Moroccan Chicken With Olives

I have to give another shout-out to my gal-pal Bethany on this one, who posted about this “easy Moroccan week-night chicken dish.” I don’t know that I’d quite call it “easy” because it included about a dozen spices, but once you get the ingredients in, it’s pretty low-maintenance. And oh, how lovely those Moroccan flavors are – the red pepper, lemon and salty green olives. Warmth of cinnamon, heat of the ginger, perfume of coriander and that distinctive tinge of Spanish saffron.

All soaking through the tender, swollen pearls of Israeli couscous.

Like, Bethany, I used a fresh lemon instead of preserved (just couldn’t find it). We also had unpitted olives. Next time, I would like to remove the pits because it’s a bit of a bummer to have to bite around them.

Adapted from “My Fake Food Blog” and Food52…

Moroccan Chicken with Green Olives

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons canola oil
• 2.5 pounds chicken thighs (I used bone-in, skin-on)
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• 1 ½ cup small diced onion
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger (I used ground, because didn’t have fresh)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 c. chicken stock
• ¼ teaspoon saffron
• ½ cup green olives, rinsed
• 2 preserved lemons, pulp removed; rind cut into strips (or zest and juice of 1-2 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven or large, deep skillet or over medium high heat. Dry the chicken pieces and season them with salt and pepper. Place them in the skillet in batches and brown on all sides. Make sure the skins are nice and crispy, like a pork rind. Remove the chicken and place on a plate.

Add the onion to the skillet and cook until slightly softened. Add the ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric and cayenne pepper and stir together. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat with the spice mixture. Pour the chicken stock into the skillet so that 2/3 of the chicken is submerged. Add the saffron and stir to combine. Bring liquid to a simmer, cover the skillet and simmer on medium low heat 20 minutes. Add the olives and lemons. Cover and cook another 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and turn the heat to high. Cook for another 6-8 minutes until sauce reduces slightly. Stir in the cilantro. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve chicken and sauce on a bed of couscous. Garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy, friends! xoxo

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Crock Pot Moroccan Lamb Stew

Whenever we go out to eat Indian food, I order a lamb curry. It’s not that much more expensive than the chicken and I just love the deep, rich flavor of lamb stewed in spices and vegetables. Yet, I’ve never made a stewed lamb dish at home, until now.

Lamb seems like such a splurge, if you’re able to get over any lingering ethical concerns (in my opinion, the lives of full-grown beef cattle are equally as horrifying as the lives of lambs grown for meat). But really, it’s not that much more than a cut of beef, especially if you watch the sales.

Why is lamb so wonderful with spicy Middle Eastern/Indian dishes? There’s something about curry spices that brings out the lamb’s flavor – stronger than beef, but not gamey in a bad way. It just works, and this easy Crock Pot recipe is something I quickly threw together before work one day. I came home to a house warmed with the aromas of a hearty, exotic stew – not thick, but with a light sauce that soaks nicely into couscous.

Interesting – it includes an apple, which I couldn’t discern in the finished product, but I am sure it adds a sweetness that you wouldn’t get otherwise.

Thank you, mom, for sharing this recipe!

Crock Pot Moroccan Lamb Stew (from an arborist newsletter)

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. boneless lamb, cut in 1-inch cubes (I couldn’t find boneless, so I just bought 2 lbs of lamb steaks and cut them up)
• 2 small sweet onions, chopped
• 2 c. carrots, cut in 1-inch cubes
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 c. dried currants
• 1 tsp groun cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, with juices
• 2 c. chicken broth or stock
• Fresh mint or cilantro, chopped, for garnish
• Cooked couscous (recipe below)

Add all ingredients to large Crock Pot -except fresh herbs – in order listed. Turn on low and cook for 8 hours (or on high for 4).

Meanwhile, prepare couscous: I melted 2 T unsalted butter in medium saucepan over medium, then added 3 T pine nuts and stirred until the nuts were golden and toasted – you will smell their nuttiness. Add 1 c. uncooked couscous and stir to combine. Add 1 1/4 c. water or chicken stock, stir, cover and remove from heat to let sit 5 minutes.

To serve, first stir the lamb. Scoop some couscous on your plate, then top with lamb stew. Finish with fresh herbs.

You may have to add more salt and pepper, to your taste, but we really loved the flavors. I might even add a dash of cinnamon next time – I just love cooking savory meals with cinnamon these days.

Enjoy, friends! xoxo