Meatballs and peas Tagine with asparagus and eggs

I should have called this dish: compromise peas; finding the middle ground peas.

A warm spring day, about seven years ago, back when I was a new bride with smoother hair, smaller waist and nonexistent squeaky toys in my living room, Mohamed and I came home from the farmer's market with a bag full of fresh green peas for dinner. He made mint tea for both of us and we took the bowl of green peas to our then tiny, but beloved, balcony and started shelling. We shelled, he ate and I talked. It was the perfect harmony, the perfect start to a beautiful dinner and evening; until I went to the kitchen and cooked peas the way I always had them at my parent's house, which is in a hearty stew with meatballs and a touch of cream.
It was delicious, comforting; at least to me. He set the table, must have lit some candles (we don't have candles on the table anymore, as all our daughters want to do when they see them is either touch them, blow on them or sing happy birthday) put on some music, must have made his way to the living room table dancing (thank goodness he still dance. I love his moves and so do the girls) and sat down to see in front of him a pool of green-brownish peas with scattered meatballs swimming.

Look no further roast chicken

Back when I was living in Algeria, it feels like ages ago yet it was only less than seven years ago, we had a nearby butcher specializing and selling only chicken and chicken derived products: besides uncooked chicken (whole, cut up, butterflied, deboned…) they had chicken pâté with pistachios, chicken pies and quiches, pastilla and spicy samsa, both made with homemade brick dough, bologna, chicken sausages, and their famous rotisserie chicken, which was beloved in the whole neighborhood. If you had the chance to get their rotisserie chicken, which you would have to wake up early for, you will bring to your table much more than just a roasted bird with crispy skin. The butcher gives you in a shallow tray, nestled underneath the chicken, some green olives swimming  in a tick, saffron colored sauce with caramelized onions and golden potatoes that have been cooked (almost fried) in the chicken drippings of the rotisserie. Heavenly! All you might add to this meal is a green salad and a piece of bread.

Chaldean Meat Pies

I try to keep my food blog only about Algerian/ Moroccan and North African cuisine in general, but when something as memorable as these little pockets of scrumptiousness cross my path and my belly, I can only make an exception and share it with you all.

A couple of weeks ago, I fell head over heels for a cuisine I have never sampled before: Chaldean cuisine; or Iraqi cuisine with Chaldean flair as the cookbook presents the recipes. I was invited to a local Chaldean event and from the appetizers to the desserts everything was mouthwatering, delicious and new to me. While some of the dishes were your common Middle Eastern and Lebanese dishes, a lot of them had some variations

Chestnuts and Lamb Tagine / Tagine d'agneau aux châtaignes

Just like a burning fireplace, a snowy rooftop, a chilly morning buried underneath the warm sheets, no winter can be complete without roasted chestnuts or, for the less timid, luscious Chestnuts Tagine.

As I'm writing this, I know a lot of you are driving or flying to spend this time of year with your loved ones. You already have your holiday menu written down. Garland and lights are draped around the room. Fleece pajamas might be your only attire for the next days, and cookies and cakes might be crowding your kitchen.
But as the last burning wood fades away. As the last guest and the last crumb of cookies disappear, make yourself a warm cup of tea, turn on the stove again and try this tagine. It will feel like holidays all over again. Fleece pajama will still be welcome.

I usually use fresh chestnuts for this kind of tagine, but you can go for the canned ones if the idea of peeling all these shiny nuts before cooking them troubles you. The dish is savory, yet sweet at the same time. The lamb melts into the cinnamon and turmeric scented sauce until falling off the bone. The chestnuts, those succulent, fragile chestnuts with their soft interior, add another dimension to the whole tagine, slowly releasing their starch and their unique and sweet nutty flavor. It is a Tagine not to be missed.

Happy holidays, everybody!

Yesterday / Hier

As I am typing this, the sun is playing hide and seek with the clouds, and me. Some snow flurries were chased away by the wind this morning and the rain didn’t stop chasing my dreams away last night. February is on its way.

Still, yesterday was a better day. Yesterdays seem to always be better than today.
We had a warmer breeze and a heavy, cloudy sky. We were able to go out, leaving behind our hats, our furry boots and winter gloves. We went for a stroll to the downtown bakery, said Hi to the old lady and went exploring the bookstore for a new nighttime story.

Yesterday was a glorious day.

