Dutch Oven Chicken & Apricot Tagine

This recipe is inspired by my dad. Hi Dad! 

Earlier this year we went on a climbing trip and my dad actually packed the entire list of ingredients for this recipe, along with his camping gear, and cooked it up on his wobbly camping stove.

I wanted to share this recipe today since it's Father's Day this weekend (plus, I've been working on a Tagine recipe for a while and it wasn't until I tasted his version again that I remembered exactly how I like it: full of veggies and spices). 

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Dutch Oven Chicken & Apricot Tagine

Published June 18, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4-6   |    Active Time: 60 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 pound bone-in chicken thighs

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch fresh ginger, minced

1 onion, sliced

Salt for seasoning

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained

1 bell pepper, diced

2 large carrots, roughly chopped

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1/3 cup dried apricots or figs, cut in half or quarters (if using figs, remove the stems)

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Pinch of saffron threads

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. While oven heats, melt coconut oil in the bottom of an oven-safe dutch oven over medium-high heat on the stove. When oil glistens, place chicken thighs, skin-side down, in pan. Cook, without moving, for 3-5 minutes. Using tongs or a wooden spatula, flip chicken, and cook for another 3 minutes on the second side. Chicken should be golden and browned on the outside, but not yet cooked through. Set chicken on a plate and set aside.
3. Add garlic, ginger, and onion to pan. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent.
4. Pour broth into pot. Loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pot using a wooden spatula. Add chickpeas, bell pepper, carrots, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, apricots or figs, and spices. Add a generous pinch of salt. Stir.
5. Place chicken thighs, skin side up, in the pot over the vegetables. Place lid on pot, and continue to cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F when inserted into the middle of a chicken thigh. Remove lid from pot, and switch oven to low broil for 3-5 minutes, just until the top of the chicken begins to sizzle and turn brown. Remove pot from oven.
6. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, and garnish with cilantro and parsley. Serve over rice.

Seared & Curried Eggplant (Paleo & Vegan)

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I wasn't going to post this recipe today. I was going to post a recipe for a gorgeous chia pudding with berries and bananas. Very red, white and blue, you know. Thing is, I just couldn't get myself excited about it. It was great, it was fine, but it felt so ho-hum sitting next to this recipe. Now this recipe--this has flavor. This gets me excited. 

Eggplant? Exciting? Yea, you heard me. If you had asked me a few years ago if eggplant was exciting, I would have laughed. The first thing that would have come to mind is that slimy Eggplant Parmesan with soggy breading that we all know and hate (some Eggplant Parmesan is delicious, but the bad versions are quite bad). 

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I don't know when I first tried Baingan Bharta (Eggplany Curry), but it's the dish that redefined eggplant for me. 

I've had this dish in all sort of ways: some people puree the eggplant after cooking it, some people leave it chunkier. Some people serve it with more of a sauce, and some keep it simple.  I have enjoyed them all but none as much as when they're like this: the eggplant is seared, almost crispy on the outside and not at all soggy. The spices are blended with only a bit of tomato, so as not to overwhelm the dish, and it's loaded with heat. 

Recently I was listening to a radio show on NPR about Picky Eaters, and how kid's learn their eating habits. You know when you arrive at your destination and you just want to going around the block a few more times to finish listening to your show? It was one of those. I've always attributed my willingness to eat just about anything to my dad: when I was a kid, he had my try new things every week (this also probably played a role in turning me into such a foodie!). This show, however, explained why kids have different tastes than their parents: their tastebuds are still young and sensitive. I guess my tastebuds finally "matured" enough to like eggplant. ;) 

The moral of the entire interview? Try everything ten times. At least ten times. Try cooking it different ways, and try serving it with different things. One of them, you're sure to like! 

Seared & Curried Eggplant

Published May 7, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4-6   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 teaspoons coconut oil

1/2 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-inch nob ginger, minced

2 eggplants, diced into bite-sized pieces

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1 jalapeño, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon whole black mustard seed

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon whole fennel seeds

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cilantro, minced

Optional, for serving: spicy chili peppers, if you like your curry really hot

Directions:

1. Heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a skillet. Once hot, add the onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeño. Sauté.
2. When the onions are translucent, add the tomatoes to the pan, giving everything a stir.
3. Add the diced eggplant to the skillet, stirring into the onion mixture. Sprinkle salt over top, and stir in (this helps draw out the natural juices). Increase the heat a small amount, to medium-high. Stir occasionally, giving the eggplant time to sear on each side.
4. When the eggplant is softened through an browning in some places, add the spices and minced cilantro.
5. The eggplant is done when it’s completely softened through and browned on some of the sides. Remove from heat and serve hot over rice or as a side dish with One-Pan Beef Korma or Slow Cooker Kashmiri Curry Leg of Lamb.

Paleo Cran-Apple Relish

Last week, I shared a recipe for coffee cake that was inspired by my grandmother. This recipe also makes me think of her, because for years I thought it was a family tradition--you know, passed down from my Grandmother, to my father, and finally to me. My Grandmother taught me to make blueberry muffins, and inspired so many other dishes: Every time she had guests over for dinner, she would spend the next day on her typewriter, writing up a thank you letter and a recipe card for the meal she had made. 

So it only seemed natural that this recipe, like so many others, was one of hers. Pass down the family line.  This was such a nice thought that somehow, it stuck. It stamped out my memories of canned cranberry sauce, jiggly and can-shaped. It made me forget that I used to despise cranberry sauce. 

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But one day, many years after trying this recipe for the first time, I told my dad that I had made his favorite cranberry sauce--his mom's version. He gave me puzzled look, trying to figure out what "recipe" I may have used, since in reality she had always just used canned cranberries. Quickly the truth became clear: I was confused! My dad had actually found this recipe years ago on his own. When it was passed to me, and described as "our family recipe," well, things got confusing.

It is still a family recipe, in a sense--two generations counts, right? But mostly, it's just the best cranberry sauce I've ever had. It converted me from a cranberry sauce hater (or a cranberry sauce poker — someone that just pokes the slice of canned red stuff with their fork, never taking a bite), into a cranberry sauce fanatic (someone that can’t wait to make cranberry sauce come November).

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This, my friends, is what cranberry sauce is all about. Refined sugar has been taken out of the equation, and what's left is a pure, delicious, tangy cranberry and apple relish. Studded with pecans, for a bit of texture, too.

Cranberry sauce isn't just for dinner! It makes a pretty awesome desert, served over ice cream or a slice of pound cake. If you eat dairy, it's delicious on yogurt, cottage cheese, or perfect for making an appetizer platter with baked brie or gruyere. Or, try it on french toast!  

TIP: You can make this sauce a week ahead of the big day! Store in the fridge in air-tight containers. 

Paleo Cran-Apple Relish

Published December 15, 2014 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 2 cups   |    Total Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 cup diced apple
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Optional: 1/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan, combine the cranberries, chopped apples, water, and honey. Cover and bring to a low simmer for 10 minutes.
2. After ten minutes, the cranberries should be puffed or popping, and the honey should be dissolved. Add the lemon, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir. Simmer for five more minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the toasted pecans. Serve immediately or allow to cool and place in an air tight container to serve later.