Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Preserved Lemon

My good friend Deborah gave me a beautiful gift, recently: preserved lemons. She had written to me awhile ago to say that she had a bounty of riches, with too many lemons to use. What could she do with them?

I suggested pie, of course, because one can never, ever go wrong with pie. I happen to adore lemon pie (not that I was hinting!). But that wouldn't use up very many of the fruits.

So then I dared to offer the notion of preserved lemons, a classic of Moroccan cuisine, that are brined and sometimes spiced. Essentially, they are lemon pickles. Not too many folks would think this was a viable option, but Deborah is an adventurous cook who cares deeply about ingredients. She was the perfect person for this project!

Deborah happily accepted the challenge, and then very generously shared the results with me. So, of course, I delved into cooking something novel and exotic with this novel and exotic item.

I happen to be a huge fan of Moroccan food - stews, lamb, chicken, dried fruits, salads, breads, mint tea, and spices. But I've never made my own preserved lemons before, so I'd never had an opportunity to use them.

So I assembled my collection of ingredients and started cooking. Even though I own an authentic tagine [tah-ZHEEN] - a terra cotta cooking pot, and also the name of the stews cooked within them - I simply used a large skillet, figuring that it would be more readily found in others' kitchens than the more esoteric cookware; then I wouldn't have to worry about accommodating timing differences for cooking in the different utensils, etc. But, of course, I had to serve this in the right vessel!

With many thanks to Deborah for inspiring, and contributing to, this spicy, flavorful dish in honor of Ann Arbor Veg Week which begins today. I have signed a pledge to eat a vegetarian/vegan diet this week, and this is a lovely way to start things off! And also with thanks to my friends Rob and Ellen, for the lovely gift certificate to Spice Merchants, a beautiful store where I was able to buy the fragrant Moroccan spice blend I also used to make this dish.


Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Preserved Lemon

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Spice Merchants Moroccan Blend (contains garlic, onion, chilies, salt)
2 tablespoons garlic paste
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers
1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1 cup chopped sweet potato
1/2 preserved lemon, chopped fine
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
couscous, for serving

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, pepper, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, and Moroccan spices; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, sweet potato, and lemon; bring to a boil, turn heat to low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serve over couscous.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: If you don't have any preserved lemons, or any friends who will share theirs with you, I think a spritz of lemon juice and some finely grated lemon zest would be good substitutes.

Mejadra (Spiced Lentils and Rice)

This isn't the most photogenic dish, but its fragrance and flavor more than make up for that. Jeremy, who would normally prefer pizza to lentils and rice, remarked immediately upon coming in the house that dinner smelled amazing; he then proceeded to eat two helpings of it.

Quite the testament!

Mejadra (also known as mujadarrah or mujadarra) is a very old, traditional dish and it's featured in Jerusalem: A Cookbook, a beautiful new work by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi which was just nominated for a James Beard Award as best international cookbook.  It showcases gorgeous pictures and seductively enticing recipes for classic foods from this city which is home to both Jews and Arabs, and generously shares culinary representation from both cultures. Here is how Amazon.com describes it:

"In Jerusalem, Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi explore the vibrant cuisine of their home city with its diverse Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities. Both men were born in Jerusalem in the same year - Tamimi on the Arab east side and Ottolenghi in the Jewish west. This stunning cookbook offers 120 recipes from their unique cross-cultural perspective, from inventive vegetable dishes to sweet, rich desserts. With five bustling restaurants in London and two stellar cookbooks, Ottolenghi is one of the most respected chefs in the world; in Jerusalem, he and Tamimi have collaborated to produce their most personal cookbook yet."

My very dear friend Nika loaned me her copy of Jerusalem, and I wanted to make so many, many things! But I started with one of my very favorites, mejadra - a simple, comforting plate of spiced lentils and rice.

But this isn't just any ol' lentils and rice; the key ingredient in mejadra is onions which have been slowly, lovingly, patiently crisped until they're deeply golden and toasty and richly flavored. Combining these very basic ingredients with cumin, cardamom, turmeric, allspice, and cinnamon enhances and elevates them to make a dish that is absolutely stellar.