Lunch was made of wiggly linguine and coriander roasted butternut squash, my daughter’s favorite. While dinner was a dive into the fridge, rescuing what was supposed to be a Savoy cabbage. It was tucked away, forgotten between the crunchy bunch of spinach and the red lettuce. Here was my green cabbage, waiting for its time to come, for my hands to pull it away from the cold crisper and for my newly sharpened knife to…Oh! I’ll spare you the details. Although this time I didn’t have to use my knife, as I nearly cut my index off the other day chopping some onions. I should go back to the butter knife days. Those were safer days!

My cabbage waiting for me on the countertop, I started taking care of my ground beef filling by adding to it some cumin, a dash of cinnamon, herbs, garlic and other seasonings. The cabbage leaves were gently peeled, cleaned, filled and carefully nestled under the chickpeas, in a yellow, soothing river. How I wish I could swim in it.


Stuffed Cabbage Tagine is the way my mother had us eating cabbage when we were kids. And trust me, it was very hard not to love it in this dish. We would lick the plate and ask for more.
It’s so easy to make, I had my hubby making a good part of it while I was getting my daughter ready for bed. Don’t get me wrong; he can be a fine cook. When he wants to. You don’t have to own a Tagine to make this dish; just a good pan will do the trick. The beautiful yellow color of the broth is due the use of Turmeric, also known as the saffron of the poor man. I used overnight-soaked chickpeas that I added at the beginning of the cooking, but if you have ready, canned chickpeas, let them cook in the pan during the last ten minutes before serving.

To enjoy this Tagine plentifully, you will need a good portion of crusty bread to mop up the broth, and a bar of soap to clean your turmeric colored nails.

Yesterday was indeed a colorful day.

Stuffed Cabbage Tagine

Recipe: Serves 4
- 1 Savoy Cabbage
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ½ cup chickpeas (soaked overnight or canned)
- 1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
- For the filling:
- ½ lb ground beef
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 small garlic, finely chopped
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 square of bread, soaked in a little bit of milk, then drained.
- ¾ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp Ras El Hanout (optional)
- Cinnamon
- Canola oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup water

Carefully peel the leaves of the cabbage. Wipe them with a clean towel, remove the hard stem and set aside. In a pan, heat the oil, add half the onion and cook over a medium heat until transparent but not caramelized. Add the garlic finely chopped, ¼ tsp of ground cinnamon, the turmeric and the chickpeas. Cover with water and bring to a gentle boil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Prepare the filling: Mix the ground beef with the remaining chopped onion, the remaining chopped garlic, parsley, egg, bread, cumin, Ras El Hanout, a dash of ground cinnamon, salt, ground black pepper, and mix without “kneading” the meat.
Fill each center of the cabbage leaf with the filling and fold as you would fold a letter. Seal with a toothpick. You can turn some filling left into meatballs (like in the picture) and let them cook in the broth.
Nestle the cabbage packages tightly under the chickpeas, add the meatballs, if any, cover and simmer on a medium low heat for 30-45 min, or until the chickpeas are fork tender and the meat is cooked all the way through. Uncover, and let the broth thickens until it becomes slightly syrupy. Season to taste then carefully remove the toothpicks. Serve generously sprinkled with parsley.

Tagine de Choux Farcis

In Francais Please: Pour 4 personnes
- 1 chou vert
- 1 oignon moyen
- 1 c.c de curcuma en poudre
- 250ml d’eau
- 50g de pois-chiches, trempées la veille ou en conserve.
- Pour la farce;
- 250g de viande de boeuf hachée
- 2 c,s de persil, finment haché
- 2 gousses d’ail, finement haché
- 1 jaune d’oeuf
- 1 petit carré de pain, trempé dans le lait et essoré
- ¾ c.c de cumin en poudre
- ½ c.c de Ras El Hanout
- Cannelle en poudre
- Huile
- Sel, poivre

Eplucher délicatement le chou. Netoyer ses feuilles avec un torchon propre, enlever la tige épaisse du milieu et mettre de coté. Faites chauffer un peu d’huile dans une poele. Ajouter la moitié des oigons et faites suer sur feu doux sans les caraméliser. Ajouter une gousse d’ail hachée, les pois chiche, curcuma, et couvrir d’eau. Assaisonner legerement de sel, poivre et porter a ébullition. D’autre part, mélanger la viande avec le reste de l’oignon, ail, persil, le jaune, le pain, cumin, une pincée de canelle, sel, poivre. Mélanger mais sand “pétrir” le tout.
Remplir chaque feuille de chou de la farce et fermer comme si vous fermez une envelope. Fermer avec des cure-dents. Vous pouvez untiliser le reste de viande comme des boulettes (voir photo). Ajouter les envelopes de choux a la sauce et le boulettes de viands, si vous souhaiter en mettre. Fermer et laisser cuire a feu doux pendant 30-45 minutes, jusqu’a ce que les pois-chiches soient cuites et la viande aussi. Decouvrir et laisser la sauce réduire en une sauce épaisse.
Retirer les cure-dents et servir avec du persil haché, généreusement parsemé sur le dessus.

