In My Kitchen February 2024

January has flown by, and now I am mentally collecting inspiration for cooking events for February. We are still experiencing the peak of the tropical heat of Summer here, and this determines a lot of what I am preparing and cooking. However, let's start on a sweet note and there a few recipes in this post that I haven't yet shared with you. 

Moroccan Baked Chicken with Fennel and Chickpeas, it's a delicious Traybake

You all know me, and by now you know that I love to prepare a delicious and simple chicken traybake for dinner. It takes a lot of the pressure off when you are entertaining friends, leaving you time to enjoy their company. I love my oven.  Even more, I love a traybake that is loaded with flavour and is very easy to prepare. Moroccan food is packed with flavour from all those heady exotic spices, such as baharat, cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric and ginger. Fresh Fennel, a vegetable which originates from the Mediterranean region, brings its unique flavour to this dish, please don't skimp on it. 

North African Pumpkin, Lentil and Chickpea Stew

"If you are feeling depressed in life, all you really need to do is grow things, cook things, and let nature care of you."

Joanna Lumley 

This is  a richly spiced and hearty dish originating from Morocco, where it is called Harira.

Moroccan Chickpea Salad

Here in Mackay, in North Queensland, we are very relieved that the history making fires in our vicinity up on the Eungella range, through  Finchatton Gorge, and at Sarina Beach seem to  have been contained at last.  Last week was a horror of a week, with record high temperatures exceeding 40 degrees, strong winds and widespread fires. Nobody living in our area, ever thought that we would see such destruction in our favourite nearby natural retreats. Friends of ours and former neighbours, were evacuated from their home at Eungella last Tuesday, and came down to Mackay to live until they could return home on Saturday. Ann said it was like returning to a war zone, where not only was the former rainforest vegetation charred black, but the air traffic of helicopters dropping water bombs on the fires, and the fire crews working in the area were creating a lot of noise as well. It sounds like a version of hell. However the emergency fire crews from all over the country have done an amazing job and our local community are embracing them and showing their appreciation in as many ways as possible. What incredibly inspiring people they are. Thankfully as far as we are aware there has been only one casualty to date. One too many. Our hearts go out to all of those who continue to bear the consequences of the fires that are still burning in some areas throughout Queensland, and we are all praying for rain. Thank you to those of you who have enquired if we are ok here in Mackay City. Thankfully we are.

This is a hearty and aromatic dish which can be served as a side dish or as an individual vegetarian meal. The spices make it stand out. Preparing and cooking food is about sharing it with family and friends. The flavours in this salad develop beautifully if it is allowed to marinate for at least an hour. This is so easy and I know you will enjoy it if you decide to make it.

Adapted from Delicious Everyday

Ingredients:

2 x 400 g cans Australian organic chickpeas (or use home cooked ones), rinsed and drained, or garbanzo beans
1 diced red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tbs. dried currants
1 preserved lemon rind only, finely chopped
Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbs. soy sauce
1 tbs. ground cumin
1 tbs. sweet smoked paprika
1 tbs. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup Greek yoghurt for garnish to serve
1/3 cup pistachios, roughly chopped for garnish to serve
Pomegranate Molasses for garnish to serve

Method:

Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and add the onion, garlic, cranberries, currants, preserved lemon rind, and spices (cumin,paprika, cinnamon). Whisk the olive oil and lemon juice together to emulsify and add to the mixture. Add the soy sauce.

Toss all of the ingredients together in the large bowl, cover, and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour. I left it for the whole day before serving, and it was delicious.

To serve, garnish the chickpea salad with chopped parsley, and then top with the yoghurt and pistachios and drizzle with the pomegranate molasses.

For special occasions, line the bowl with baby spinach leaves and fill with chickpea salad. Unfortunately I wasn't as well organised as usual, (who am I kidding?) and didn't have any baby spinach on hand, so please just imagine green leaves lining the bowl in the photo :)

This could also be served as a filling vegetarian meal.

Bye for now,

Best wishes

Pauline

Slow Cooker Beef, Spinach and Prune Tagine

When I was precooking the combination of onion and garlic with the fragrant spices in this dish, the cinnamon, cumin, turmeric and ginger, my mind drifted to our holiday a few years ago in amazing and exotic Granada in the south of Spain, just over the Strait of Gibraltar from Morocco which is still on my bucket list by the way. The Moroccan style foods we ate in Granada were delicious including the tapas, and have probably given me the taste for Tagines and spicy vegetable accompaniments. Then I wandered to the famous spice markets in Istanbul, Turkey where the aroma from the piles of colourful spices are intoxicating. For my friends reading this who don't like eating dates in their food, and there are a couple, I actually think they could be left out of this dish but definitely keep the prunes.. There is enough going on without them. 