And now that Ashkenazi Conservative Jews have been granted permission, if they choose to do so (it's optional, based upon personal preference), to eat kitniyot [KIT-nee-YOHT] - corn, rice, peas, lentils, and beans - which were formerly banned at Passover along with leavened products, this is a fabulous dish that can easily be modified for the holiday that begins at sundown tonight. (See "The Kitniyot Dilemma" for more information about the dietary laws, the new ruling, the difference between customs for Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews, etc.) Simply use matzah meal instead of flour to coat the onions, and you've got an amazing new dish to serve at your seder or at any time over the next 8 days. And it's pareve ([PAHRV] = neither meat nor dairy), so it can be served with any kind of meal!

But really, mejadra is such a wonderful dish that you'll want to serve it all the time!

Mejadra
(slightly adapted from a recipe in Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi)

1-1/4 cups green or brown lentils
2 very large onions, halved, sliced very thin
3 tablespoons flour or kosher l'Pesach matzah meal ([KOH-sher leh PAY-sahk] = kosher for Passover)
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 cup white rice
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sugar
1-3/4 cups water


Place the lentils into a medium saucepan and cover generously with water; bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and cook for 20 minutes until just tender. Drain.

In a large bowl, toss the sliced onions with flour or matzah meal. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, to taste.

In a very large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Carefully add the onions, then turn heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently to keep onions from burning, until they are mostly browned and crisp. Drain in a colander lined with a paper towel.

In remaining oil in the frying pan, cook the cumin and coriander for 1 minute; add rice, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, and sugar.  Stir to coat rice with spices, then add water and reserved lentils. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender and water has been absorbed.

Stir in half of the onions, then place lentils and rice onto a serving platter. Top with remaining onions and serve hot.

Serves 6-8.

Moroccan Spiced Carrots

I love Moroccan food, with its vibrant and exotic flavors.  It doesn't have to be complicated to prepare, even if traditional recipes might require special equipment or long cooking; techniques can be adapted and modernized.

But this gorgeous, simple recipe requires nothing fancy or expensive.  And it rewards you with a slightly spicy tingle complementing the sweetness of the carrots, and the ease of being able to serve it at any temperature - it can therefore be prepared right before serving or well ahead of time, whatever suits your schedule.

These spiced carrots can accompany virtually any dish, and are perfect for a picnic or a barbecue.  Try them!  Who knew plain ol' carrots could be so easily transformed into something so delicious?


Moroccan Spiced Carrots
(slightly adapted from a recipe in The International Kosher Cookbook by The 92nd Street Y Cooking School)

1/2 pound carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2" slices
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin seed
generous pinch of kosher salt
generous pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley

Place carrots in a medium saucepan and cover generously with water.  Bring to a boil, then cook for 10-15 minutes until tender; drain.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; add the carrots, stir to coat.  Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

Red Chorizo Chili and an Invitation

Come join the frivolity at the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's annual Chili Cook-Off! It's being held on Sunday, February 12 from 12-3 p.m. at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti. They're looking for more participants, and now is the time to sign up if you'd like to be a competitor.

This is one of the best events I go to, with lots of food, fun, festivity, a bit of foolishness ... and beer! Chili and beer - what else do you need on a cold winter afternoon?

So register to bring a large pot of your very best chili, as well as some festive decor for your table (I used mardi gras beads strung with rubber chickens last year), and compete with the best chili artisans we have to offer in this area.

Come show off for the judges ... 'cause I'm one of them!

Show me what you've got! Vegetarian chili with lots of vegetables? Chili made with beans or without - the never-ending debate? Chili made with chicken or pork? Chili that will sear my lipstick off? Chili that's thick enough to eat off a corn chip? Chili with a secret ingredient? C'mon - bring it!

If you'd like to get registered as a contestant, email Suzi at manager@a2ct.org. She's wonderful - she'll offer you a hearty welcome and send you all the information you need.

If you're not up for the challenge of competing but want to attend, mingle and schmooze, you're more than welcome. You can come to the cook-off and buy samples to support the cause, but there's no need to make reservations for that part. Just be sure you put it on your calendar now, so you don't forget.

The Cook-Off is loud and it's lots of fun - go email Suzi and get registered!

And in the meantime, here's a great recipe to warm you on a cold evening and inspire your own visions of award-winning chili. Jeremy thinks it's the best chili I've ever made; good thing I'm judging this year and not competing with this entry, huh?


