recipe for tagine of chicken

I had some friends over for dinner last week and I wasn't in the mood to turn on the oven--I wanted a meal that cooked itself on the stove with little or no need for supervision.  Then it came to me--a recipe I had written in 2006 when I gave mom a tagine cooker for Christmas.

A tagine is a conical earthenware cook pot common in Northern Africa and revered for the way it locks in moisture in its conical top creating super moist, tender and flavorful foods.  Since mom has the tagine and I don't, I used a 5 quart enamel dutch over (like Le Creuset) with excellent results. Just leave the lid on tight.

Here is my recipe for tagine of chicken with green olives.  I served it with pinenut and golden raisin studded couscous (a 5 minute stovetop dish).

6 garlic gloves, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 chicken drumsticks and 4 chicken thighs, on the bone.
1 8-10oz. can diced tomato
1 TBL tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
spice blend  (see below)
10 oz. approx. jar of pitted green Spanish or Greek olives without pimento
3 TBL chopped Italian parsley
Zest from one lemon
Flour
Olive oil

Spice blend:
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric  (no substitution)
1/4 tsp cayenne

Remove skin from chicken.  Heat  several tablespoons of oil in dutch oven.  Dust chicken with flour and fry till light brown and set aside.
Add additional oil to the pan and saute the onion and garlic. Add the chicken and the remaining ingredients except the olives, parsley and lemon.
Lower the heat, put the lid on the pan and let simmer for 1 hour.  After an hour, add the olives and parsley, and cook for 15-20 minutes more with the lid slightly ajar, letting the sauce reduce. Taste for seasoning.

On a coupe plate, place a leg and thigh on bed of couscous, spoon sauce and olives around and garnish chicken with lemon zest.  4 servings.

unique arabic fusion cuisine at saha

I have to give a shout out about a unique and delicious dining experience I had last week at Saha, located in the Carlton Hotel on Sutter. This small and intimate dining room with it's Yemenese/Arabic cuisine fused with French influences, is warm and inviting with low light and subtle color and filled with an artsy and stylish clientele.

 One of the most talked about "must have" dishes is the avocado salad. This is unlike any avocado salad you have had before! The avocado is stuffed with couscous tabouleh, dusted with grated knaffe and lightly fried. It is served with marinated tofu and a raspberry reduction. Very different, very delicious. Other hits included the creamy kale soup, the soft fava bean cakes and the orange chicken, scented with cinnamon. Be sure to order the traditional Arabic dessert, knaffe, made with Arabic cheese and shredded phyllo drizzled with warm syrup.

new year's eve 2012

We wanted to do something different this year for New Year's--something relaxing and also a little reflective of the past year.  The idea was to project good thoughts for the coming year--the result was a magical 2 days.

First of all the weather on the 31st and 1st was incredible.  Very clear, bright and crisp.  Brendan and I started out heading over the Golden Gate for the Russian River.  We stopped at the vista point for some photos with the city as backdrop.  We wanted to stop and have breakfast on the way but we purposely had no destination, this was just an adventure!  He saw a cafe in San Rafael listed on Urbanspoon that had two names--Theresa and Johnny's.  There was no way we could pass up a restaurant with that name, really?  It turned out to be one of the best breakfasts we have ever had.  We ordered the house specials, the Norcal Benedict, with creamy hollandaise, avocado, salsa and tator tots, and the crispy french toast, a deep fried confection that is really decadent.

We spent the night in Guerneville at the West Sonoma Inn and Spa, lovely spacious rooms with private decks and dined at Chef Patrick on a four-course New Year's Eve menu that was terrific.
Butternut squash soup, crab cakes, rack of lamb, filet mignon and chocolate bread pudding did the trick!  We rang in the New Year at the iconic Rainbow Cattle Company, people watching the whole way.  Guerneville is picturesque and quaint, barely changed over the last 50 years.

In San Francisco the next day, we had dinner at Roosevelt Tamale Parlor.  I wrote about this great little place in my very first blog. It originates back to the 1920's and I am glad to say it is better than ever, under new ownership and we had, seriously, the best pork verde ever, smothering a chili stuffed tamale--incredible. Here's to more in 2013!

thanksgiving dinner

 

 

This year I cooked Thanksgiving dinner at my house--something that hasn't happened in many years.  Usually I go to a friend's or out to dinner.  I was all set to do a traditional turkey when Joseph suggested we do something different--had I ever done a crown roast of lamb?  Well, no.  But hey, how hard could it be?  Turns out it is one of the easiest roasts, as long as you have the butcher french the bones and tie up the roast.  ( I did two 7 bone racks). Then, season well and roast at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  Let it rest 10 minutes and slice into chops.  I served it with a wild mushroom stuffing and a cherry relish thanks to my dear friend Troy Huff's homemade cherry jam. Pumpkin bundt cake with cream cheese filling was a decadent finish.

recipe for scampi with linguini

I experimented with making a scampi with a creamy butter/wine sauce with a little zest--alot like the linguini with white clam sauce I had in Italy.  This was really delicious--but do taste for salt, I did add more at the end. Parmesan cheese is non-traditional, but a little does create a creaminess.

