Is it the end
of February already? About the middle of the month, each year, I wonder why I
am doing this to myself! But, then, as the month nears an end I say, “Slow down!
I have more recipes than days left in the month!” I guess that’s the good news.
It means that I chose the right category to develop yet again, right? At least
I hope I did. What did you think of this year’s recipes?
So about now,
I also start thinking about next February? What would you like to see a batch
of recipes for? I have some ideas, but I’d love to hear from you about what you’d
like to see we tackle.
Also, if you
haven’t already done so, go digging around in my “attic” for this blog and explore
some of the other February categories in past years. I have been doing this
every year since 2012. Nine years of February recipes! Hmm. I should have a
really special category for my 10th anniversary next year, right?
Today’s recipe
comes from North Africa. I cut the original recipe in half since I no longer
feed a horde. DH and I are fine with leftovers; they make an easy, fast dinner
another night. But we really, really don’t want LEFTOVERS, if you know what I
mean.
Did you know
the Crock-Pot goes back to 1940? I remember when I got mine in the early 70’s.
It became this busy teacher’s best friend! Why am I bringing this up? Well,
Irving Nachumsohn gave a modern spin to a millennials-old cooking method. Our
great-greats back to forever ago, slow cooked food in earthenware pots.
Nachumsohn wanted the same savory-ness of slow cooking but made easier for
people who no longer had open fire cooking. From stews to beans to tenderizing
cheap cuts of meat, the Crock-Pot offered some kitchen freedom to home cooks.
Of course,
since those early days, many manufacturers have produced slow cookers. I have
two, one large and one small, depending upon what I am preparing. And sometimes
I am using both if cooking for a crowd. I also use a slow cooker to keep mashed
potatoes hot for holiday meals when all the burners are burning!
In Morocco, a tajine
or tagine is the name of the earthenware pot used for slow cooking the
old-fashion way. This recipe for Moroccan Chicken Tagine translates the old recipe into
today’s slow cooker instead. Here’s one type of tagine.
Slow cooker
Moroccan Chicken Tagine (serves 4)
This is delicious
with couscous and garlic sautéed spinach! I only made minor changes to the
recipe from the “Mediterranean Living” site (like I changed water into wine!).
1 pound chicken
breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
½ cup raisins
1 sweet
potato, cut into bite-sized pieces (I don’t peel mine)
1 bell pepper,
cut into large pieces
1 onion,
minced
1 cup
chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¼ cup
extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons
butter, melted
¼ cup white
wine
½ teaspoon
salt
½ teaspoon
freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon
ginger
¼ teaspoon
turmeric
Add chicken,
raisins, sweet potato, bell pepper, onion and chickpeas to the slow cooker.
In a small
bowl whisk together olive oil, butter, wine, salt, pepper, cumin, ginger, and
turmeric. Pour over chicken ingredients in slow cooker. Stir well to coat.
Cook on high
for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
DH’s
Rating: 5 Tongues Up
“What do you
call this? A stew?” Umm. Maybe. It’s certainly chunky and has little liquid,
but the liquid is, well, liquid, not thickened as in stews. “It’s got sweetness
and heat. What’s in it?” The sweet potato and raisins give a sweet under-taste
that is counterbalanced with the heat from the ginger-cumin-turmeric spices.
Really interesting flavors that he liked.