Red Chorizo Chili

1/4 pound fresh chorizo
3/4 pound ground beef
1 small yellow pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 large green onions, chopped
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoons cumin seed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 ounces tomato paste
6 ounces chili sauce
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with chilies
generous splashes cayenne pepper sauce
1/2 cup beer
miscellaneous accompaniments (sour cream, cheese, corn chips, etc.)

In a large saucepan, brown the chorizo and ground beef over medium heat; drain, then return to saucepan. Add yellow pepper, all 3 types of onions, corn, red pepper flakes, chili powder, cumin seed and salt; cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat down to medium-low; cook for 20 minutes.

The chili is great served immediately, but - of course! - even better if you can wait a day or so to let the flavors blend.

Serves 4-6.

Harvest Stew

I love my crockpots! I only have two now - Mama Bear and Baby Bear, as I call them. I gave the enormous Papa Bear one away to someone in need. But the ones I have left are perfect for making dinner and for keeping dips warm, respectively.

It takes almost no effort to put together the ingredients when using a crockpot, and then to let your dinner simmer away - without the need for monitoring - so that it can be ready for your return home after a long day.

This stew is a perfect way to eat something warm and nutritious on a chilly Fall day while also celebrating the bounty of the harvest; it's a stellar example of seasonal cuisine, featuring pumpkin, sweet potato and apple cider.

This hearty dish is vegan - yes, vegan! - if you use the soy chorizo noted in the recipe; carnivores are welcome to substitute a spicier treyf ([TRAYF] = not kosher) pork variety of the sausage, though.

Either way, it's a great meal to come home to. The house smells amazing, and your dinner will warm your soul.

Harvest Stew

2 tablespoons oil
1 12-ounce package Trader Joe's soy chorizo
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 cup corn
1 15-ounce can pureed pumpkin
1 sweet potato, peeled, cut into 3/4" dice
1 15-ounce hot chili beans, undrained
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons coriander
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 cup Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown and Wild Rice Medley
1 32-ounce container Imagine creamy sweet potato soup
1/2 cup apple cider
generous splashes of cayenne pepper sauce

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat; add the chorizo and saute for 5 minutes; place in a 6-8 quart crockpot.

In the same skillet, saute the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and seasoned salt until the vegetables are softened; add to the crockpot.

Add the corn to the same skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is lightly toasted and some of the kernels are golden; add to the crockpot.

Add the remaining ingredients to the crockpot. Cook on "low" for at least 8-10 hours, and serve hot.

Makes 10-12 servings.

Curried Lentil Soup with Tomato

Last week, we went through some sort of time warp. We were thrust without warning from 100-degree days of summer excess to days so chilly and rainy and reminiscent of late fall that we debated turning on our furnaces. (For the record, mine went on almost immediately. I'm always cold anyway, so it only took a brief moment for me to make that decision.)

So I made the leap from sauteeing zucchini and making refreshing peach desserts - utilizing gorgeous end-of-summer bounty - to making standard cold-weather food. I woke up one morning and decided I wanted to make soup.

And so, I offer a recipe for one of my favorites. This comes together so quickly that I made it while I waited for my morning coffee to brew, and was able to bring it to work for lunch. The small orange lentils - rather than the larger brown or green ones - are the key ingredient; they cook down without any pre-soaking. The Numi Organic Toasted Rice tea bags (which I'd received as a gift in order to sample the product) added a subtle flavor to the soup, but they aren't essential if you don't have them.

Nutritious and delicious, this Curried Lentil Soup is supreme comfort food.

And there's even a lovely fresh tomato in it, for color and flavor. It's still officially summer, after all, even if that was hard to remember last week!

Curried Lentil Soup with Tomato

1 tablespoon ghee or butter
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup small orange lentils
3 cups water
2 Numi Organic Toasted Rice tea bags, optional (a lovely marketing gift!)
1 cup light coconut milk
1 tomato, chopped

Melt the ghee/butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the salt, curry powder, garam masala and red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute. Add the onion and cook for 1 minute. Add the lentils, water and tea bags; cover and bring to a boil, cooking for 5 minutes until the lentils are softening. Add the coconut milk and tomato; cover and simmer for 15 minutes until lentils are tender.