Couscous Salad with Fresh Mint, Coriander, Parsley and Feta cheese

I made some healthy Couscous to accompany a Beef Tagine I was slow cooking, and then as happens in my kitchen, I thought the couscous looked rather boring and bland so I started adding ingredients from what I had and this is what I ended up with. I now had colour on the plate as well as a nutritious side dish.This salad is delicious, versatile and the  simple dressing gives it a nice zing. A dressed grain salad will keep well for a few days in the refrigerator, whereas a dressed green salad is often limp and inedible the following day. Couscous  salad can stand alone for lunch, or is a marvellous accompaniment to a spicy or Middle Eastern style dinner. Other vegetables can be added as well, such as sliced zucchini or sweet corn, after all it is basically a salad. I remembered this idea from a recipe I found here quite a while ago.

I picked this bunch of gerberas this morning from my garden which bring sunshine into the house. They really need breaking up into smaller plants, but now I can't bear to do it whilst they are flowering. I hope they make you feel happy as well.

With Summer approaching here in the Southern Hemisphere I will be making this easy Couscous meal on a regular basis. In the Northern hemisphere though, it can also be a healthy addition to accompany hot meals.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

1 cup Wholemeal couscous

1 1/4 cups boiling water

1 cup of finely chopped coriander

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup finely chopped mint

1/2 red onion, chopped very finely

1/2 cucumber chopped very finely

1/2 red capsicum, chopped very finely

3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

2 tablespoons finely crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Dressing:

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup, slightly warmed up so it is runny

Juice of 1 lemon and the zest

Good pinch of cumin.

Method:

Pour your couscous into a large heatproof bowl, add the boiling water and rest covered for 5 minutes. Remove the cover and fluff up with a fork.

Toss the finely chopped vegetables through the couscous and then add the herbs,  mixing through lightly.

To make the dressing, add the ingredients including cumin to a small glass jar, screw on the lid and give the jar a good shake. You could also use a small whisk to mix it all together. This isn't a complicated dressing so shaking it up in the jar works fine. Add a little salt and pepper to taste if you think it needs it. If this is being served with spicy foods I don't think it will need it.

Toss the dressing through the couscous and add the pine nuts.

Add the crumbled feta if you are using that. 

This is now ready to serve or store it in the refrigerator.

This will keep well, covered in the refrigerator for 5 days but it won't last that long.

I hope you are having a fabulous weekend wherever you are. I did a lot of cooking on Friday, so we are eating mostly leftovers this weekend, which just keep improving in flavour, and it makes for a nice relaxing weekend. I'll be ready to start cooking again on Monday. Do you sometimes like to have a weekend off from cooking as well?


Best wishes,

Pauline.

Lamb and Pine Nut Meatballs with Moroccan Salad and Tahini Dressing

Moroccan Meatballs
Serves 3-4 small rissoles per serve
480 calories per serve

Ingredients

400g minced lamb (500g will just make a few more for leftovers)
1  onion finely grated or finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
1/2 cup (80g) pine nuts, lightly toasted and roughly chopped, or panko breadcrumbs
1 teasp. ground paprika
1/2 teasp. ground allspice
1 teasp. ground cumin
(or instead of the above spices use 1 teaspoon of ras al hanout spice blend or more if you like it spicy)
1 beaten egg
Small bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
Small bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the Salad: (2-4 serves)

100g spinach leaves
1 tbsp. sliced almonds
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
2 tbsp. chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 spring onions, chopped
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Juice of half a lemon

Tahini dressing: (4 serves)

1/4 cup (70g) good quality tahini
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (definitely not the bottled stuff)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup (60ml) warm water

Method:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the minced lamb, onion, garlic, pine nuts, paprika, allspice and cumin. Add the egg white and mix again.
2. Stir in the chopped herbs and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Shape the mixture into 6 evenly sized balls.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the meatballs over a medium heat, turning occasionally, for 10 minutes, until golden brown on all sides and completely cooked through.

Moroccan Salad:

Place the spinach leaves in a bowl. Add all the other ingredients and toss together. Serve with the meatballs and dream that you are in Morocco.

Tahini Dressing Method:

1. Add tahini, lemon juice, cumin, sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper to taste in a small ethnic style bowl and stir to combine.
2. Slowly add the warm water until your dressing reaches a creamy consistency, and it will become nice and creamy. I didn't need all of the water but it depends on how thick the tahini is.
3. Please note:  If you use a good quality tahini from a Middle Eastern shop or deli, the liquid won't have separated from the tahini paste. Unfortunately some of the tahini brands I have tried from the supermarkets have separated and aren't easily mixed back together making the dressing very gluggy.

To serve:

Serve the meatballs with the Moroccan Salad or an Eggplant Salad and the Tahini Dressing. Serve it on small pita breads if you wish.

