Tag: lemon

Moroccan Style Carrot and Orange Salad with Harissa Dressing

This is a great carrot salad to complement yesterdays’ stew or any other entree.. in fact, it will delicious with any grilled meats/seafood! I have buying the most gorgeous looking multi colored organic carrots from Trader Joes but any kind of carrots will do, in face you can buy the pack of already shredded carrots to keep things simple. Either way, this is a yummy salad!

4 to 5 carrots, peeled and grated
3 to 4 navel oranges, cut into segments and squeeze the juice and keep aside for dressing
4 green onions, chopped

Transfer all the ingredients to a serving bowl. Keep aside.

Dressing

½ cup orange juice
Juice of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds, crushed
1 to 2 teaspoons honey
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon harissa paste
1 teaspoon salt

Transfer all the ingredients to an airtight container. Mix well with the lid on. Taste for seasonings. Pour half of the dressing onto the salad, mix well and add some salt to adjust seasonings. Pour more dressing if needed. Let the salad sit for at least an hour in the fridge before serving.

Moroccan Style Vegetable Stew with Olive Gremolata

This is a great vegetarian stew to make for company or through the week- and a great recipe to post for meatless Monday!! It does have a whole lot of ingredients but most of them are very common and are usually in a pantry. Harissa is a Moroccan style condiment that is made with red peppers and can have some heat as well… it is commonly found in super markets…

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 dates, pitted and chopped
1 tablespoon harissa paste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 large carrots, chopped
1 large yellow pepper, chopped
1 14 ounces can of tomatoes (I used fire roasted with green chilies)
1 cauliflower head, cut into small florets
1 14 ounces can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 to 4 cups water or vegetable broth
Salt

Heat a large saucepan with the olive oil. Add the onion and cook on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cinnamon, coriander, cumin and cayenne pepper. Saute for 2 minutes on medium heat. Add the garlic and dates and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the harissa paste, tomato paste and flour. Saute for another 2 minutes. Add the carrots and pepper. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cauliflower and chickpeas. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes and add the water or broth. Bring to a boil and add 2 teaspoons salt. Lower the heat and cover with lid and cook for 20 minutes. Take the lid off and continue cooking till the consistency is of a thick stew. Check for seasonings and keep aside.

Gremolata

½ cup green olives, chopped (I used olives stuffed with garlic)
½ cup parsley, chopped
¼ cup golden raisins, chopped
Zest of one large lemon

Mix the olives, parsley, raisins and lemon zest in a small bowl. Top the stew and serve.

Spaghetti with Fried Egg and Pangritata

What is pangritata, you ask? Well it is some bread crumbs cooked in olive oil with some herbs.. I added some lemon zest for good measure… It creates an amazing texture in any dish. This recipe is simple with pasta and eggs topped with breadcrumbs… so, so simple and so good! Perfect for meatless Mondays…

Pangritata

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
Zest of a small lemon

Heat a large frying pan with the oil. Add the bread crumbs and sauté on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes till golden brown. Add the rosemary, stir and turn heat off. Take out in a small bowl and add the lemon zest and mix well and keep aside.

½ pound spaghetti, cooked al dente with 1 cup of pasta water spare
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 eggs
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
½ cup grated grana padano cheese

Heat the same frying pan with the oil and butter. Add the garlic and cook for a minute on low heat. Add the eggs and cook on medium heat till the whites are cooked just barely through and the yolks are still runny. Add the cooked spaghetti and mix well, incorporating the eggs well. Add the chives and cheese. Mix well and check for seasonings. Add salt if necessary. Garnish with the Pangritata and serve immediately.

The Best Roast Chicken with Milk and Sage Gravy!

So, I love, love Jamie Oliver and everything he does. I make a lot of his recipes. I was looking for a roast chicken recipe as I was getting tired of making it the same way… and I came across this recipe. The chicken is browned in fat and cooked in milk- what, I thought??? After reading the reviews, I was convinced- everyone said, it was the best chicken ever… but the it didn’t look so pretty- well, the gravy didn’t. Since the the chicken is roasted in milk and lemon zest- the separates in the cooking process- so the sauce is broken….so, I came up with a way to fix it. After the chicken was done cooking, I blended the broken sauce to emulsify it and voila.. I had an amazingly yummy, creamy gravy!! Definitely try this recipe- so, so good!!! Oh, and save the fat after browning the chicken and cook your potatoes in it- so yummy!