Serves 4.

Southern Fried Chicken

I once read that gossip columnist Liz Smith, who is from Texas, claimed to love all kinds of fried chicken; but she noted quite emphatically that she had never eaten a battered variety while growing up in the South. Southern fried chicken, at its most authentic, is merely coated with seasoned flour and fried in a skillet.

It's also easier to make this traditional fried chicken, and it's far less messy than battering and deep-frying, as well. Who wants to be washing extra dishes, after all, and wiping up splattered grease when they can simply be enjoying this perfect summer food?

I cooked my chicken in a combination of oil and bacon fat, which I always reserve rather than discarding it. I consider it to be a priceless contribution to many foods, even in small quantities, as its flavor is incomparable. If you're going to be frying a piece of chicken anyway - and especially relishing the crispy, spicy skin - then it's not as though you're particularly concerned about calories or cholesterol. Have a little extra fun!

If you don't have access to this priceless resource, however, you can use schmaltz - rendered chicken fat - which is available for purchase near the kosher meats at grocery stores. This is used in kosher cooking as a substitute for butter when preparing fleishig - [FLAY-shig], Yiddish for "flesh" or meat - as meat and dairy products can't be combined.

Perfect for a picnic or a family reunion or "just because," traditional Southern Fried Chicken is a simple delicacy and an ideal summertime food.

Southern Fried Chicken

4 chicken thighs
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup unbleached flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 generous shakes of cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons bacon fat (or schmaltz or butter)

Lay the chicken pieces on a plate, and sprinkle all sides with the kosher salt.

In a strong quart-sized baggie, combine the flour, cornmeal, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, seasoned salt, chili powder and cayenne pepper. One by one, place the chicken pieces into the baggie, seal it, and shake until the chicken is well coated.

In a large skillet, melt the oil and bacon fat over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces, skin-side up, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook for 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Turn chicken one more time, cover the pan loosely, and cook for 10 more minutes.

Remove the chicken pieces and pat dry on paper towels.

Serves 2-4.

Breaking the Fast on the First Day of Ramadan

Islam's holiest month, Ramadan, began last night. Tonight at sundown, therefore, will be the end of the first day of fasting, with denial of food and water during daylight hours this month being one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

The month of Ramadan is the time during which The Quran "was sent down from heaven (to provide) guidance unto men, a declaration of direction, and a means of Salvation ...," according to RamadanKareem.org. Fasting, then, is a form of self-denial intended to encourage reflection, introspection, patience, humility, and rejuvenation. And Ramadan is an extremely auspicious month, considered to be filled with blessings.

Iftar - the evening meal to break the fast - is one that is ideally shared with family and community. And it is necessarily both nutritious and fairly light. It is traditional for many to first eat a date when they sit down to their meal; this is then followed by a wide variety of foods, dependent upon country and culture.

I cooked up this chickpea dish over the weekend and offer it as an option for breaking the fast. It's quick and easy to make, features spices which are commonly used in the Middle East (the birthplace of Islam, of course), and is absolutely delicious!

Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Spinach

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sumac (available at Middle Eastern markets)
1 teaspoon shawarma spices (available at Middle Eastern markets)
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are translucent. Add the chickpeas and tomato; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, sumac and shawarma spices; cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in parsley.

Serve over rice or stuffed into a pita or placed into a hollowed-out tomato.

Serves 2-4.

Please note: You can squeeze the juice from half-a-lemon onto this in place of the sumac. And you can substitute a mix of cumin, garlic powder, and a pinch each of cloves and cinnamon for shawarma spices.

High Blood Pressure? Me?!?!?

My blood pressure went skyrocketing in recent months, unbeknownst to lil' ol' moi. And so I'm going to be a bit long-winded today (it's been awhile, hasn't it???) with a cautionary tale.

I had always known high blood pressure to be a sneaky entity which put one's health at risk with no warning signs ... I was wrong. There can be symptoms when the situation is critical enough, but I hadn't been aware of that. And so I hope perhaps my little saga might inform or educate someone else who can benefit from it.

I'm someone who never gets sick -- the last time I had the flu was my senior year of high school, and I took care of someone who had the Norovirus at Christmastime but I didn't even catch so much as a sniffle from that nasty bug. I'm prone to sinus infections beause of seasonal allergies, but not actual illnesses.

