Dinner Party: Moroccan Roasted Chicken
For my dinner party on September 25, I treated Alyssa, Jill, and Sarah to a Middle Eastern themed menu. It was a fun challenge, and I had the opportunity to work with ingredients I don't use very often.
Moroccan Roasted Chicken
Ingredients:
- Cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 2 medium red onions, quartered
- 1 pound small red-skin potatoes, scrubbed and halved
- 1 cup dried apricots
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pistachios
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; spray the foil with cooking spray.
Mix together the honey, olive oil, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and garlic in a small bowl. Place the chicken, onions, and potatoes in a large bowl. Toss with three-quarters of the honey mixture and arrange in a single layer on the prepared pan. Toss the apricots and raisins with the remaining honey mixture and set aside.
Bake the chicken, onions, and potatoes for 35 minutes. Add the apricots and raisins and bake until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more. Garnish with the pistachios and cilantro.
Notes:
This provided an interesting mix of flavors, and a variety of seasonings. Tumeric has a strong yellow color and was a bit of a hassle to clean up afterwards. I bought "Turkish" honey to try and be more thematically consistent, but, unsurprisingly, it might be a bit of a misnomer.
Instead of buying an entire chicken, I bought two packages of chicken fillets, which weighed about 3 1/2 pounds. Because the fillets were thinly sliced, I reduced the cooking time slightly.
Because of timing concerns, I did not end up garnishing the dish with pistachios and cilantro.
While they look very nice, I might forgo the raisins and apricots if I were going to make the dish again, simply because it would save money and I didn't think they added much in terms of flavor. I might also try slicing the potatoes a little bit more.
Phyllo Triangles Stuffed with Fresh Cheese (briouats bil jben)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb/225 g ricotta, fresh semisoft farmer's cheese, or Mexican queso fresco
- 1 large egg
- Heaped 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 4 sheets phyllo dough or warqa, plus more in case of breakage
- Olive oil for brushing
- 1 egg yolk, whisked
- Honey
- Light olive oil or vegetable oil for frying
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
In a medium mixing bowl, blend the cheese, egg, and cilantro with a fork.
On a clean, flat work surface, unroll the phyllo sheets. Cut into strips about 3 in/7.5 cm wide and at least 9 in/23 cm long. Arrange a couple of the strips facing away from you; cover the remaining strips with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. Lightly brush the strips with olive oil.
Place 1 Tbsp of the cheese filling on the end of each strip closest to you. Fold over to form a triangle, then fold again to form another triangle, and so on to the end. Brush the end of the triangle with egg yolk and fold the loose end over the brushed yolk. Place the triangles on a plate without letting them touch. Repeat with the remaining phyllo strips and cheese filling.
Have ready 6 dessert plates. Place a generous dollop of honey in the middle of each.
In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat at least 1/2 in/1.25 cm of oil until the surface shimmers. Reduce the heat to medium. Working in small batches, gently place the phyllo triangles in the oil and fry, turning once, until firm and golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
Place 2 or 3 rolls on each plate, drizzle with honey, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve hot.
Notes:
I found working with the Phyllo dough to be a bit of a pain, as the dough was delicate, and, for that reason, didn't prepare as many triangles as I had planned. I think I probably should have left the (frozen) dough out to thaw for a while before I started cooking, because that probably would have made it easier to work with.
I didn't decorate the triangles with honey or sesame seeds, mostly because I was pressed for time. I used Ricotta cheese for the filling.
Strawberry Rosewater Ice Cream
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 3 egg yolks, beaten
- 1/2 pint milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1/4 cup rosewater
Combine the strawberries and 1/3 cup sugar in a bowl; mash together with a potato masher. Store the mixture in the refrigerator while preparing the rest of the recipe.
Stir together the egg yolks, milk, salt and 1/3 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C), making sure the mixture does not boil; transfer to a chilled bowl and move to the refrigerator to cool, stirring occasionally. Once cooled, stir in the cream, rosewater, and strawberry mixture.
Fill an ice cream maker with the mixture, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Notes:
My guests really liked this ice cream.
In order to preserve the rosewater flavor, I didn't add the rosewater until after I had poured the rest of the mixture into the machine.