Stuffed with Upgrades/ Farcies avec Options

I gave up trying to keep up with my younger brother’s slang. I avoid employing the ones that used to be trendy at the time when I was in high school, because he would laugh at me. He makes me feel “outdated” and he is only three years younger than me.
When I was about sixteen or seventeen and my parents would leave us alone at home for the day, I was the one in charge of cooking lunch. My brother hated it. Not my cooking, but my taking over the kitchen without my mother in sight meant one thing: recipes experimentations. My recipes involved greens, tons of vegetables and sweet and savory dishes. In other words, all what my brother hates.
When we set at the table, he would ask me with mockery: “So how do you call this dish?”
Me: “ blablabla…”
Him: “ Well it does have some upgrades, doesn’t it?”
Me: “Upgrades? What do you mean?”
Him: “Options, the real deal, the juicy stuff… I am talking about meat!”
Me: “?!?!!…”
My brother is a big meat lover. Just go ahead and give him any kind of dish that engages big chunks of meat, red meat preferably, and he will praise your cooking skills for the rest of the day. Luckily, he has learned to appreciate other dishes that don’t systematically involve meat. This dish is one of his favorites. I know he would rather have it without dried fruits but everyone has his or her own upgrades.
I usually cook pilaf rice, but was intrigued this time by Chelo, the Iranian steamed rice.
The traditional way of cooking Chelo is soaking the rice in salted water for a minimum of 2 hours, draining then cooking it in fresh water; and then “steaming” it for 40 min with some butter in a pan covered with a lid and a dishtowel. The corners of the dishtowel are then folded over the lid.
The rice becomes soft and fluffy, never soggy and sticky.
This is a quicker method of cooking Chelo. Don’t skimp on the soaking time, though. A minimum of 30 min is required to soften the grains and improves the flavour of the finished dish. You can use either basmati rice or long grain rice. I used ground lamb to stay in the Mediterranean/ Middle Eastern theme, but you can use ground beef, ground turkey or even no meat at all if you are a vegetarian.

Stuffed Globe Zucchinis

Recipe:
- 4 globe zucchinis
- 1 spanish onion, finely minced
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ lb ground lamb (or beef)
- ½ cup vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 turnip, diced
- 1 tbsp golden raisin
- 5 dried apricots, diced
- 1 tbsp cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- Salt, pepper
- For the Persian rice:
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 oz basmati rice
- 1 ½ tbsp butter

Place the water and salt in a pan and pour in the rice. Set aside to soak for at least 30 min and up to 2 hours. Bring the water and rice to a boil, and then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10-15min, until the water is absorbed.
Add the butter to the rice. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and steam over a very low heat for about 30 min.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the lamb and sauté quickly just to give it a nice color. Add the onion, turnip and season with salt and black pepper. Pour in the stock, cover and let it simmer until the meat is cooked through, about 15 min. Uncover the pan, add the dried fruits and let the liquid reduces. Sprinkle some cilantro on top of the meat mixture and combine with the rice prepared earlier. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the top off the zucchinis. Using a spoon, scoop the flesh out of the zucchinis. Season with salt and black pepper and set aside on a greased baking pan.
Spoon the rice and meat mixture to the zucchinis; place the top on each of them. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the zucchinis are tender, when poked with a toothpick, about 30min. Let it cool slightly and serve.

