. I think it makes a difference.

Leave this aside until the chicken cooks for a full 50 minutes.  Flip the chicken (if you decide to be a flipper), and cook for an additional 10 minutes before adding the couscous. 

Now place the couscous in the pan around the chicken. Add several pats of butter to the couscous. 

And cover with a lid or foil. Continue to cook for another 30 minutes at the same temperature.

In this picture you can see what happened when I flipped the chicken, as the skin is coming off. Still good, still moist, though. 

Everything is so nice and browned. You can even cover the wing tips with foil if you don’t like them browning more than the rest of the chicken, or you can tuck them to the inside of the bird with bakers twine. 

Smelling this dish was an experience in and of itself. The cinnamon, the apricots, the citrus- they provided my kitchen with the most pleasant aroma it’s had in quite some time.

You can serve directly in the pan, which is nice and rustic, however, if you decide to plate it nicely and neatly that’s great, too. It all comes out so softly. What, with all that butter?

Today’s recipe is sponsored by Zabiha Halal, a Canadian company that produces halal-certified (US and Canada) and hormone-free poultry products such as this whole chicken pictured below, as well as fresh leg quarters, and even all natural and nitrite/nitrate-free deli meat like chicken breast or smoked chicken breast . You can learn more about Zabiha Halal on their website and even enter for a chance to try their products for FREE in this giveaway. They’re also offering a pretty grand contest on their Facebook page where you could win a trip worth $10,000 to anywhere in the world. That’s pretty grand…

Do check out their products and use this recipe as an excuse!

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” data-wplink-url-error=”true”>black pepper). Toss it around and be sure you get the whole thing covered up. Add about 1/8 cup of water to the pan, too. This will help prevent burning or drying up of any of the ingredients.

The directions I’ve read all say to cook the chicken breast side down so that it stays moist and you can flip it later to brown it. I know, chickens look so funny in the pan, don’t they?

The problem I have with that is that the skin usually rips off and it doesn’t look presentable. What I do instead is cook it the whole time, breast side up, but I cover it during the last 40 minutes of cooking. Comes out great- super moist and it’s nice and browned all over. I’ve done it both ways, which you might notice here.

So, while the chicken is cooking, prepare the couscous by adding water and salt to it.

Like the olive oil.

And cinnamon, sugar, orange blossom water.

And you can’t forget about the mixture of dried apricots, prunes (or raisins), and dates.

The almonds, sautéd in butter, is probably my favorite part- it’s what truly adds all the flavor. So, sauté the almonds in butter for about 2-3 minutes, watching carefully so they do not burn.

Pour onto the couscous mixture.

Add a little fresh or dried citrus zest, if you have it. I think it makes a difference.

Leave this aside until the chicken cooks for a full 50 minutes. Flip the chicken (if you decide to be a flipper), and cook for an additional 10 minutes before adding the couscous.

Now place the couscous in the pan around the chicken. Add several pats of butter to the couscous.

And cover with a lid or foil. Continue to cook for another 30 minutes at the same temperature.

In this picture you can see what happened when I flipped the chicken, as the skin is coming off. Still good, still moist, though.

Smelling this dish was an experience in and of itself. The cinnamon, the apricots, the citrus- they provided my kitchen with the most pleasant aroma it’s had in quite some time.

You can serve directly in the pan, which is nice and rustic, however, if you decide to plate it nicely and neatly that’s great, too. It all comes out so softly. What, with all that butter?

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Yvonne’s Moroccan Harira Soup

by Yvonne Maffei | Jul 9, 2014 | Iftar, Moroccan, North African, Ramadan, Soups

There are so many delicious recipes coming out of the North African country of Morocco and when I was there in the mid 90’s, I wasn’t able to try it because I was there for only a few short days during Ramadan and honestly don’t have any memorable food experiences while there. It wasn’t until I returned to the US that I started experimenting with Moroccan ingredients, asking more questions about the cuisine and started to experience it with Moroccan friends and at Moroccan restaurants in places like Washington, D.C., Cleveland, San Francisco and Chicago. Did I ever have Harira in those restaurants? No. This was hardly ever on the menus that I can remember, which is why I’ve only ever tried it from home cooks, and everyone seems to have their own take on it, so I created my own, too.

