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Moroccan Dreams, Chicken Tagine May 18, 2011

Filed under: African Food,Chicken,Entrees,Healthy,Low and Slow Cooking,One-Pot Dinners,Recipes,Travel — thekitchenbitch @ 1:15 AM
Tags: casablanca, chicken tagine, chicken with dried fruit, emile henry, golden raisins, moroccan dreams, Morocco food, north african chicken tagine, olives, quick preserved lemons, tagine vessel

I’ve been dreaming about going to Morocco for a few years now, but then again, I dream about traveling everywhere. But there’s something about the North African nation of Morocco that keeps it coming back to my daydreams.

Maybe it’s my undying love for Humphrey Bogart and Casablanca.

Or the ancient, glorious maze of streets that comprise Marrakesh and the vast desert beyond it that beckons visitors to hop on a camel and explore.

Or maybe it’s the exotic cuisine that really gets me.

Moroccan food has Arab, Mediterranean, Moorish and Berber influences, but it’s taken on a mind of its own. Spices are used extensively, especially saffron, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric and coriander, and olives, lemons, oranges, mint and couscous are all commonplace. I’ve seen images of its markets, littered with giant conical piles of fragrant herbs and spices, nuts and dried fruits. The images alone make my heart (and stomach) yearn for a faraway place I’ve never seen before.

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Man Meals: Greek Pasta Bowl with Roasted Tomatoes May 2, 2011

Filed under: Chicken,Entrees,Greek,Healthy,Herbs and Spices,Man Meals,Pasta,Recipes,Spinach,Vegetables,Vegetables — thekitchenbitch @ 8:50 AM
Tags: feta, greek pasta bowl, greek pasta dish, olives, roasted tomatoes, spinach, tomatoes

Like I mentioned last week, I like to get together with my ladies whenever I can, despite my hectic schedule. And with spring sort of but not really arriving here in Chicago, I can’t help but crave springtime foods even if the weather is not cooperating entirely with my brain. Like everywhere else the rain here just keeps coming and coming … and coming. And although it’s showing no signs of stopping, that doesn’t mean I can’t dream about fat, sweet summer tomatoes or the smell of shish kabobs on my charcoal grill.

As my own little ode to spring I wanted to make a Greek pasta bowl that sung with all the flavors of the spring and summer. By roasting cherry tomatoes with fresh basil until they shrivel down and begin to burst, you can concentrate their flavor so much so that it’s almost like eating a ripe summer tomato plucked straight from the vine.

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