God Is Our Refuge and Strength

Finally, I cook a Moroccan Chicken Tajine! I have this tajine but dared not use for fear of pot cracking. Some tajines are for decorative and serving purpose and I am not sure if mine is made for serving only. Tajine dishes are basically braises and stews. I feel a tajine dish should be cooked in a tajine and not in any pots, otherwise it shouldn't be called tajine but a slow cooked or stewed dish. Any kind of vegetables and meats can be cooked in a tajine, chicken and lamb being the more popular ones.

Like the Chinese claypots,  Glazed or unglazed tajines must be seasoned before use. Soak the tajine in water overnight, wipe dry and leave in a warm oven at 150C for two hours. After 2 hours, switch off and leave the tajine to cool in the oven. Coat the base and cover of the tajine with olive oil and the tajine is now ready to use. The tajine pot comes with a conical shape cover and the base is also the serving plate. The conical shape cover allows the hot air to circulate and condensate, keeping the food moist and sealing in the flavour. Tajines must be cooked on a very small fire, usually with a heat diffuser which I do not have. Some tajines can also be cooked in the oven.

Moroccan food has Berber, Moorish and Arab influences. Spices and herbs like cumin, tumeric, cinnamon,saffron,ginger,parsley and coriander are found in most dishes. Besides olives and dried fruits, another essential ingredient in Moroccan cooking is preserved lemons. Moroccan preserved lemons are made from Moroccan citron or lemons and they are sold in jars at some specialty food stores. You can preserve lemons at home, with any type of lemons, kosher salt and lemon juice. I have a jar which I have preserved for a few months.

There are many chicken tajines recipes and I chose this recipe from the Food Safari mainly because I enjoy watching the show and the foods that are featured are by the natives who settle in Australia. This chicken tajine recipe was from the Moroccan chef owner of a restaurant in Manly, Sydney, Out Of Africa. Incidentally, the chef is organizing a 14 days culinary tour to Morocco in October. I have never been to Morocco and have not tried any Moroccan food, I hope the taste is authentic as any other chicken tajines in Morocco. You can still cook this dish if you like even though you do not have a tajine.

Chicken Tajine with Preserved lemons
Food Safari

Ingredients

Chermoula marinade
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 preserved lemon, rind only, rinsed and finely sliced
2 onions, chopped
1/2 small red chilli
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 tbsp chopped coriander
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
2 bay leaves, torn in half
1/2 tsp saffron threads, soaked in a little water
125ml olive oil
salt


1 small chicken (1- 1.2 kg)
2 tomatoes, 1 chopped, 1 sliced
2 onions, 1 chopped, 1 sliced
2 large potatoes, cut into wedges

150g pitted green olives(no olives)
1 bunch coriander, chopped
250ml; water
1 preserved lemon, rind only, rinsed and cut into 6 or 8 wedges


Method

• Combine the marinade ingredients in a food processor and blend until finely chopped and thoroughly combined. Leave for 30 minutes before using ( or you can make this up to 7 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator).

• Wash and dry the chicken. Cut out the backbone and trim off the wing tips and any excess fat. Chop into pieces. Place in a bowl and rub with half of the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or ideally overnight.
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• Combined the chopped tomato and onion with a little more marinade and spread over the base of a tajine (this will prevent the chicken from burning on the bottom). Arrange the chicken pieces in the centre of the tajine. Coat the potato wedges in a little more marinade and arrange around the chicken. Top with the sliced onion, then the sliced tomato, and push the olives into the gaps.(no olives) Combine the remaining marinade with the coriander and water and pour over the top. Decorate with preserved lemon wedges.

• Cover the tajine with the lid and cook over a very low heat on the stove for 45 minutes. Don't stir or lift the lid during cooking
• Take the tajine to the table and serve with couscous and harissa.(no sides)

For dessert, I baked an Orange Almond Cake which is also known as Moroccan Orange Cake.

 Does Morocco sound like an exotic country to you? It is close to Europe, but unlike Europe it is unique and different because it has Arab, Islamic and Berber, African and European influences. Well, the names of these famous cities in Morocco: Marrakech, Casablanca, Fez and Tangier already sound so appealing and fascinating to me. If you have never been to Morocco like me, try this famous national dish to get the exotic taste first, and maybe sight later:D

This post is linked to Little Thumbs Up "GINGER" hosted by Alvin, chef and sommelier,
Zoe, Bake for Happy kids and Doreen, My little favourite DIY

God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Come Near To God

 Orange Almond Cake was originally a classic Jewish Passover dessert. It draws on the Sephardic traditions of Morocco, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. This cake is adapted from Claudia Roden, author of  many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cookbooks. This recipe was first published in A Book Of Middle Eastern Food  in 1968. This recipe is a favourite of many people who are on gluten free diet.

