Simple Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine

I mistakenly purchased boneless, skinless chicken thighs yesterday. I planned a sheet pan dinner but these would dry out in the oven. Rather than pop them in the freezer I prepared a slow cooker tagine. (A tagine is a Moroccan or Tunisian style stew. The spices are its signature.)

I prepped all of it last evening, added the chicken this morning, turned the slow cooker on for an eight hour braise and walked out the door.

It is a treat for me to come home to the aroma of supper on the table. After a busy day of substitute teaching at a Hutterite Colony 30 minutes out of town and then a quick stop to pick up a shipment of foraged foods at the bus depot I opened my front door. A smile broke out on my face as I inhaled the aroma of mellowed spices and remembered the meal waiting for me.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas

Feel free to adjust the amount of spices. There are so many variables, for example the freshness of your spices will dictate how much to use. My spices are relatively fresh and strong. If you don't like cayenne, leave it out. But don't be too cautious. These spices really make the meal.

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium sized yellow onion. coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. flour
drizzle of olive oil
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 c. chicken stock
2 c. cooked or canned chickpeas
3 medium carrots, cut into larger chunks
1 c. canned tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1/2 preserved lemon, rinsed and coarsely chopped
sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Add spices and heat until aromatic. Add flour and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir in chicken stock. Cook for a couple of minutes until slightly thickened.

Add tomatoes, chickpeas, apricots, carrots and lemon.

Transfer to slow cooker. Cover until ready to cook. Add chicken thighs, cut in larger pieces, and stir to coat with the sauce. Turn on to an 8 hour slow cook. Serve with steamed couscous.

You can find my recipe for preserved lemons here.

Slow Cooker Cross Rib Roast and my first time making Yorkshire pudding

I rarely use my slow cooker but this organically raised beef cross rib roast neededr longer cooking with moist heat. By the way, I won this slow cooker from cookbook author, foodista and blogger Julie at Dinner with Julie in Calgary. That was shortly after moving into my house five years ago. Sorry Julie, I have hardly used it. However, I do love it to make stock.

Celery is finally taking its place on the dinner plate. Why not? It's tasty, nutritious and cheap!

This is my first attempt at Yorkshire pudding. The batter is easy enough to make but I believe the technique is in the preheating of the muffin pan. And possibly in having just the right consistency of the batter. I used rendered fat. My freezer container wasn't labelled so not sure if it was chicken or beef or ? Whatever it was it was flavourful.

Mine were fine but I would have liked to see them rise higher. Perhaps the oven should have been hotter. Or perhaps I used a bit too much flour. Still, I enjoyed them smothered in pan gravy with my beef roast.

Garlic Herbed Cross Rib Roast

Cross rib is a less tender cut and lean. It requires a long moist cooking method to tenderize it. After rubbing the meat with oil and herb mixture, sear it in a hot cast iron pan before cooking fully in the slow cooker.

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon each of dried rosemary, oregano, sage,  thyme and coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
camelina oil
2 - 3 pound cross rib roast
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup beef stock

potatoes
celery
1 tablespoon flour

Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Mix herbs, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Blot meat with paper towel and then rub with oil before pressing the herb mixture onto it.

Add a tablespoon of oil to the preheated pan and sear the meat on all sides.

Place meat in slow cooker. Add wine and water to the cast iron pan and scrape up all the tasty bits. Add this to the slow cooker and cover with lid. Cook on high for 4 hours.

Add the potatoes, cut into 2-inch cubes or use baby potatoes. Wash celery and peel the stringy side. Cut into 4-inch pieces. 30 minutes before the meat is done add potatoes and celery. Also add flour to a quarter cup of cold water and add at the same time.

Yorkshire Pudding

1 heaping cup of all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
6 teaspoons of lard, butter, rendered fat or oil

Add all ingredients to blender and process until smooth. Leave at room temperature for an hour.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place muffin pan in the oven to preheat it, as well. After about 10 minutes add a teaspoon to each of six muffin molds. Continue to preheat for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Pour batter into each muffin mold equally and bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden.
Serve immediately.

Veal Osso Buco with Burnt Orange and Campari

From time to time I am reminded that people do read my blog. I do have followers. And to them I send my sincere apologies for being so inconsistent in posting. I struggle with time management. The farmers' market is over for the season but I continue to do lots of cooking even if it doesn't appear here.  I am always recipe testing for the Western Producer articles but my day to day cooking at the moment tends to be sporadic and uninspired.

