What inspires you in the kitchen? I am influenced by a myriad of factors. Seasonal and local ingredients play a huge role in what I cook. My tagine has also become a source of inspiration. I have found guidance and inspiration from food blogs and cookbook authors like Paula Wolfert and Mourad Lahlou. Through their books, I have been introduced to the diversity of Moroccan cuisine. Paula suggests that you read through her new book, pick a few recipes you think you’ll enjoy, and give them a try. I followed her recommendation, and intend to share my efforts over the next month. I implore you to share your favorite recipes as well. I understand a little enticement motivates some to submit their favorite creations. Last year, to introduce the tagine Clay Coyote had a recipe contest.  We are gearing up for another contest this year. It will coincide with the reveal of our new addition to the Flameware family. This new piece will be the muse of our contest. It will also be awarded as first prize. Curious? Subscribe to our blog for upcoming contest details, the adventures of our globe trekking travel mug, and recipe ideas for your own pottery pieces. I’ll also throw out a few hints, starting with this “piece” of the new Flameware… Any guesses?

Paula explains in her new book that, “Moroccans put much store in what they call baraka, which means good fortune.” So I wish you baraka in all your future culinary ventures!

Freshly picked garlic from Loon Organics

8 More days until the Garlic Festival here in Hutch. It is all things garlic this month here at Clay Coyote. We will be featuring our tastiest garlic recipes prepared with our favorite Clay Coyote pieces. I will be creating my dishes from my weekly produce box from Loon Organics. I was inspired to create this dish after a recent discussion on different methods of preparing baba ghanoush. I thought, “Zucchini might be a tasty alternative to eggplant.” Mmm mmmmmm I was right!  I had previously roasted and then frozen multiple heads of garlic, so this recipe was prepared in less than 10 minutes.

Roasted Garlic Zucchini Dip
3 zucchini
1/2 head roasted garlic
1 Tablespoon tahini
Splash white wine vinegar
Squirt lemon juice
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Roast garlic in your Clay Coyote Garlic Roaster.  Peel zucchini, chop, and blend or process along with garlic and tahini. Add lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste. I have been snacking on this all week. First with carrots, then pita, crackers, and yesterday I scooped it up with summer squash. It will keep in your refrigerator for up to a week covered.

I have a trivia for you garlic and poetry lovers out there. Who said, “Eat no onions nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath.”?…

Drum roll please…

Congratulations Sue Doeden!
“Moroccan Chickpea and Sweet Potato Tagine” has been chosen by our 3 judges as the winner of our tagine contest. Sue is a food writer, columnist, recipe developer, food photographer, and culinary instructor from Bemidji. You can view other recipes she has created on her All About Food Blog. This is a favorite dish in her “Meatless Menu” cooking classes. Our judges described it as having a smooth, sweet, and tangy flavor with a spicy bite at the end.

Moroccan Chickpea and Sweet Potato Tagine

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
2 carrots, chopped
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons peeled, minced ginger root
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, minced, for serving
1/4 cup dried apricots, sliced thin, for serving
1/4 cup golden raisins, for serving
8 ounces whole wheat Israeli couscous, uncooked
2 cups vegetable broth or water

Preheat your tagine over medium high heat. Add oil, onions and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and golden, about eight minutes. Meanwhile, toast coriander and cumin in a small pan over medium heat, stirring until fragrant. Remove from heat. Transfer toasted seeds to coffee grinder and grind into a powder. Transfer ground cumin and coriander to a small bowl, then stir together with turmeric, salt and cayenne pepper. Add ginger and garlic to the onions, then stir in the spices and cook another three to five minutes to let the spices color the onions, stirring to prevent garlic from burning.

Add sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and tomatoes and stir to blend. Add 2 cups vegetable broth and simmer about 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are fork-tender. Check stew and add more vegetable broth as needed.

Meanwhile, in another pot, bring 2 cups vegetable broth to a boil. Stir in whole wheat Israeli couscous, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until liquid is almost gone. Stir and serve immediately with tagine. Offer cilantro, dried apricots and raisins at the table for diners to stir into the tagine. Serves six as a main course.

Visit the recipes of our other 2 finalists.

Moroccan Chicken with Tomatoes, Saffron, & Honey served with Spicy Couscous

Tagine aux Pruneaux

This is one of the 3 finalists for our Tagine Recipe Contest. Our judges described this dish as a unique combination of distinct flavors and textures.

Tagine aux Pruneaux

4 pounds lamb shoulder de-boned
1 pound prunes
1/2 pounds whole almonds
1 1/4 cups green olives cured in olive oil
1 1/4 cups large raisins (go to the food co-op)
4-5 Tablespoons olive oil
8 eggs
1 16 oz. can diced tomato or 3 fresh tomatoes in season
2 large white onions
2 cinnamon sticks
Moroccan spices: 1 tsp white pepper, 1 T ginger, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 3 whole cloves, 2 T cumin
1 T orange flower water (optional)

The lamb should be cut into large chunks of about 2″ square. In your tagine, sear the pieces of meat in a little oil. Remove and saute the onions lightly until translucent, then add meat, enough water to cover, the tomatoes, the spices, and a little salt to taste. Let this come to a boil, then simmer covered for about 1 1/2- 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Check the seasoning. If it tastes bland, as spices as needed. Be careful not to add too much pepper.

Take a ladle or 2 of the meat juice and add it to the prunes in a sauce pan. Add a ladle to the raisins and olives mixed together in a different saucepan. Cook these each gently for about 15 minutes. While they are cooking, boil the eggs and toast the almonds in a frying pan.

Now it is time to build the dish, and particular architecture is demanded. Place the meat mixture in the bottom of the tagine, top with prunes, then the olive raisin mixture, and finally arrange the halved boiled eggs and sprinkle with almonds. Add some juice and gently boil in the tagine for about 15 minutes, so that all the elements have been cooked through but not cooked so long as to lose their individual flavors. 8 servings

After a winter of grousing about winter (ours hasn’t been much worse than many parts of the country) we awoke to this … zero degrees, everything covered in soft fluffy down like snow, the clear, still air literally sparkling as moisture condensed and formed snow which didn’t fall, but just floated.

We get maybe one of these mornings a year, usually in late January or early February. You just stand there in the silence and marvel at them.

During the snow yesterday, about a foot of it, the wind howled into huge drifts around the gallery. This one’s nearly 5 feet deep.

Birds, especially pheasants, have really taken a hit this year because of the snow and cold. The songbirds often travel further south, but the pheasant are stuck. Early snow kept them out of their cattail cover and deep snow finally knocked out most of their food sources. On our west fence row we used to see 40 to 0 every morning. Now we see just a few stragglers.

and a week ago, we almost thought we were to have an early spring. Oops.