Moroccan Chicken Pilaf

Pilaf is even easier than risotto to make when travelling. This is another low calorie meal which will be quick and easy to cook when we are on our road trip. 

Moroccan Orange Blossom and Cardamon Yoghurt Cake

Moroccan Orange Blossom and Cardamon Yoghurt Cake

Jump to the recipe here:

This is a festive cake combining some favourite aromatic spices, with orange blossom water, and pomegranates. It tastes so amazingly good, that I am tempted to change years of tradition at Christmas, and replace my fruit cake with this light and exotic taste sensation. It even looks like a Christmas cake, with the visual appeal of the pomegranates  and the explosion of taste that they deliver. 

I am babysitting a friends little boy today so this is being written in a bit of a hurry, while he sleeps. Believe me though, this is a cake well worthy trying.

This recipe requires a 2L (25cm)  bundt cake pan and Serves 6.

No electric mixer is required for this recipe just a whisk, a mixing spoon and a large bowl.

Borani Banjan (Layered Afghan Eggplant or Aubergines)

Layered Afghan Eggplant and Aubergines or Borani Banjan

Jump to recipe here:



A rich, luscious eggplant dish, with so many aromatic Middle Eastern flavours, complimented by the combined flavours of Greek yoghurt and garlic salt. Even better, this is an eggplant recipe that Mr. HRK enjoys. When I discovered that I could grow eggplant easily, quite a few eggplant dishes appeared on my menus, perhaps I overdid it a little or maybe even a lot. He was struggling with them, so I gave in and had a break from eggplant for a while. He still struggles a bit with most eggplant dishes, but this is one that he finally really enjoys. Great news, as I love eggplant, and so do most of our friends. This is a winner! I hope you enjoy it as well.

Ingredients:

2 medium Italian eggplants or 4 medium size Japanese eggplants (Enough for 2 layers of cooked eggplant in your baking dish)
3 medium tomatoes, cut in 1/3 inch thick slices
8 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. ground curry powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup chopped fresh coriander or cilantro
1 cup Greek-style yoghurt
1 tsp. Garlic salt



The eggplant needs to be sliced and cooked until it is soft. Slice off the ends of your eggplants, and cut them in half lengthwise, not across. Then cut each half across in 1/3 inch thick slices. I fried the eggplant in batches in a medium heat frypan in olive oil, being careful not to burn them or you can cook them under your oven grill as follows.

Turn on your oven grill. Slice off the ends of your eggplants, and cut them in half lengthwise, not across. Then cut each half across in 1/3 inch thick slices.Arrange the eggplant slices on two baking sheets on baking trays, drizzle with 1 tbsp. of the olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. of salt. Place the baking trays under the grill and cook for a few minutes on each side until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and adjust the oven to  a moderate heat, 180 deg. C, or 375 deg. F.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a medium pan and saute the garlic over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Be careful not to let it brown. Add the remaining spices, 1 tsp. garlic salt, turmeric, curry, paprika, pepper, and tomato paste. Stir this mixture together and cook for another minute. Add the chicken stock to the pan, stir, and turn the heat to high.When the liquid comes to the boil, turn it down and let it simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Pour 1/3 of the liquid into a 9x12 inch baking dish, or even a bit smaller, spreading it across the bottom of the dish. Arrange half the eggplant on top of the sauce. Sprinkle half the coriander over the eggplant and then layer the tomato slices evenly on the eggplant.



 Pour on another third of the sauce. Repeat the layering with the remaining eggplant, coriander, and tomatoes. Finish the dish by drizzling the last of the sauce over the vegetables, ensuring that all the vegetables are covered.

Cover the dish tightly with aluminium foil and cookl it in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 5 minutes.

 Final step:

Mix together the Greek yoghurt and garlic salt. Pour the yoghurt sauce over the eggplant and serve with pita or naan bread.

Serves four to six people as a main, or many more as a vegetable dish on the side.

Adapted from a recipe by Zohra Ghilzai.

Jump to recipe here:

A delicious Chicken tagine with Dates and Honey

Couscous, Chicken Tagine and Sweet Carrot Dip

The dates, honey and nuts when added to a slow cooked organic chicken stew become a magical Middle Eastern culinary experience. It is important to use organic chicken if possible for the best flavour and texture. This dish can also be cooked in a large casserole dish in the oven.

Caring for your Moroccan Tagine

 This is where I have just bought my first tagine, at Lantaka,  a specialty shop in Cairns, Far North Queensland, stocking an exotic variety of useful and decorative Moroccan tagines, rugs, homewares, and leather goods, sourced personally by the owners in Morocco and imported directly to the shop. It is an Aladdin's Cave full of surprises for those that venture off the footpaths of Stratford Parade through it's front doors, being lured in by the impressive and colourful window displays.