Courgettes Rondes Farcies

In francais please:
- 4 courgettes rondes
- 1 oignon blanc, finement hache
- 1 c.s d’huile vegetale
- 1 navet, coupe en petits des
- 400g d’agneau hache
- 100 ml de bouillon de volaille ou legumes
- 1c.s de raisin secs
- 5 abricots secs, coupe en des
- 1 c.s de coriandre hache
- Sel, poivre
- Pour le riz Perse:
- 375ml d’eau
- ½ c.c de sel
- 175g de riz basmati
- 20g de beurre

Mettre, l’eau, le sel et le riz dans une casserole. Laisser tremper au moins 30 min ou jusqu’a 2 heurs. Porter le riz a ebullition, puis reduire le feu et laisser cuire pendant 10-15 min juqu’a ce que l’eau soit absorbe.
Ajouter le beurre mais sans le melanger. Couvrir la casserole fermement d’un couvercle, puis faites cuire sur feu tres doux pendant 30 min.
Entre temps, faites chauffer l’huile dans une poele. Ajouter la viande et faites sauter rapidement. Ajouter l’oignon, le navet et assaisonner de sel et de poivre. Couvrir du bouillon et laisser cuire jusqu’a ce que la viande soit completement cuite, environ 15 min. Ajouter les fruits secs at laisser le liquide reduire sur feu vif. Parsemer les feuilles de coriandre au dessus. Melanger la viande au riz et mettre de cote.
Prechauffer le four a 200C. Couper le chapeau de chaque courgette et mettre de cote. Vider les courgettes a l’aide d’un cuillere. Assaisonner l’interieur de sel, poivre et mettre les courgettes dans un plat allant au four, legerement huile. Remplir les courgette du mélange riz-viande. Couvrir le plat d’une feuille d’alluminium et faites cuire jusqu’a ce que les courgettes deviennent tendres quand on les perce avec un cure-dents, environ 30min. Laisser refroidir legerement et servir.

Du Recyclage / Some Recycling

With a little bit of know-how and imagination you can transform any left over into a nice meal. Here, nothing goes to waste, everything can be recyclable except if it has been “ forgotten” in the fridge for too long.
In this recipe, I took some left over roasted chicken and turned it into a Provencal cake.
Usually when I make savory cakes I use Parmesan or Gruyere cheese, but this time I went with another cheese that I discovered this weekend. It is called Bianco Sardo (named after the basket that it is matured in). It’s an Italian sheep’s milk cheese from the region of Puglia, south east of Italy. The texture of Bianco Sardo looks like Parmesan cheese. It has a dense, crumbly paste. Its flavor sweet, tangy and reminds me of Comte cheese. The silvered almonds give a nice, crunchy texture wich I was very pleased with.

Provençal cake

Recipe:
- 8 ounces all purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 baking powder package (1.5 tsp)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 6 ounces left over roasted chicken, diced
- 5 ounces black olives, pitted and sliced
- 3 ounces dried tomatoes, diced
- 2.5 ounces Bianco Sardo, grated (or use Parmesan cheese)
- 2 tbsp chives, chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, chopped
- Silvered almonds
- ½ tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper

Mix the flour, the cheese and the eggs. Milk the milk slowly while whisking. Add the ginger and season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken, olives, tomatoes and chives and mix just until blended. Do not over mix the batter. Pour the batter in a buttered cake mold. Top the cake with silvered almonds and bake in a preheated 375F oven for 45 min.
Let cool in the mold for 10 min then on wire rack. Serve warm.

Cake Provençal

In francais please:
- 220g farine
- 4 oeufs
- 225ml lait entier
- 1 sachet de levure chimique
- 175g de reste de poulet roti, coupe en des
- 150g d’olives noires denoyautees, coupees en rondelles
- 75g de Bianco Sardo rape ( ou comte)
- 75g de tomates sechees. Coupees en tranches
- 2 c.s de ciboulettes hachees
- 1 c.c de gingembre hachee
- Des amandes effilees
- ½ c.c sel.
- Poivre

Melanger la farine, le fromage et les oeufs. Delayer avec le lait. Ajouter la levure, sel, poivre et gingembre. Bien melanger. Ajouter le poulet, les olives, les tomates, et la ciboulette. Melanger doucement a fin d’obtenir un mélange homogene. Mettre dans un moule a cake beurre. Couvrir le cake d’amandes effilees et cuire pendant 45 min dans un four prechauffe a 180C. Laisser refroidir dans le moule pendant 10 min puis demouler sur une grille a patisserie. Servir tiede.

Le Printemps est arrivé / Spring has Sprung

I haven’t been a very active blogger lately. Sometimes you find yourself drawn in the every day life and at the end of the day the only thing you want to do is to get some sleep. I will try to manage my time better.
Usually on weekends I like to cook things that I have never tried before; or give a new twist to an all time favorite but without spending the whole day in the kitchen. It’s the weekend after all!