And while I am, indeed, the poster child for osteoporosis (very small frame, Caucasian, rampant family history), I am not someone you'd consider a candidate for high blood pressure. It's much more prevalent among African-Americans, people who are overweight (I'm told nearly daily that I "should have a little more schmaltz on my bones"), and people who smoke (my sole contact with cigarettes has always been to remove them from my presence). My only risk factor was family history.

But beginning in January, I started having periodic episodes of skull-crushing headaches and nausea.

Was my immune system -- a source of such great pride to me! -- finally being compromised by my stress levels as I meandered through the telenovela that is my life??? This would be a new phenomenon, since my life has been a telenovela for years and years and I've always still been healthy.

I noticed that these episodes were tied in to very specific stressful instances in my personal life, rather than a generalized condition. And I finally went to the doctor during one of them, determined to figure out why I kept getting sick and why the symptoms were always the same. After all, shouldn't there be some variation in the viruses and bacteria I was falling prey to?

At that appointment, per the standard protocol, the medical assistant took my blood pressure.

It was 188/110.

For those of you who don't know what these numbers mean, my blood pressure has always been "textbook perfect" at 120/70. At 188/110, I was in a state known as "hypertensive crisis", described below by the Mayo Clinic:

"A hypertensive crisis is a severe increase in blood pressure that can lead to a stroke. Extremely high blood pressure — a systolic (top number) blood pressure of 180 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher and a diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure of 120 mm Hg or higher — damages blood vessels. They become inflamed and may leak fluid or blood. As a result, the heart may not be able to pump blood effectively.

.... An urgent hypertensive crisis is when your blood pressure is extremely high, but your doctor doesn't suspect you have any damage to your organs. Signs and symptoms of an urgent hypertensive crisis may include:

- Increased blood pressure
- Severe headache
- Shortness of breath"

I had each of those symptoms.

It was clear: the situation I was sorting out and finally resolving, to which I could directly tie my episodes, might literally kill me.

And so, I took certain steps like starting to take medication (2 different ones, actually), and removing myself from the stressful situation entirely (my BFF Wendy interceded on my behalf to finish some interactions). And I gave up potato chips, which I adore.

I researched ways to modify my diet to see if that could help as well. My salt intake was already low, and people have often asked for salt shakers to sprinkle a little bit extra on food I'd prepared because they were accustomed to using far more.

In doing my research, I was reminded of the DASH Diet, which is an acronym for "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension." It encourages:

- Eating more fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods
- Cutting back on foods that are high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and total fat
- Eating more whole grain products, fish, poultry, and nuts
- Eating less red meat and sweets
- Eating foods that are rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium

I bought bananas, for their potassium. I started taking magnesium supplements in addition to my prescriptions and my multivitamins and my calcium pills.

There was virtually no room for improvement on the fruits, vegetables or low-fat dairy foods (no-fat being my usual preference for milk and yogurt). I also eat whole grains almost exclusively, though I can't deny that I have 32 sweet teeth rather than only 1 sweet tooth! I also found that drinking green tea could be beneficial, so I made pitchers of it to have ready in the refrigerator.

With all of that tea loitering around, it only seemed natural to devise a recipe that would incorporate it. Poultry? Yup. Spices for flavor? Yup. Green tea? Yup.

And if I may say so myself, this was so good that you'd never know it had virtually no salt! Served with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, it's a dish that won't make you feel deprived or as though you're on a special diet.

Oh, and how is my blood pressure now, after waging war against it???

At my last check-up, it was 122/74 ... :)


Tea & Spice Marinated Chicken

4 chicken thighs (skinless, if you prefer)
1 cup green tea, chilled
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
juice of half lemon
1 teaspoon shawarma spices (available at Middle Eastern markets; substitute 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, if necessary)
1 teaspoon ginger
pinch of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce

Place the chicken into a strong gallon-sized baggie. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken. Marinate the chicken for 8 hours or more.

Drain the chicken and place the pieces skin-side down into a large skillet. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes until nicely browned; turn them over, cover the pan, and cook for 20 more minutes.

Serves 4.

