This is my friend Jen and I “cheesing” for the camera after our cheese making class at the Arboretum. The bags are filled with the fresh, very spreadable, lemon cheese we created. I was very pleased with how delicious it tasted, and how extremely easy it was to make! I hope you will give this recipe a try.

Fresh Lemon Cheese:
1 gallon of milk
2 large lemons
Salt to taste
Fresh Herbs(optional)
Honey(optional)

In a nonreactive pot, warm milk on stove to 165 degrees. (you can go up to 190 degrees to help your milk coagulate). Stir often to avoid scorching.

Add the juice of the lemons to the milk. Stir and allow to sit off the stove for 15 minutes. The warm milk will separate into a stringy curd and a greenish whey liquid.

Line a colander with butter muslin and pour the curds and whey into the colander. (You can save the whey for baking bread if desired.) Tie the 4 corners of the muslin together and hang the bag of curds to drain for about an hour or until it reaches desired consistency.

Remove the cheese from the cloth and place it in a bowl. Add salt to taste, usually about 1/4 teaspoon. Mix in finely chopped herbs, if desired. You could also add honey. Place cheese in a covered container and store in the refrigerator. This cheese will keep up to a week.

I am attempting this recipe again tomorrow. I am going to make a few variations, and I plan to serve it as an appetizer for a get together we are having this weekend. I’ll let you know how it goes!

In the meantime, please check out Kris James’ website. She was the very knowledgeable teacher of our class. She teaches regularly at the Arboretum, and I suggest taking any of her classes.

Happy International Tagine Month!

Yesterday was a day of firsts for me. My first fish tagine, my first time making a charmoula, and my first unsuccessful recipe from the Food of Morocco. I have come away from this learning a thing or two, and I wanted to share.

Lesson #1: Find main ingredients first, and then plan meals. I focused too much on finding Monk Fish, Sea Bass, or Cod. None of these are local to MN. Stressing out over having exactly what the recipe called for was pointless. It made the experience less enjoyable, and resulted in me compromising quality and freshness. Instead of using fresh fish my fiance caught, I chose a frozen packaged fish I had to defrost. I should have had my aha moment when I was defrosting the fish in the microwave(oops), or maybe when I was chewing on the rubber fish. I had it when I started writing this blog, and realized what I knew all along…

When you use local ingredients you are eating food at its peak of its freshness. There is no substitution for that. Meals should be an experience. Gathering, creating, and sharing your food should all be enjoyable parts of the dining experience. I now share with you Paula Wolfert’s Fish Tagine with Creamy Charmoula.

Onion Charmoula:
1 1/2 t cumin seeds
3 garlic cloves
2 t sea salt
2 t sweet paprika
1/2 t black pepper
Pinch of cayenne, tumeric, and saffron threads
1/3 cup cilantro and flat leaf parsley
1/3 Extra virgin oil
1 medium red onion (coarsely chopped)

1 pound 1″ thick firm textured white fish steaks
One 2″ Ceylon cinnamon stick
5 small red ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/4″ thick slices
2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ dice
1 pound narrow zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1″ chunks
1 red bell pepper, peeled, cored, seeded, and diced
Juice of one lemon

Garnish:
1/2 preserved lemon, rinsed, pulp removed, and diced
12 green rip olives
2 T chopped cilantro

1. Charmoula. Toast cumin seeds by tossing them in a hot dry skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute.

2. Blend the cumin seeds, garlic, and salt to a paste in a large mortar. Moisten the paprika, black pepper, cayenne, turmeric, and saffron with 2 T water. Add the spices, herbs, and oil to the garlic mixture and blend until smooth. Add the onion, 3/4 cups of water and blend to a smooth velvety texture.

3. Wash fish under cold running water. Trim off any skin, cut into small dice, and reserve. Pat dry fish and cut into 1″ chunks. Place fish, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of charmoula in a bowl. Toss fish, cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours.

4. Meanwhile, arrange tomato slices side by side on sheets of paper towels lightly dusted with salt. Dust tomatoes with salt, cover with more paper towlels, and press down to absorb excess moisture. Leave tomatoes to dry out until use.

5. Arrange diced fish skin, potatoes, zucchini, and red pepper in your tagine. Pour over remaining charmoula and slowly bring to a boil. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is thick, about 45 minutes. Remove and discard cinnamon stick.(You can prepare up to this point 1 to 2 hours in advance. Let stand at room temp.)

6. 30 minutes before serving, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

7. Gently reheat the tagine over low heat. Remove fish, toss with lemon juice. Spread fish and tomatoes on top of the veggies. Transfer to oven and bake, uncovered for 10 minutes.

8. To serve, decorate tagine with preserved lemon, olives, and cilantro. Serve from tagine at you table, and ENJOY!

In honor of our upcoming Tagine contest, we will be sharing our favorite Moroccan recipes all month long! Here is a look at how to start your own tagine inspired meal…

Every great cultural cuisine seems to have a way to begin a meal. Italians often start with an antipasto, which literally translates to “before the meal.” Although the ingredients of antipasto vary, the intent is the same. It extends the meal and stimulates the appetite. Moroccans often have a medley of salads to begin their meals. Paula explains that in some first class restaurants in Marrakech you can expect at least a dozen small plates. “A symphony of contrasting colors and shapes.” This salad recipe was the perfect starter to accompany and compliment our chicken with preserved lemons and green olives tagine. It was just enough to stimulate my appetite, and allowed for conversation that the main course immediately halted.

