March is Ethiopian/Moroccan

I have decided that March will be Ethiopian and Moroccan. This will be the first month I am actually trying something that I have never done before. I plan on making Ginger-Carrot Chutney, Injera, Beef Stew in Berbere,Moroccan Chicken With Olives Moroccan Tagine with Carrot , Doro Wat, Mash Pot, and a few other things.

The first recipe I made was chicken tagine. I thought it was awesome, but it could have been a bit more flavorful. Here are the ingredients and recipe.

2 tbsp olive oil
8 skinless boneless chicken thighs , halved if large (I substituted chicken breasts which cuts the cook time in 1/2)
1 onion , chopped
2 tsp grated fresh root ginger
pinch saffron or tumeric (I used Tumeric)
1 tbsp honey
400g carrots , cut into sticks
small bunch parsley , roughly chopped
lemon wedges, to serve

Method:

Heat the oil in a large, wide pan with a lid, add the chicken, then fry quickly until lightly coloured. Add the onion and ginger, then fry for a further 2 mins.

Add 150ml water, the saffron, honey and carrots, season, then stir well. Bring to the boil, cover tightly, then simmer for 30 mins until the chicken is tender. Uncover and increase the heat for about 5 mins to reduce the sauce a little.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.


What I really liked about this recipe was that it was super easy to make and yummy to boot!

Eggplant Parmigiana, Gorgonzola Pasta, and Pesto Pasta

It's been pretty busy here with school, so I haven't had much time to update lately. I have made Eggplant Parmigiana with stuffed mushrooms and Fred made Gorgonzola Pasta for Valentines. I am making Pesto Pasta tonight!

The Eggplant Parmigiana was awesome! I don't have the recipe for the stuffed mushrooms, we just kind of winged it.

Ingredients:

2lbs eggplat
salt
3 balls mozzarella
3/4 cups fresh basil leaves
2 14 ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes (I used pureed)
1/2 cup flour
pepper
2/3 cup olive oil
2 ounces Parmesan grated

Method:

Rinse eggplant and cut in half. Take the halves and chop into smaller lengthwise slices. Sprinkle with salt and let stand for 15 minutes,

Drain mozzarella and slice thinly. Chop basil and tomatoes add to bowl with the juice from the can, salt and pepper.

Pat the eggplant dry. Make a plate with the flour and pepper. Dredge the eggplant through the flour mixture to lightly coat it. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add oil to a pan and heat on medium. Start adding the coated eggplant and cook it until it is golden brown.

Line casserole dish with non-stick spray. Put a layer of eggplant down, then tomato mixture, then top with mozzarella cheese. Continue doing this until you run out of ingredients then sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and add small pats of butter on the top. Cook for 30 minutes or until golden. Let rest for 10 minutes then serve.






The Gorgonzola Pasta was AMAZING!! It was a bit rich but I highly recommend it!

Ingredients:

8 ounces Gorgonzola
1 small onion (we used scallions)
1 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 3/4 cup heavy cream
1 pound pasta (we used linguine noodles)
salt and pepper

Method:
Cut Gorgonzola into small pieces. Peel onion and garlic--chop them both finely.
Heat butter and oil in pot until butter melts. Add garlic and onion then sautee briefly. Turn heat to low and add cream and Gorgonzola stirring until it melts--sauce should be slightly thick.
Prepare pasta. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve!

Both of these recipes were absolutely stunning!

Lemon Cream Spaghetti

Tonights dinner was Lemon Cream Spaghetti. It was good, but not awesome. I think I would have made it differently. I would have added shrimp.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
-1 lb spaghetti (I used linguine noodles)
-2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
-1 lemon
-1 tablespoon butter (I used 3)
-1 1/2 cups tender shelled peas (I used steamfresh)
-8 ounces heavy cream
-salt & pepper

Method:
Boil water and prepare pasta according to the instructions on box
While pasta is cooking, melt butter in pan. Add garlic and peas--sautee briefly. Zest lemon into sauce and add cream. Bring to a simmer over medium heat until sauce is slightly reduced. Stir in 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Salt & pepper to taste and remove from heat.
Put the sauce on top of the noodles and serve.

I might try this again, add more butter, shrimp, less peas, and modify the amount of lemon.