Quick Curried Chicken with Spinach

I've been craving Indian food, a protein other than eggs or cheese, and an opportunity to just cook without having to follow any rules or accommodate any dietary quirks or restrictions. I've been feeling a tad confined in the kitchen lately, by a variety of scenarios.

So when I went to visit Tom recently, he very sweetly said I could make whatever I wanted to for dinner. And since he had some chicken and some spinach to finish off, in addition to my having -- seriously! -- an entire freezer door full of spices, we settled on an easy but immensely flavorful favorite: curried chicken.

This doesn't take very long to cook at all, but the house smells amazing while you're stirring! Truly, it is utterly tantalizing -- the cooking time is short, but it will feel nearly endless as you are tempted by the Siren song of the aromas ....

Curried Chicken with Spinach

2 tablespoons oil
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1" pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 ounces coconut milk
2 cups baby spinach leaves
rice and/or naan, for serving

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, 'til lightly browned. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent.

Sprinkle the curry powder, garam masala and sea salt over the chicken; stir. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a boil; lower heat to medium, stirring frequently to coat the chicken with the thickening sauce and to mix the spices into the sauce.


Add the spinach and cook just until it's starting to wilt.

Serve over rice, with naan, or both!

A Few Moments of Escape

It's not been a good couple of weeks ... it's not been a good New Year. Really, it hasn't. I read a post on Twitter last week that said "Locked out of the house. Husband is at work. No umbrella. Happy Friday. Ug." Are you kidding me??? Go to a coffee shop, get a nice hot cup of tea, treat yourself to a pastry while you wait, and get over it!

I won't re-hash the chaos of my past few weeks, or share (yet) the utter misery that *I* experienced last Friday. (Locked out of the house??? Pfffft!) Suffice it to say that I was awakened by a phone call at 3 that morning, still had to slog in to work despite sleep deprivation and stress, one of my faithful cohorts doesn't work on Fridays and the other was home sick, I had to schlep and run an errand that I didn't want to in another town nearby and was rushed to do it by a certain time, and I'm still in shock over what happened and how pointless and unnecessary the situation is. And the situation will be prolonged and stressful and expensive. I am not happy.

But the next day -- on Saturday -- I had a few moments of escape, a blessed reprieve. Tom noticed it, and I felt it. I really was transported out of my reality.

Tom and I were out running errands, picking things up at the library and at the drug store, buying coconut milk for the chicken curry we planned to make that night, and looking for a birthday present for a very, very dear friend. We meandered through a collection of quaint and charming shops downtown looking for the perfect gift, but hadn't quite found what we wanted.

Until we got to the spice shop.

Spice Merchants is a store so lovely, so enticing, so colorful, so aromatic, so utterly sensual that it is hard to fully describe ... this shop must truly be experienced. The photos are woefully inadequate, and there is no way to share the fragrances of the curries, the teas, or anything else with you.

Each time I visit the store, I wish I had the resources to buy a little of everything. It makes me want to cook and, especially, to experiment. It makes me want to not just throw together a quick meal, but to linger over a day-long affair of toasting and grinding and mixing spices to infuse flavor into something cooked slowly and lovingly ... something exotic, usually, and unique.

There are a dozen varieties of salt, in pink and white and grey and yellow and green and brown; some are flavored with citrus, some are smoked, some are naturally colored and have been imported from around the world. Spices can be bought individually or pre-mixed for Indian, Moroccan, Cajun or other cuisines, and come in the most glorious shades of red, orange, and yellow or the deep burnished tones of tan and brown.

There were also other unique uses for the astounding array of spices, including small gift bags of crumbled cookies with ginger or vanilla mixed in, to use as ice cream toppers. There were soup and chili mixes, tied with pretty ribbons and ready to give to loved ones. But Tom and I settled upon the Lemon-Garlic Orzo -- a lovely bag of the rice-shaped pasta that "has a subtle hint of lemon & the robust taste of garlic." We thought it would be perfect to prepare as a side dish or as the base of a salad, or even as an addition to soup.

Then, as we stood in line, Tom said that I looked genuinely happy surrounded by food stuffs and things to play with ... and I was! I was holding his hand as we waited to pay for an ideal gift for someone who appreciates good but simple food ... it was perfect.

And, for a short while, I had forgotten that significant stressors loom large. I had magically and momentarily travelled to my kitchen, travelled to far-off lands, travelled away from daily life and into a beautiful world of color and fragrance and inspiration ....

