The Great Cookbook Challenge of '18: Chicken Pilaw with Dates (Honig & Orangenblüte)
Yes, I'm still on it. I just keep forgetting to post.
Anyway, here's Wonderwall a new one!
Honig & Orangenblüte: So schmeckt Marokko, John Gregory-Smith
Culinary wise, I love everything from the Middle East (as I like to tell Mom when she goes on and on about Mediterranean cuisine: Mediterranean cooking is fine for me, as long it's from the southern coastline of the Med), Moroccon, Syrian, Israeli (except shakshuka. I don't know why everyone is crazy for shakshuka. I will never get that. Israeli cuisine has so much good stuff, and everyone goes mad for the soggy tomato sauce thing? Come on), Egyptian... I'll take it all. I'll even go further inland and east (I have a gorgeous Silk Road cookbook I'm still dying to try out) because I love all the spices (so much cinnamon and cloves and cumin and it smells like Christmas every time <3) and the fact that you can eat much of that from bowls (I really love eating stuff from bowls, it's weird, I know) and just... everything. So buying this was a no-brainer.
It has a lovely layout. Lots of beautiful pictures from all over Morocco, nice food shots (definitely on the slightly messy, looks like it's part of a large family meal, very colorful tableware and food side of food photography) and a good range of recipes. Mezze, main dishes, vegetarian, meat, sweats, drinks, it's all there. The recipe side has a good clean layout with ingredients on one side and instructions on the other and only text, no pictures. The ingredient list for most dishes is somewhat long, but has usually lots of stuff that is part of most pantries, anyway. Some spice mixes are a little more uncommon (baharat, for example) but in the age of ordering spices online, it shouldn't be a problem.
For the challenge, I let my sister choose this one:
Chicken Pilaw with Dates
Ingredients:
(serves four)
2 table spoons olive oil
800g chicken thighs with skin and bones (I used normal chicken breasts, that worked fine, too)
2 red onions, cut into fine rings
3 tomatoes, finely chopped
600ml chicken broth
5 dates, pitted and chopped (I used dried dates, and people, take more than five! At least ten)
1/4 tea spoon cinnamon
1 tea spoon baharat
1 1/2 tea spoon paprika
300g basmati rice
150g yoghurt
2 table spoons harissa
a handful of parsley, finely chopped
20 roasted almonds
salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a big pot (seriously, you need a big pot). Put in the chicken with the skin side down and roast for about 6 to 8 minutes. Take out of the put and put to the side.
Put the onions in the pot and let them glaze in the pot for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes und season with salt and pepper. Stir well, separate the pan drippings from the pot and let everything simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until the tomatoes are mushy.
Add the broth, then the dates, cinnamon, baharat and paprika. Let the mixture boil, then add the rice, stir and add the chicken. Put on a lid and let simmer on light heat for 35 to 40 minutes (and really only use light heat, you don't want to be scrubbing half the dish from the pot floor later, trust...) until rice and chicken are done. Take off the stove, take off the lid and cover the pot with a tea towel and put the lid back on. Let it sit for five minutes. (you don't have to do this, it's mostly to make the rice more fluffy)
In the meantime, stir the harissa and a pinch of salt into the yoghurt.
Garnish the pilaw with parsley and almonds beefore serving.
This was good. Like, really, really good. I loved it. And the apartment smelled amazing for the rest of the evening. I'd really recommend using more dates, though, especially if you use dried ones instead of fresh ones. This isn't exactly a fast dish but it's worth the wait and works well as a Sunday dish. It's a lot, and it could easily serve up to six people, so works well if you have guests and need something for a nice informal evening. I don't think it'll work with a vegetarian alternative to chicken, though, because it really needs the chicken and chicken broth for taste and texture. But like I said, the book also has a lot of vegetable dishes that look and sound good.
Anyway, here's Wonderwall a new one!
Honig & Orangenblüte: So schmeckt Marokko, John Gregory-Smith
Culinary wise, I love everything from the Middle East (as I like to tell Mom when she goes on and on about Mediterranean cuisine: Mediterranean cooking is fine for me, as long it's from the southern coastline of the Med), Moroccon, Syrian, Israeli (except shakshuka. I don't know why everyone is crazy for shakshuka. I will never get that. Israeli cuisine has so much good stuff, and everyone goes mad for the soggy tomato sauce thing? Come on), Egyptian... I'll take it all. I'll even go further inland and east (I have a gorgeous Silk Road cookbook I'm still dying to try out) because I love all the spices (so much cinnamon and cloves and cumin and it smells like Christmas every time <3) and the fact that you can eat much of that from bowls (I really love eating stuff from bowls, it's weird, I know) and just... everything. So buying this was a no-brainer.
It has a lovely layout. Lots of beautiful pictures from all over Morocco, nice food shots (definitely on the slightly messy, looks like it's part of a large family meal, very colorful tableware and food side of food photography) and a good range of recipes. Mezze, main dishes, vegetarian, meat, sweats, drinks, it's all there. The recipe side has a good clean layout with ingredients on one side and instructions on the other and only text, no pictures. The ingredient list for most dishes is somewhat long, but has usually lots of stuff that is part of most pantries, anyway. Some spice mixes are a little more uncommon (baharat, for example) but in the age of ordering spices online, it shouldn't be a problem.
For the challenge, I let my sister choose this one:
Chicken Pilaw with Dates
Ingredients:
(serves four)
2 table spoons olive oil
800g chicken thighs with skin and bones (I used normal chicken breasts, that worked fine, too)
2 red onions, cut into fine rings
3 tomatoes, finely chopped
600ml chicken broth
5 dates, pitted and chopped (I used dried dates, and people, take more than five! At least ten)
1/4 tea spoon cinnamon
1 tea spoon baharat
1 1/2 tea spoon paprika
300g basmati rice
150g yoghurt
2 table spoons harissa
a handful of parsley, finely chopped
20 roasted almonds
salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a big pot (seriously, you need a big pot). Put in the chicken with the skin side down and roast for about 6 to 8 minutes. Take out of the put and put to the side.
Put the onions in the pot and let them glaze in the pot for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes und season with salt and pepper. Stir well, separate the pan drippings from the pot and let everything simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until the tomatoes are mushy.
Add the broth, then the dates, cinnamon, baharat and paprika. Let the mixture boil, then add the rice, stir and add the chicken. Put on a lid and let simmer on light heat for 35 to 40 minutes (and really only use light heat, you don't want to be scrubbing half the dish from the pot floor later, trust...) until rice and chicken are done. Take off the stove, take off the lid and cover the pot with a tea towel and put the lid back on. Let it sit for five minutes. (you don't have to do this, it's mostly to make the rice more fluffy)
In the meantime, stir the harissa and a pinch of salt into the yoghurt.
Garnish the pilaw with parsley and almonds beefore serving.
This was good. Like, really, really good. I loved it. And the apartment smelled amazing for the rest of the evening. I'd really recommend using more dates, though, especially if you use dried ones instead of fresh ones. This isn't exactly a fast dish but it's worth the wait and works well as a Sunday dish. It's a lot, and it could easily serve up to six people, so works well if you have guests and need something for a nice informal evening. I don't think it'll work with a vegetarian alternative to chicken, though, because it really needs the chicken and chicken broth for taste and texture. But like I said, the book also has a lot of vegetable dishes that look and sound good.