One 3 lb whole roasting chicken, cleaned and dry
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
Zest of one large lemon, cut the remaining lemon in quarters and set aside
1 cinnamon stick
4 to 6 garlic cloves, skin on
Fresh sage leaves, 6 to 7
2 cups whole milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper, including the cavity.

Melt the oil and butter in a medium Dutch oven pan (big enough for the chicken to fit snug) over medium high heat. Brown the chicken well on all sides, for about 10 minutes. Take the chicken out, drain the fat to a small bowl. In the meantime, add the milk, lemon zest, cinnamon stick, garlic and sage leaves to the same pan. Add the lemon quarters to the chicken cavity and transfer the chicken back into the pan with breast side down. Roast with lid in the oven for 1 hour. Take the lid off after an hour and baste the chicken with the milk gravy. Roast for another 15 minutes and take out. Take the chicken out and cover with aluminum foil. Take the sage leaves and cinnamon stick out of the gravy and transfer to a blender. Blend well and return to the pan, bring to a boil, taste for seasonings. In the meantime, pull the meat from the bones of the chicken and serve warm with the milk gravy.

Roast some potatoes using the spare fat from the chicken.

Serve green beans and roast potatoes with the delicious chicken.

Roast Chicken with Orzo and Kale

This is a great, yummy, one pot meal to make through the week- doesn’t take very long but it tastes like you have spent hours cooking it!

5 to 6 chicken thighs with skin on
1 lemon, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
3 garlic cloves, smashed
2 teaspoons salt

Marinate the chicken thighs in an oven-proof pan with the lemon, dill, oregano, garlic and salt. Mix well with fingers and keep aside for 3 to 4 hours in the fridge. Take out of the fridge 30 minutes before roasting. Preheat oven on 400 degrees. Roast for 30 minutes. Turn the broiler on and broil the chicken pieces until they are golden brown. Take out of the oven and keep aside. It is okay if the chicken is not cooked through.

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1½ cups orzo
3 cups chicken broth plus more if necessary
5 ounces baby kale
Salt

Heat a saucepan with butter and oil. Add the orzo and sauté on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer and add the chicken pieces including the lemon pieces and let simmer for about ten minutes or till the pasta is cooked and the chicken is cooked through. Add the kale slowly till all is wilted. Add more broth if necessary. Take the lemon pieces out. Mix and check for seasonings. Serve warm.

Greens with Avocado and Cumin Dressing

I have making this salad almost twice a week. We love avocados- well, my husband and I do. I usually make guacamole a lot and we enjoy it with fish, chicken or any other Mexican cuisine. Since we love avocados so much, I now incorporate them into a simple salad. Some mixed greens, halved cherry tomatoes and a delicious dressing.

The dressing in this salad is the star- I used fresh lemons, honey and extra virgin olive oil. The main ingredients that make this dressing amazing is roasted cumin seeds and smoked paprika. I think I need to make a big jar of it as I find myself licking the plate after the salad is done.

Definitely try this salad- it is delicious…

4 cups mixed greens
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 ripe avocadoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

Place the greens, tomatoes and avocado pieces into a medium salad bowl.

Dressing

1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds, crushed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of two lemons
2 to 3 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt

Add the cumin seeds, lemon juice, honey, paprika and salt into a small bowl. Slowly drizzle the olive oil until the dressing emulsifies. Check for seasonings and drizzle over the salad. Toss and serve.

Pasta with Sausage with a Pea and Basil Pesto

This is delicious way to sneak vegetables into the pasta dish without anyone knowing!!! This is a simple and quick dish to make through the week!

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 to 4 fresh sausage, casings removed and crumbled
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
½ pound pasta, cooked with 1 cup of pasta water spared
Salt

Pea and Basil Pesto

1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 garlic cloves
¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano
1 cup fresh basil
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive
Juice of one lemon

Transfer peas to some boiling water and blanch for 30 seconds and take out. Transfer the pine nuts and garlic to a food processor and give it a few pushes, add the peas, cheese, basil, oil and lemon juice. Process it till the mixture forms a smooth paste. Take out and check for seasonings. Keep aside.

In the meantime, heat a wide skillet with the olive oil and add the crumbled sausage. Saute on medium heat till the sausage is golden brown. Add the onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat. Add the cooked pasta with the pasta water and bring to a boil. Add salt as needed and serve the pasta with a dollop of pesto on top.

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