Eating My Vegetables

As mentioned last week, Chanukkah is a minor holiday on the Jewish calendar, one which celebrates a miracle with oil. So it is traditional among the Ashkenazim (Jews of Eastern European heritage) to eat fried foods, especially latkes.

But just because you're cooking with oil, eating oil and worshipping the beauty of the oil doesn't mean that you have to destroy your arteries in the process. It is possible to eat nutritious food that's utilizes oil, too!

And here is one of the ways to do so: bake some spaghetti squash on an oiled sheet, saute some spinach and tomato in oil, and then serve some good bread alongside the vegetables and provide a lovely spiced dipping oil for it, as well.

This is a ridiculously easy meal, one packed with nutrition, and certainly a warm and colorful dinner to enjoy at the end of a long day of work or holiday shopping or errand running or snow shovelling, or whatever your life might bring to you ....

Spaghetti Squash with Spinach

1 large spaghetti squash
3 tablespoons oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1 tomato, diced
2 cup chopped fresh spinach
parmesan, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise, and place it on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until it's very tender and golden at the edges.

Near the end of the cooking time, heat the oil in a large skillet. Cook the red pepper flakes over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and almonds; cook for 1 minute or so, until the almonds become fragrant.

Add the tomato and the spinach; cook until the spinach is wilted. Remove from heat.


Scrape the flesh from the squash and place it onto a serving dish.


Top with the spinach mixture, then serve with parmesan.

Serves 2-4, depending on size of serving.

Dipping Oil for Bread

1/3 cup olive oil, the greener the better
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon Savory Spice Shop Tarragon Shallot Citrus seasoning mix
1/8 teaspoon Mrs. Dash original seasoning mix

Mix all of the ingredients together and place into a serving bowl. Let flavors blend for at least 30 minutes before serving with good, crusty bread.

Oh, My God, the House Smells Fabulous!!!

Although I have been sadly lax in the past year ... 2 years? ... or so, one of my favorite hobbies is entering cooking contests. You've gotta feed the family anyway, right??? So why not have some fun with new recipes, and possibly win prizes as well?

I've won or placed in more than 60 contests; I even found out the other day that I'm a finalist in a new one, though I can't say anything yet 'til I know what the outcome is. But I would like to get back into the kitchen again rather than throwing dinner together on the spur of the moment, which seems to have become my norm. Time for tinkering, of course, and inspiration are necessities; but without the former, it's kinda hard to de-frazzle ye olde brain long enough to find the latter.

But in seeking to happify my blog the other night with widgets and gadgets and cyber-tzotchkes so that it didn't seem quite so pink but plain, I found a very cool competition: the 7th Mediterranean Cooking Event, run by a blogger named Tobias who lives in Greece. Apparently Tobias picks a different country each month (last month was Italy), and then challenges the world to cook recipes representative of that cuisine. This month the spotlight falls upon Algeria, which is the next-door neighbor to my beloved Morocco.

Lots of fabulous, fragrant spices ... tagines and salads ... fruits and vegetables ... sigh. This is what Algerian cooking is all about. With so many options at my disposal -- a freezer door full of everything from coriander to turmeric, as well as dates and pistachios and whole wheat couscous in the pantry -- what might I make??? Carrots. A carrot dish that could be served warm with couscous or served chilled as a salad. It's rainy and dreary here, right before President Obama comes to honor Ann Arbor with a commencement speech at the University of Michigan. The gorgeous color of carrots would brighten my kitchen and my morning!

And so, here is my entry into the competition. Voting is required, so be sure to offer me some love when the time comes!!!

Glazed Spiced Carrots

1 pound baby carrots
water to cover carrots
3 tablespoons argan oil or extra-virgin olive oil
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons honey

Place the carrots into a 3-quart saucepan; cover with water, bring to a boil, and cook 10 minutes until tender. Drain carrots.


In a 10” skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add lemon juice, red pepper flakes, cumin seeds, coriander, ginger and salt; cook for 30 seconds, swirling the pan to blend everything. Add honey, cook for another 30 seconds while swirling the pan. Add carrots, stir to coat, and serve either warm or cold with a lovely glass of mint tea.