4 servings:

1 lb  raw, shelled, deveined large prawns (about 32)
8 oz. dry linguini
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2  shallots finely chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic 
1/2 cup dry white wine
½ cup pasta water, set aside
Red pepper flake—pinch
2 tbsp capers (optional)
Salt/freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Finely chopped Italian parsley

Cook linguine in salted water for 7 minutes.  Drain. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water.

While pasta is cooking, in a large non-stick pan, saute shallots in 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add prawns, white wine, garlic, salt and pepper, reducing the wine as prawns cook, about 2-3 minutes.  Add pasta, dash of red pepper flake, capers and Parmesan cheese tossing well.  Add the last two tablespoons of butter and olive oil and a little bit of pasta water if necessary—sauce should be loose and creamy.  Taste for more salt.

 Pour onto large pasta plate and garnish with parsley.

october trip to the wine country

 

 

Mom was here to visit recently and we had a wonderful time.  As usual the city was filled with dozens of activities: street fairs, concerts, ball games, World Cup trials, conventions, and Fleet Week to name a few.  We tried to do everything, dinner out with friends, two dinners at the house, the Ferry Plaza and the Farmer's Market and front and center at the wharf for the Blue Angels and World Cup trials.  We really felt like we were on vacation when we booked a wine country tour.  There is something so magical when you meet the tour guide and que up to get on that tour bus--hard to explain, but I love the feeling--you step out of your world and let someone or something transport you away.

This trip included stops at Franciscan (elegant showroom and delicious wines), V. Sattui (super deli and gifts), Andretti Winery (with catered lunch) and Rutherford Ranch (outstanding olive oil).  We also returned to the city via the ferry rather than by bus, which added a pleasant ride on the Bay. Another too short but wonderful visit with mom.

beso hollywood and more . . .

Had a great time in LA recently, visiting my best friend, Brendan and helping him celebrate another great birthday.  (Last year we went Las Vegas).

We had his birthday dinner at Beso Hollywood, co-owned by Eva Longoria.  It is a very cool space located right in the heart of tourist mecca on Hollywood Boulevard, one block off of Vine.  The place, with it's huge high ceilings and dimly lit glass fixtures feels smoky/noir, a bit of another era, especially with the cool booths and diamond tuck upholstery.

Food was delicious, we started with Eva's guacamole, continued with lamb rack w/rosemary and pepito paste and sea scallops with truffle oil mashed potatoes and pomegranate sauce.  We ended with a deconstructed banana split.  The restaurant gets more interesting later in the evening, when the bar scene turns into a full blown night club, very LA.

The weekend continued with a great off, off production at the Ruby Theater at the Complex on Santa Monica called Geeks vs Zombies.  This wacky production about the end of the world was great fun and had a packed house on Saturday night.  On Sunday, we drove down to Malibu and had a delicious lunch at Malibu Seafood, Market and Cafe.  This casual outdoor picnic table spot features really fresh seafood--our fish and chips perfectly cooked and washed down with fresh lemonade.

You know we couldn't go without a Mexican fix, and Brendan has found an amazing new taco place on Beverly at Stanley called Escuela Taqueria.  A simple concept--a small menu with daily original combinations of mouth-watering tacos.  Think braised beef short ribs with dill pickle, shrimp with chorizo or pork belly with pickled onion.  Add sides of rice and beans and voila!  Yum.

roostertail rotisserie

 

I stopped in for lunch at this charming spot with a couple friends after seeing it listed by SF Magazine as Best of the Bay: Food & Drink 2012.  Located at 1963 Sutter at Fillmore, Roostertail is co-owned by chef Gerard Darian, formerly of Spago and Post Trio.  He has created a warm and casual restaurant based on not only rotisserie chicken, but wonderful beef brisket as well.  The chicken drumettes are to die for, moist and juicy, tossed in a unique green herb sauce.  Try them with the smashed potatoes and country gravy and the rooster salad, a great combination of apple-wood smoked bacon, spiced walnuts, apples, beets and Laura Chenel goat cheese.  And guess what?  If you live in the neighborhood, they offer free delivery.