So when I saw this recipe on the May issue of Food and Wine Magazine, I knew I would give it a try. It looked mouth watering on the picture, the recipe seemed simple and quick to make and it was a healthier approach to the popular Meat Loaf. So Mini Chicken Meat Loaves were going to be our Sunday lunch. Chef Sandro Gamba served it with red pepper sauce and wild rice but not being in the mood for a sauce, I decided to serve it with braised lentils and roasted tomatoes, which worked very well.
The use of sour cream, or cottage cheese in the initial recipe, keeps the chicken meat loaf moist and because chicken is leaner and higher in protein that ground beef, you will gain in nutrition and your waistline will thank you too.

Mini Chicken Meat Loaves

Recipe: adapted from the may issue of Food & Wine magazine
- 2 tbsp extra- virgin olive oil
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 celery rib, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 ½ pounds ground lean chicken
- 2 large egg whites
- ½ cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
- ½ cup low fat sour cream
- 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the carrots, celery, garlic and the onions; season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat until, stirring, until softened, about 10 min. Let cool.
In a large bowl, mix the chicken with the vegetables and the rest of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and knead until blended. Divide between the prepared pans. Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 30 min. Serve with braised lentils and roasted tomatoes.

Mini Cakes de Poulet

In francais please: adaptee du magazine Food & wine, May 2007
- 2 c.s d’huile d’olive
- 1 carotte, finement hachee
- 1 pied de celeri, finement hache
- 1 gousse d’ail, emincee

- 1 gros oignon, finement hache
- 700g de poulet hache
- 2 blanc d’oeufs
- 100g de panko (chapelure japonaise)
- 125g de fromage frais
- 1 c.s de persil, finement hache
- Sel, poivre

Dans une poele, faites chauffer l’huile d’olive. Ajouter la carotte, le celeri, l’ail et l’oignon. Faites cuire sur feu moyen jusqu'à ce qu’ils deviennent tendres, environ 10 min. Laisser refroidir.
Dans un grand recipient, melanger la viande avec les legumes et le reste des ingredients. Assaisonner de sel, poivre et petrir jusqu'à ce que le melange soit homogene. Distribuer entre les moules individuels beurres et faites cuire dans un four prechauffe a 200C pendant 30 min. Servir avec des lentilles braisees et des tomates roties.

Une Surprise Individuelle / Individual Surprise

Pack your luggage, get your passports and be ready for a fascinating trip filled with exotic flavor. Be ready to be enchanted, because tonight we are invited to the Arabian Nights for a delectable feast, enjoyed around a cup of mint tea with Fairouz’s magical voice as musical background.
For this Monthly Mingle, I decided to go with an individual and more elegant version of the famous pie known as Bastilla.
Bastilla or Pastilla is a Moroccan dish made traditionally of pigeon or squab, cooked with spices and layered with almonds and a thin pastry known as Ouarka. However, ground chicken can be used as a substitute for the pigeon, and the Phylo pastry for the Ouarka.
Although the recipe calls to use meat, many versions are made throughout the world using only nuts with an egg filling and spices, or only nuts, honey and spices such as ginger, coriander and cinnamon. The filling can be made a day ahead and chilled overnight.
Everything has to be ready when assembling the pie. Don’t forget to always keep your phylo dough covered by a damp kitchen cloth otherwise it will dry out easily. All the ingredients have to be at room temperature before assembling, so the phylo dough will not tear up with the steam. To serve, dust the Bastilla with cinnamon and icing sugar, which I forgot to do.
You can either make an individual version of Bastilla like I did or the traditional version, which is to use a round pan. This dish is very versatile, so feel free to play with it.

Recipe:
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp butter plus 3 tbsp of melted butter for brushing.
- 3 chicken legs
- 1 onion, very finely chopped
- Good pinch of ground ginger
- Good pinch of saffron threads
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for dusting
- 4 tbsp coarsely ground or flaked almonds

- 1/4 cup of golden raisins, soaked in orange blossom water
- 1 bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 3 eggs, beaten
- Phylo pastry sheets
- 1-2 tbsp icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
- Salt and pepper