Carrot and Golden Raisin Salad from The Food of Morocco:

8 ounces large carrots
1 tablespoon sugar
one 1″ Ceylon cinnamon stick
Pinch of salt
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 Tablespoon orange flower water

1. Trim and peel the carrots, half them lengthwise, and cut out an discard the hard core. Cut the carrots into 1/4 inch dice, place in small saucepan, add the sugar, cinnamon stick, salt, lemon juice, and water to cover. Cover and cook until tender. Drain carrots in a colander set over a bowl and quickly use the hot water to soak the raisins.

2. When liquid has cooled down, drain the raisins and mix with the carrots and orange flower water. Pack into a 2 1/2- 3″ rounded mold and chill overnight.
(This step didn’t turn out well for me, my mold didn’t mold my dish.”

3. To serve invert dome onto a plate.

This dish is served at Al Fassia restaurant in Marrakech. Paula describes these salads as,”Gems that sparkle in the crown of a great national cuisine.” This leads me to wonder, what would be the crown jewels of American cuisine? When I think of a traditional American starter, I think of a dinner salad. Greens covered in dressing, with croutons, a tomato wedge, and maybe a cucumber. Sad… Maybe I need to look at our nation’s cuisine differently. If I look at our cuisine as a mosaic of different cultures, my perception of an “American starter,” has endless possibilities. What do you consider to be the best way to start a meal? Is there a dish your family has traditionally prepared for years? Maybe you seasonally utilize your regions best ingredients. Share with us your recipes and ideas for how to begin a meal.

May is international tagine month. We are holding our 2nd annual tagine recipe contest. First prize will be decided by our panel of judges, and to the victor goes one of our new Flameware Dutch Ovens. Tagine month has inspired me to explore outside of my tagine comfort zone. I always look first to Paula Wolfert for recipes. As I was thumbing through her newest book, The Food of Morocco, I realized I forgot to post this AMAZING recipe last Winter. I used my fresh butternut squash and onions from my CSA share from Loon Organics.

Winter Squash with Caramelized Onions (Cassolita)
2 pounds butternut, calabaza, or kabocha squash, halved lengthwise and seeded.
3 T vegetable oil
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 pounds onions, thinly sliced into rounds
Salt
1/3 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
2 T sugar, plus (optional) 1 T
1/2 cup dark raisins
Fresh ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the squash cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Add 1/2 cup water, cover with aluminum foil, and bake until the squash is very soft, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and, once cool enough to handle, scoop out the pulp into a large bowl.

3. Heat the oil in your cazuela (or skillet), Toss the almonds and cook until golden. With slotted spoon, remove to a plate and set aside.
4. Saute the onions over medium heat until translucent. Add salt to taste, 2 T of the parsley, 2 t of sugar, cinnamon, and raisins and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 more minutes, or until the onions are caramelized.

5. Gently fold the onions into the squash. Season with pepper and more salt, if necessary, and, if you wish, the extra T of sugar. Serve warm from your cazuela.

It can no longer be called “Beer Can Chicken.  Paula’s roasting rub elevates this simple dish to gourmet status.

1 Roasting Chicken 3-1/2 to 5 lbs
3 Garlic Cloves
1 TBSP Juniper Berries
2 tsp coarse Salt
1 tsp dried Oregano
½ tsp Black Peppercorns
2 Cloves
2 Bay Leaves
3 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil, rendered duck fat
or clarified butter
1 sm Lemon – sliced thin

We’d always used dry rubs on the chicken bakers. We sent one to Paula for the heck of it, and she developed this extra special Mediterranean style recipe. It is fabulous! We made two of them for our “company” Paula Wolfert Christmas party (everything from appetizers to dessert was from “Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking”.  Juniper berries are available from Penzey’s Spices. If you don’t know about them, you need to!  This is clay pot cooking at its best!

1. Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Cut off tail. Place on a rack over paper towels and refrigerate, uncovered.
2. Use a heavy pestle to pound the Juniper Berries, garlic, salt, oregano, peppercorns, cloves, and bay leaves to a paste in a mortar. Or use electric grinder or spice mill to grind. Blend in the olive oil.
3. Remove chicken from refrigerator. Slip fingers under the skin of the thighs and breasts and gently separate skin from the meat to create an air pocket without tearing the skin. Insert pinches of the mixture under the skin and massage into the flesh. Use remaining mixture to season the cavity and the skin.
4. Slip lemon wedges into the cavity.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degF. Bring the chicken to room temperature. Fill the center cup about 2/3 full with water and juice of 1 lemon. Seat the chicken over the cup with legs to the side making a tripod.
6. Bake, uncovered for 1-1/2 to 2 hours (depending on size)
7. The bird can be placed on the table on the baker (juices can be removed with a baster to make gravy) or lift the bird carefully off the stand and transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5-10 minutes before carving. Juices can also be put in a skillet and boiled down to about ½. Correct seasoning and serve with the carved bird.