Maybe I enjoy the cuisine so much because it not only combines what I really love the most- that mixture of Mediterranean with Middle Eastern flavors- but also because the country itself was the very first place I ever heard the call to prayer, or the adhan. I visited Tangiers during a short trip while on holiday during a study abroad in Spain and it changed my life forever. I arrived frightened and scared at all of the tall tales I was told about visiting such a ‘mysterious’ place, but left with my heart open to an entirely new, peaceful and serene way of living.

And, as I just said, it was Ramadan.

While in Morocco as a student on holiday we did have a wonderful tour guide who took us to a restaurant that would serve us a lovely meal. I just remember feeling a little sad that it wasn’t more bustling with people at the time. Now I understand why.

Upon return to the States, I read everything I could about Moroccan cuisine and fell even more in love with the spice trail, the sweet and savory combinations and the love of local foods and beautiful agricultural lands that surround eclectic food-loving cities like Marrakesh, a place that is still on my travel destination wish list.

With this year’s Ramadan being in the summer, I wanted to find a light and healthy soup and was reminded by all the cookbooks I have about Moroccan cooking, that harira is the soup to make in this holy month where we’re fasting from before dawn to sunset time. The only problem is, there are countless varieties of harira recipes. Different regions make it different ways and even families make it differently, tweaking it according to their own preferences and perhaps local food availability. This could be frustrating for someone just wanting a traditional recipe, but I actually found it quite freeing- I, too, would make my own according to what I had on hand, what was preferable in our home, but sticking as close to the traditional taste and cooking method as possible. At the end, what was important to me was that I tasted Morocco in the dish and that it was nourishing after a long day of fasting. I don’t use meat or meat bones in this recipe, but you could; instead I use lamb broth which can be swapped out for vegetable broth and therefore made completely vegetarian.

That said, if this recipe isn’t how you’re used to having harira, I’d love to hear what different things you do in the comments below.

Here are the ingredients I used- and I’m well aware that I’m missing carrots, but I didn’t have them on hand and it came out wonderful just the same:

Tomatoes, chickpeas (cooked), onions, lentils (cooked), celery, olive oil, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, black pepper, sea salt, leafy greens mix (Swiss chard and some kale), fresh herbs (mint, parsley, cilantro) and orzo (I was out of vermicelli).

I did not put an egg in at the end of the cooking process, but you could definitely do that; it’s really very good that way, too.

Use a large pot or Dutch oven to make the soup, which serves 6-8 depending on soup bowl sizes.

Once it’s gently heated, add the onions.

And the chopped celery stalks, diced small.

Next, add the tomatoes.

Give it a stir and a chance to heat up and cook down a minute or two.

Now add the tomato paste.

and minced garlic.

salt and pepper and all the rest of the spices can go in now, in no particular order.

Just watch that turmeric- it stains! And somehow I always end up wearing white on the days I’m cooking with it, go figure.

Now the lentils- mine are extra cooked here, which is fine because I wanted them to be really soft (i.e. I let them cook a little too long on the stove- probably because I was back here blogging about something else).

Anyway, you can cook your own or just get the canned ones. Just don’t do what I did- they’re still completely edible but just not as pretty as if you cook them just right.

Then blend them right into the mixture of all the other stuff you put in the pot. It all starts to look and smell amazing at this point. I like to give credit to the tomatoes sand tomato paste, but that’s just my food favoritism coming through…

Now add the cooked chickpeas. These were canned, but you can (and should) cook your own, in my opinion.

Now add the herbs. These were fresh from my garden. I love saying that…

Mix it all up and that greenery makes it look lovely once again, and the aroma is captivating- it will make you feel like you’re traveling half way around the world right from your kitchen.