Heat the oil and the butter in a large pan. Add the chicken pieces and brown for about 4 min. Add the onions, ginger, saffron, raisins, ½ tsp of the cinnamon and enough water (about 1 ¼ cups) so that the chicken braises, rather than boils. Season with salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer very gently for 45min or until the chicken is tender and completely cooked. Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a small pan until golden and set aside.
Transfer the chicken to a plate and discard the skin and bones and shred the flesh. Stir the chopped coriander and parsley into the pan and simmer the sauce until thickened. Add the beaten eggs and cook over a gentle heat until lightly scrambled. Add the chicken pieces to the sauce and stir to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Oil the muffin pans generously. Cut the phylo sheets in two rectangles. Place 4 phylo sheets in the bottom of the muffin pan so that it is completely covered and let the edges of the pastry sheets hang over the sides. Brush lightly with the melted butter and place the chicken and eggs mixtures on top and spread evenly. Place a single layer of a round phylo sheet. Brush once again with some melted butter and spread the almonds over. Sprinkle with some cinnamon and icing sugar. Fold the edges of the filo over and wrap the edges as shown on the picture. Brush with some butter. Continue as before with the rest of the chicken mixture and phylo sheets and bake the parcels for about 20 min, until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Remove from the pan and dust some cinnamon and icing sugar on top. Serve hot or warm.

In français please:
- 2c.s d’huile vegetale
- 25g de beurre, plus 30g de beurre fondu pour badigeonner
- 3 cuisses de poulet
- 1 oignon, finement hache
- Une bonne pincee de safran
- Une bonne pincee de gingembre
- 1c.c de canelle
- 40g d’amandes effilees ou grossierement hachees

- 20g de raisins secs. trempes dans de l'eau de fleur d'oranger
- 1 petit bouquet de coriandre, finement hache
- 1 petit bouquet de persil, finement hache
- 3 oeufs, battus
- Un paquet de filo
- 1-2 c.c de sucre glace
- Sel, poivre

Faites chauffer l’huile et les 25g de beurre dans une poele. Faites dorer les cuisses de poulet pendant 4 min. Ajouter les oignons, le gingembre, le safran, les raisins, ½ c.c de canelle et couvrir de 300ml d’eau. Saler, poivrer. Porter a ebulition, couvrir et laisser fremir sur feu doux pendant 45 min, jusqu'à ce que le poulet soit cuit. Entre temps, faites dorer les amandes dans une poele et mettre de cote.
Mettre le poulet dans une assiette. Jeter les os et la peau et emietter la chair du poulet. Melanger la coriandre et le persil a la sauce et laisser fremir jusqu'à ce qu’elle epaississe. Ajouter les œufs battus et melanger sur feu doux jusqu'à ce qu’ils soient legerement brouilles. Ajouter les morceaux de poulet a la sauce et laisser refroidir.
Prechauffer le four a 180C. Huiler les moules a muffin. Couper les feuilles de filo en deux rectangles et tapisser le fond des moules de 4 feuilles de filo. Prenez soin de laisser les feuilles deborder des moules. Les badigeonner de beurre fondu. Garnir le fond du melange de poulet. Ajouter un petit rond de feuille de filo badigeonne de beurre fondu. Mettre les amandes dessus. Saupoudrer d’un peu de canelle et de sucre glace. Rabattre les feuilles de filo sur les amandes et les fermer comme sur la photo. Badigeonner encore une fois l’exterieur de beurre fondu. Continuer comme il a ete montre precedement pour les autres moules a muffin restants et faire cuire pendant 20 min, jusqu'à ce que les petits sacs soient bien dores et croustillants a l’exterieur. Demouler, saupoudrer de canelle et de sucre glace et servir chaud ou tiede.

Le nid de Fettuccine / Fettuccine nest

It’s not even summer, it’s not even spring, it’s not even sunny and yet I am starting to look for recipes that are light, refreshing and easy to make. Believe it or not, even though I like Pasta, and except for Pasta Bolognaise, I don’t like drenching them in heavy sauces of all kinds. You feel full by having two bites of it.
With this dish and the colors on it, I hope bringing the warm weather sooner than expected. Apparently, according to the latest, so publicized book “the secret” if you want something and wish for it very hard you can have it without any problem. The result: It’s windy and cloudy outside. I guess I should wait; it may take a little longer than I expected. At least it was spring in my kitchen and in my white, plain plates.