 A healthy and delicious recipe which uses oranges,almond meal,eggs and sugar. This cake is so moist, soft and dense, and is bursting with citrus flavour  The intense orange flavour is achieved by boiling the oranges for 2 hours, pureed whole and add into the cake mixture. While the oranges are boiling, you will love the natural orange scent permeating in your kitchen. A very nice cake to eat without the guilt.

Orange Almond Cake
Adapted from Claudia Roden A Book of Middle Eastern Food
20cm springform tin, base and side lined
Ingredients

2 oranges(3 Valencia oranges)
6 eggs(yolk and white separate)
250g ground almond(270gm)
1 tsp baking powdeer
250g sugar


Method

• Wash and boil the oranges unpeeled, in water to cover for 1 1/2 hr - 2hrs until they are very soft. Let them cool, then cut them open, remove the pips and turn them into a puree in a food processor.
• Whisk the egg white till still medium peak. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the 6 egg yolks with sugar until pale. Add in the pureed oranges,almond meal and baking powder. 
• Fold in 1/3 of the egg white into the yolk mixture. Mix thoroughly and fold in the rest of the white.
• Bake in preheated oven 160C for 1 hr 15 mins.

Note: Amount of sugar depends on the type of oranges used. To remove orange bitterness, change the water after boiling for 1 hour. Remove pips and seeds after boiling. 

This cake was baked as a dessert for a Moroccan Chicken Tajine meal.

The Mailbox Club

Come near to God and he will come near to you James 4:8

Sunday School has just introduced a bible correspondence course for children. During Sunday School lesson, the children did the first lesson and also learned about letter writing. 

After they have done the first lesson, they also wrote letters to their Sunday school friends. Together, we walked  to a post box which was near the church. The children were very excited to write and post their letters. I am sure they will be thrilled to receive their friend's letter the day after.

I will write more details on the Mailbox Club soon.

It Is More Blessed To Give

Any budget conscious home cooks will love to cook this hearty soup, Bacon, Corn and Potato Chowder. It costs very little to make and it is very filling too. You be surprised to know it uses no chicken broth or cream, so it is easy on the waistline and pocket too.
This is my second Curtis Stone's recipe, and  I am convinced this hottie chef can creates great food as well.

 This recipe was originally from Curtis Stone's nan and there is an updated version in his new book,
What's For Dinner?. In the book version, low sodium chicken stock and part whipping cream are used for liquid. But I think the Coles's recipe works just as great too.

Bacon Corn and Potato Chowder
Curtis Stone Feed Your Family

Ingredients

4 rashers Short Cut Bacon (back bacon)
1 tsp unsalted butter
1 medium brown onion, rough chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, cut into 1 cm pieces
2 sprigs thyme
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper (dry chilli flakes)
2 tsp plain flour
1 cup water
1 large baby potato, peeled, cut into 1 cm cubes
3 cups milk (low fat UHT)
4 cobs sweet corn, kernels removed (frozen corns)
1 tbsp parsley, chopped (thyme sprig for garnishing)

Method

• In a large heavy-based saucepan, cook the bacon over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add the butter and cook for 1-2 minutes until melted and just golden.
• Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 4 minutes until the onion is soft.
• Add the celery, thyme and cayenne pepper and cook for 4 minutes, being careful not to colour the vegetables.
• Add the flour and stirring constantly, cook for about 2-3 minutes.
• Stir in the water and potato. Cook for 8 minutes or until the potato is tender.
• Add the milk and corn to the pan and increase the heat to medium high. Bring to simmer, stirring constantly.
• Once the soup has reached a rapid simmer, cook for 3 minutes or until the soup has thickened. Discard the thyme sprigs and season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.(pepper only)
• Ladle the soup into four bowls, garnish with parsley and serve.(garnish with thyme sprig)

This post is linked to Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Grace from
Life Can Be Simple and Baby Sumo from Eat Your Heart Out

It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35

Rejoice Always, Pray continually

Do you wish you can take chef Curtis Stone home to cook for you and family? Every time I watch his programme Take Home Chef, I wish so. A friend said she would take Curtis Stone home too, but not to the kitchen.  A naughty wish! Incidentally, the cooking hunk just got married to Lindsay Price, star of Beverly Hills 90210. They had their wedding in Mallorca, Spain.

I have watched many episodes of Curtis Stone' shows like Surfing The Menu, Take Home Chef and Around the world in 80 plates and also have his book,'What's For Dinner?', but yet I have never cooked any of his food. This month Cook Like A Star 'Curtis Stone' is a good and timely start to try his recipes.