Today I find my inspiration in one of my earlier cooking classes from November, 1996 at The Cookbook Company in Calgary. I remember the date because I bought the cookbook and inscribed the details inside the front cover. A man who became one of my favourite chefs prepared the meal that evening in a 'kitchen come cavern' in the basement of the popular cooking shop. I loved that space and wonder how it is used today. Classes are now in a larger main floor kitchen with natural light streaming highlighting crystals in the granite counters. It is bright, spacious and more of a kitchen than a dining room.

John Bishop, chef and owner of the perennially popular Bishop's Restaurant in Vancouver, was the presenter. This, taken from his restaurant website, sums up his persona perfectly ...

"Thoughtful, sincere and unassuming yet an unswerving perfectionist. John is a consummate host who in 22 years of business, has placed his brand of understated West Coast cuisine firmly on the map."
Tim Pawsey, Northwest Palate Magazine

Still after all these years he stands tall among chefs and he mentors new and experienced chefs alike.  

I have not made this recipe in a long, long time. A bottle of Campari in my cold room, beautiful veal shanks in my freezer and oranges in my refrigerator tell me it is about time I fill my kitchen with these warm aromas on this shivery cold autumn day.

Campari is generally associated with a thirst quenching summer cocktail. Its bittersweet herbal flavour is an acquired taste. A traditional pairing is orange juice so it does not surprise me at all to find oranges in this recipe. Carmelizing the orange slices layers on more complex flavours.

Serve over risotto with pan juices.

Veal shank is a less tender cut and requires long, moist cooking. If you have the time, do it this way. If time is not available a pressure cooker prepares perfectly good results. This can be served with a pasta such as fettuccine or a lentil ragout but the traditional Risotto alla Milanese is still my favourite.

Veal demi-glace is impossible to come by in a small town and making it is just about as impossible due to the scarcity of veal bones. Veal in any form is not readily available. The demi-glace is essentially a veal stock made in a traditional way and reduced to produce a more concentrated stock. I simply substitute more chicken stock.






And do not let the bone marrow find its way to the garbage. Dig it out with a little fork or knife and slather it on crusty bread for an additional treat.

Veal Osso Buco with Burnt Orange and Campari
adapted from Bishop's the cookbook

4 lbs. veal shanks, cut 1 1/2 inches thick
1 orange
1 c. red onions, finely diced
1 c. carrots, finely diced
1 c. celery, finely diced
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves
3 1/2 oz. Campari
2 c. veal demi-glace
1 c. chicken stock

Preheat oven to 350 F. Use a sharp knife to score the outside of the veal shanks, to help stop the meat from curling up while cooking.

Place the shanks in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Remove the shanks from the water and arrange in a roasting pan.

Slice the orange and sear in a hot frying pan, until golden in colour. Cover the blanched shanks with the orange slices, diced vegetables, garlic and rosemary. Pour the Campari over top.

In a saucepan, combine the demi-glace and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Pour over the shanks.
Cover the roasting pan with foil and place in the oven for 80 minutes.

To serve, place the veal shanks and sauce in large soup plates or bowls. This can also be served plated with risotto.

Chipotle Crockpot Chicken

 

Spicy Crockpot Chicken With Chipotle Marmalade Sauce

I used one of my wonderful Hutterite chickens.  I cut it into pieces leaving the legs and thighs with the bone in and skin on and the breasts both boneless and skinless.  Cut into serving size pieces.  Reserve the bones for chicken stock.  After cooking, I removed the skin from the thighs and legs.

I also had tried making my own chipotles in adobo sauce from a recipe on Mangio da Sola.  They worked great.  I also had my own clementine marmalade and chopped it a little finer.  You can make a lot of substitutions with this recipe and it will turn out great.

What I like about this recipe is that you do not have to pre-brown the chicken pieces.  That saves a bit of kitchen cleanup.

• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
• 1/3 cup sweet clementine marmalade
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon oil
• Dash pepper
• Dash salt
• 1 chicken, cut into serving size pieces
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water

Combine the chipotle with adobo sauce, marmalade, chili powder, garlic powder, vinegar, honey, chicken broth, and oil. Wash chicken and pat dry; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the chicken pieces in the slow cooker; pour marmalade mixer over all. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 7 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.  Do not overcook.
In the last hour of the cooking, combine the cornstarch with cold water until smooth; stir into the sauce and continue cooking. Serve the chicken with steamed rice and vegetables of your choice.
Serves 4.