Recipe:
- ½ lb fettuccine
-2 chicken breasts, sliced
-2 green onions, minced
-6 asparaguses
-2 lemons
-1tsp sugar
-1 mango, diced
- Olive oil
-1 tbsp Poppy seeds
- Salt, pepper

In a baking sheet, coat the asparaguses with 2 tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 min in a preheated 375 F oven.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Cook the chicken slices in 1 tbsp olive oil until golden brown and remove from the pan. In the same pan, put the green onions and the juice of the 2 lemons with the sugar and let reduce on high heat until the sauce coat the spoon. Slowly pour in the olive oil, mixing with a wire whisk until the sauce starts to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper, and add the pasta, the chicken and the sliced asparaguses. Stir well. Remove from the pan and stir in the mango and the poppy seeds. Bon appetit



In francais please:
-200g fettuccine
-2 blancs de poulet, coupes en lamelles
- 2 oignons verts, eminces
-6 asperges
-2 citrons jaunes
-1 morceau de sucre
-1 mangue, coupee en des
-huile d’olive
-1 c.s de graines de pavot
- Sel, poivre

Dans un plat allant au four, enduire les asperges d’une c.s d’huile d’olive, assaisonner de sel, poivre et saupoudrer d’une c.s de parmesan rape. Faire cuire dans un four prechauffe a 190C pendant 20min.
Cuire les pates selon les directions de la boite.
Faites sauter les lamelles de poulet dans 1c.s d’huile d’olive jusqua ce qu’elles soient bien dorees, puis retirer de la poele et mettre de cote. Dans la meme poele, mettre les oignons, et le jus des citrons jaunes avec le sucre. Laisser reduire sur grand feu jusqu’a ce que la sauce nappe la cuillere. Verser alors ,doucement, l’huile d’olive tout en fouettant jusqu’a ce que la sauce monte legerment. Saler, poivrer et y ajouter les pates, le poulet et les asperges coupes en trois sur la longueur. Bien melanger. Hors du feu, avant de servir, ajouter les des de mangue et les graines de pavot. Bon appetit

Poulet en spirales, tomates sechees / Chicken spirals with sun dried tomatoes

Chicken is one of my favorite meats. I like it roasted, with cheese crumbs, with a sauce, sautéed and grilled. When I want to have a salad for lunch, I like to add some thin slices of chicken marinated in soy sauce. That way I have a complete lunch in one single plate. But tired of always adding only slices of chicken to my salad, I decided to look for a new way to present my chicken. This is how this recipe was born: it was the end of the week, and my fridge wasn’t feeling good…It was nearly empty. The only things left were: some parsley, romaine salad, butter, orange preserve, one carrot, 2 eggs, scallions, parmesan cheese, a jar of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, milk and of course water. I had to make in practice what we called: " l’art d’accommoder les restes" (The art of using up leftovers).

Recipe:
-2 chicken breasts pounded thinly
-2 scallions diced
-2tbsp sun dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
-1 tbsp finely-chopped parsley
-Salt, pepper
-1tbsp olive oil

Season the meat with salt and pepper and set aside. Mix the rest of the ingredients together. Spread the mixture on each chicken breast and roll it until you have a sausage shape. Seal it tightly with toothpicks and sauté the chicken breast in olive oil.
Slice them and serve with a green salad and shaved parmesan cheese on top.

In francais please:
-2 blancs de poulet aplati finement
- 2 oignons tendres haches
-2 c.s tomates sechees
-1 c.s de persil finement hache
-Sel, poivre
-1 c.s d’huile d’olive

Assaisonner les blancs et mettre de cote. Melanger le reste des ingredients ensemble.
Etales le mélange sur les blances de pouler et rouler en forme de cigares. Fermer avec des cure-dents et faites sauter dans l’huile d’olive.
Couper en tranche et server avec une salade verte et du parmesan par-dessus.

Le couscous du Vendredi / Friday's couscous

We are Friday, my mom called me: "what are you doing for lunch today?" she asked - couscous, I replied.
It's not every Friday that I make couscous, even though M wouldn't mind, but in North Africa (where I am from) most families eat couscous on Fridays. It's part of the culture. Couscous, in Arabic "taam", which translates literally: "food" is the signature dish of this region. There are many ways to prepare couscous: Savory, with meat and vegetables. With fish or sausage, or sweet with dried fruits, nuts, honey, spices and sugar.

The most popular version is the couscous with lamb and vegetables stew. Now, when it comes to preparing the couscous, let me say something very important: if you want an authentic couscous forget preparing it by just adding water (That's what the directions on the box would ask you), because you will never get the same texture and taste.
The right way to prepare couscous is to steam it in a couscous pot (couscoussier) twice. It sure takes more time than just pouring water over it but it's so much worth it. For this recipe, I always use plain couscous .