Now the really important stuff. Why? Because, broth is not easy to make nor is it easy to get. Granted, it’s not hard to make. But it’s time-consuming and requires quite a bit of babying the broth over the stove to skim off all the impurities and keep a watchful eye on it every so often so that it comes out just right. Believe me, I know. I have made my own- chicken, vegetable, duck, lamb, beef and seafood. Mostly I made them because they make your meals so rich and delicious and also because many commercial brands have gelatin (obviously from the gelatin created by animal bones), they are mostly not halal. Saffron Road has several halal varieties and I’m incredibly grateful for the lamb broth because it’s rich enough that it darkens up many of my dishes with that added layer of flavor that simply makes your food taste like it came from a fancy restaurant. Really.

I use one whole box for this recipe.

Let it all come to a boil, then reduce the heat to a medium flame and cook for 20 minutes.

The soup is almost done. You can skp the greens, if you don’t have them or don’t want them. I have so many on hand right now, alhamdullilah, that it was just necessary to add and a very delicious addition at that.

Stir it all in.

Now for the orzo. I love orzo and always have it in my pantry because it’s great for so many soup additions. I rarely buy vermicelli, which is the more ‘traditional’ noodle to put in harira. I say use what you’ve got and make it your own. Some recipes call for adding flour to the soup, but I find that the orzo, with all its starch, will thicken up the soup a bit at first and much more later if you let it sit, especially overnight. Let the orzo (or any noodle) cook according to its own package instructions. In this case, it was about 7-10 minutes.

I took the harira off the flame before it got too thick (that’s what it will do overnight unless you add more broth) because I wanted to eat it as a soup for Iftar.

It was so very delicious and so very special. Even though I’m not Moroccan, it felt like I was experiencing a true Ramadan dish, if not for my own family tradition, then for one that a whole country loves to have on their Iftar tables. That was special enough for me to consider making it.

Does your family or someone you know make harira? How is it different or the same as this one?

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Molokhia

by Yvonne Maffei | Sep 19, 2012 | Egyptian, Middle Eastern, North African, Recipes, Soups

It’s a wonder I haven’t posted this recipe earlier. I’ve been making it for many years and it’s considered on of our favorite healthy go-to soups, but I wasn’t sure how many others would be interested to know how make it. After numerous requests, I had my answer. I really hope you’ll make it at home, too…

Molokhia (soup with chicken and jute leaves) (more…)

Moroccan Crêpes

by Amanda Mouttaki | Aug 11, 2012 | Appetizers & Snacks, Breakfast & Brunch, Dessert, Gluten-Free, Moroccan, North African, Recipes

As you might be able to see from this blog, I’m a bit entranced by Moroccan things- style, geography, and the delicious, healthy and traditional food. Amanda Mouttaki is the author of Maroc Mama, a blog about her experience with and love of Moroccan culture and cuisine {and a whole lot more}. In this post she gladly shares her recipe for Moroccan crêpes, something we can all enjoy for breakfast, suhoor, dessert or just a snack. Very versatile. Enjoy!

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Lamb Stew with Pumpkin, Plantain, Sweet Potato and Chickpeas

by Yvonne Maffei | Nov 13, 2011 | Dinner, Fall, Lamb, Latin, North African, Recipes, Red Meat Dishes, Slow Cook, Stews & Curries

When we look through recipes online or in magazines, what really prompts us to go out of our way to make a list and head out to the store with the intention of buying all the ingredients specifically for that recipe we enjoyed looking at so much?

I look at food for a living, literally, and am incredibly delighted by the vibrant colors and gorgeous photography that exists in the blogosphere and in the publishing world. I can’t, however, make everything that awakens my stomach or inspires me to fly off the couch and dig into my cabinets for every spice listed in a recipe so that I, too, can make a gorgeous Thai noodle dish.

There is one Libyan dish, however, that prompted me to set out to use up our Qurbani meat to make this dish called Tbeikhet ‘Eid which features pumpkin, chickpeas and raisins. I liked the idea of using seasonal produce like pumpkin so much that I decided to give it a try, though digressing a bit by using other ingredients that I had at home that were in much need of being used: (more…)

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