This dish Thai Pork Burgers and Pineapple Relish with Snow Peas and Mint Slaw is my first Curtis Stone's dish.  This is also the first time I am making a burger and eating a pork burger.
Most of Curtis's recipes are very doable. The ingredients are simple and inexpensive which are suitable for everyday family meal.
I like everything about this burger meal, especially the Pineapple Relish. It is very refreshing to eat with the pork patties. Pineapple and ginger complement any pork dishes, so if you like ginger, add more in the meat patties and relish. Ginger has a spicy aroma and that brings out the flavour in pork. I was afraid that the pork patties might be dry, but it was not. The trick is to quickly sear the meat on a very hot grill pan to seal in the juices. The Pineapple Relish and vinaigrette dressing has rice wine vinegar. A point to note is that rice wine and rice wine vinegar are two different things.Read this link.

Thai Pork Burgers and Pineapple Relish with Snow Pea and Mint Slaw
Curtis Stone Feed Your Family
Half Recipe (2 meat patties)
Ingredients

For the Pineapple Relish
2 cups diced fresh pineapple, cut into 1 cm cubes ( about 1/2 pineapples)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

For the burger
650g pork mince
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped'
1 tbsp finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp olive oil

For the vinaigrette
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp olive oil

For the slaw
1 carrot, peeled and julienned (peel thin with vegtable peeler)
100g snow peas, ends and strings removed, julienned (100g steamed green beans, julienned)
1 ssmall pak choy, end trimmed and julienned
1 cup julienned wombok cabbage
1 spring onion
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh coriander


Method

• For the pineapple chutney, place all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer and cook covered until liquid has almost completely evaporated and pineapple is soft, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and pulse to form a chunky consistency,(No food processor, I like it chunky) reserve.
• Mix all the ingredients for the burger (except the olive oil) in a medium mixing bowl until just combined. Form the mixture into 4 burger patties.
• Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat and brush patties with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook patties for 4 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from pan and rest for 3 minutes.
• For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients in a mixing bowl along with the whites of the spring onions
• Toss all ingredients for the slaw in a large mixing bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat. Mound the slaw onto serving plates, place a burger next to the slaw and spoon the pineapple chutney over. Serve.(used only green beans, carrots, mint leaves,spring onions and coriander leaves)

This post is linked to Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids, 

 Grace from Life Can Be Simple and Baby Sumo from Eat Your Heart Out

This is also linked to LittleThumbs Up 'GINGER' theme hosted by Alvin of Chef and Sommelier and organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen from My little favourite DIY

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be Joyful In Hope

アボカド豆腐のレアチーズケーキ Avocado Tofu Rare Cheesecake is called rare because in Japanese a non-baked cheesecake is known as rare cheesecake. I have already  posted a soufflé cheesecake for the Bake-Along theme of light cheesecakes. Today, I choose to do a non baked one. Personally, I prefer a baked cheesecake to a non baked one.

Rare cheesecake is usually eaten with fruits or fruit compote as an accompaniment. It is too smooth and jelly like for me. It will taste better with a fruit topping which I didn't have. Here I added two avocados to the cheese mixture. When doing a mousse cake or chilled cheesecake from a new recipe, you're never sure if it will turn out too soft or hard to your liking. For this recipe, I would recommend another 5g more of gelatin powder.

As I typed the name of this cheesecake in Japanese, I thought back of my 3 years study of the Japanese language. I have stopped taking lessons three years ago and it was due to the stress of learning the language. When you do or learn something new, you want to enjoy and keep looking forward to it. I was dreading myself to the class. It was not easy learning a foreign language where you only get to speak a few sentences twice a week. There were also homework and essays to complete and term tests to study. All this proved too much for my rusty old brain, though I was proud to be one of the top and older students in class.
Like the 3 ingredients soufflé cheesecake, this recipe is also adapted from youtube , the highly popular cooking video, Cooking with Dog.

アボかド豆腐のレア チーズケーキ
Avocado Tofu Rare Cheesecake
Adapted from Cooking with Dog
15cm 20cm (my modification in red)


Ingredients

60g Graham Crackers 150g Oreo, crushed
30g melted butter 70g 

100g cream cheese 150g light cream cheese
100g low fat yoghurt 150g 
100g firm tofu 120g soft tofu
50ml whipping cream 30ml
1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 1/2 tablespoon
50g sugar 75g
2 avocados

50ml hot water approx. 80C 75ml 
5g gelatin powder 8g

All ingredients into the blender except hot water and gelatin powder

Blend till smooth and add in gelatin mixture

Pour into a springform tin and chilled.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12