Lamb And Vegetable Stew Couscous

Recipe:
to prepare the couscous, rinse the couscous with a little bit of water.Drain the excess liquid and let stand for 15 min. The couscous will become sticky.Try to get it to it's grainy aspect by mixing it with your hands in a circular motion.Meanwhile start boiling some water in the bottom part of the couscous pot. Steam the desired amount of couscous (I used one pound)in a couscous pot: the couscous on top, for about 15-20 minutes until you will feel that the couscous became a single block when touching it slightly. Without turning the heat off, remove the top of the couscous pot and add to the couscous 1tsp of salt, 1tbsp of oil and one ladle of hot water from the bottom of the couscous pot. Let it stand for about 10min and invert the couscous into a large bowl. Start mixing it with your hands by rubbing them together in a circular motion. Then, slowly add some hot water, always from the bottom of the couscous pot, to the couscous. Mix it all together carefully and add more water until you will feel the couscous soft on your hands and on your tongue. But, be careful to add too much water.

Put it back on the couscous pot and let it cook for another 15min until you can see the steam coming from the couscous.Invert it back again into the bowl and add 4 tbs of butter. Let it melt on the couscous ,and when the couscous is cool enough to handle, mix it rubbing your hands together in a circular motion.

For the lamb and vegetables stew, you need:
-1lb lamb(shoulder or leg)
-3 little onions (each one sticked with one clove)
-2 carrots
-2 zucchinis
-2 turnips
-2 tomatoes
-1 celery
-1/2 cup of chickpeas (soaked in water for 10 hours)
-3 cups of water or vegetables broth
-some threads of saffron
-1tbsp of tomato paste.
-salt, pepper and 1tsp cumin.

Saute the meat in a little bit of oil until well browned .Add the onions and all the vegetables.pour in the liquid ,the saffron , the tomato paste , salt, pepper and cumin. Cover with a lid and cook for 30min. Serve the couscous with the vegetables on top, the meat around and pour the stew to suit your taste.

Couscous au Mouton et Legumes

In francais please:
Pour preparer le couscous (j’ai utilise 500g de couscous) , laver-le avec un peu d’eau ,puis l’egouter. Mettre de cote pour 15min. Entre temps remplir le couscoussier d’eau et le mettre a bouillir. Le couscous, vous le verrez , deviendra collant . Frictionner-le entre vos mains pour qu’il redevienne granuleux. Mettre le couscous dans le haut du couscoussier et laisser cuire environ 20 minutes ou jusqu’a ce que le couscous forme un bloc quand vous le toucher legerment de vos mains. Enlever le couscous du feu et mettre desssus 1c.c de sel, 1c.s d’huile et 2 louches d’eau que vous aurez recupere du bas du couscoussier.Laisser le couscous de cote sans le renverser pendant 10min. Transvaser le couscous dans un grand bol et commencer a y ajouter tout doucement de l’eau du couscoussier .Frictionner le couscous entre vos mains pour bien l’impregner. Rajouter de l’eau jusqu’a ce que le couscous devienne doux au toucher et leger quand vous le goutez. Remettre le couscous dans son couscoussier et faites cuire une deuxieme fois pour 15min. Le remettre dans le bol et y ajouter 4c.s de beurre. Laisser le fondre dessus puis, commencer a le melanger avec vos mains quand le couscous aura un peu refroidit.

Pour le bouillon d’agneau aux legumes, il vous faut:

-450g d’agneau(gigot ou epaule)
-3 petits oignons (chacun pique d’un clou de giroffle)
-2 carottes
-2 courgettes
-2 navets
-2 tomates
-1 cote de celri
-700ml d’eau ou de bouillon de legumes.
100g de pois-chiche trempe dans l’eau la veille.
-Safran
1c.s de tomate en conserve
-Sel,poivre et 1c.c de cumin

Faire dorer la viande dans un peu d’huile. Ajouter les oignons, les legumes entiers, le safran , la tomate en conserve, le cumin et sel poivre. Couvrir d’eau et laisser cuire pendant 30 ou jusq’a ce que la viande et les legumes soient cuits. Servir le couscous dans une assiette, les legumes dessus, la viande autour et mouiller de bouillon a votre gout.