Sunday Dinner: Moroccan Chicken with Pine Nut Couscous

The inspiration in theory:   

the Kingdom of Morocco

African magic

colorful bazaars

the sandy seas of the Sahara

Casablanca

The inspiration in reality:

Everyday With Rachael Ray (August 2009)

Moroccan Skillet Chicken with Pine Nut Couscous

1 T paprika

2 t turmeric

2 t ground coriander

2 t ground cumin

1/2 t cinnamon

2 lbs chicken (boneless, skinless, cut into 2" pieces)

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion (thinly sliced)

4 cloves garlic (crushed)

2 lemons (1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced)

2 1/2 c chicken stock

1 c green olives (pitted)

1 T butter

1/4 c pine nuts, toasted

1 c flat-leaf parsley

In a large bowl, mix together the first five spices. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Word to the wise: don't use your hands unless you're alright with fingers stained sunshine yellow.

In a large skillet, heat the oil then add the chicken until browned (4 minutes). Add the onion, garlic and sliced lemon; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion softens (7 minutes). Add 1 cup chicken stock, olives and lemon juice. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

In a medium saucepan, bring remaining 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and butter to a boil. Stir in couscous, cover and turn off the heat. Let stand for five minutes then fluff with a fork; stir in toasted pine nuts.

To serve, spoon the chicken and sauce over a bed of couscous and top with parsley.

Serves 6

Sunday Dinner: Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Having lived most of my life in the San Francisco Bay Area, I was not at all equipped for the extreme heat that comes with living in Nevada.  Okay, maybe yesterday's temperatures never broke into the nineties but even upper eighties can be a struggle for this girl.  And when it gets warm like that, the last thing on my mind is turning on my oven.  Instead, I'd rather turn on some Abba, crank up the slow cooker and pretend it's 1975.  And that's exactly what I did yesterday.

On the menu:   Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Cole Slaw, Kettle Chips, Watermelon Wedges and a little Mad Housewife Chardonnay

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork

5-7 lbs  Pork Shoulder, cut into 4 pieces

1  Onion, sliced thin

1/2 c  Ketchup

1/3 c Cider Vinegar

1/4 c  Tomato Paste

1/4 c  Brown Sugar, packed

2 T  Paprika

2T  Brown Mustard

2T  Worcestershire Sauce

Salt/Pepper

Season pork shoulder with salt and pepper.  I also rubbed in a little garlic powder.  Place sliced onions at the bottom of the slow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Place pork in cooker and coat each piece with sauce.  Cook on high for 4 - 5 hours.

When meat is tender, remove from cooker and place on a large platter.  Shred pork using two forks.  Meanwhile, reduce remaining sauce by about half (either by boiling in the slow cooker or as I prefer, in a large saucepan on the stove.  When pork is all shredded, mix with remaining sauce reduction.

Serve on Ciabatta rolls with cole slaw, kettle chips and dill pickle spear.

Makes about 10 sandwiches.

Sunday Dinner: Bleu Cheese Burgers

When we moved closer to family, my husband and I started the tradition of having Sunday night dinners at our house. Our intention being that no matter what was going on in our individual lives, we could all count on Sundays as a day to recharge and reconnect. Our Sundays became even more comforting after he passed away almost nine months ago.

I've also started to use Sundays as my testing ground for new recipes. It isn't always easy to please this crowd. You know how it goes ......  Grandma doesn't like onions, Grandpa won't come near asparagus and I have to put my beloved mushrooms through the food processor to hide them from Uncle Johnny. Don't even get me started on the kids.  Sage likes a side of ranch dressing with almost everything (yuck), Harlowe is on a mustard kick and unless it's carbs, Max isn't touching it. I've learned a couple of things during my time in the kitchen on Sundays. One is that it works best when ingredients can be individually added or subtracted without compromising the integrity of the meal and two,  if you don't like what I'm cooking you know where the frozen burritos are.

On the menu last night:

Bleu Cheese Burgers with Caramelized Onions

For the burgers:

3 lbs Ground Sirloin

4 cloves Garlic, crushed

6T Worcheshire Sauce

4T Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce

     Fresh Parsley, chopped

       Salt/Pepper

Bleu Cheese Crumbles (topping)

Baby Spinach Leaves (topping)

For the onions:

2 Large Onions, sliced

2T Butter

2T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2T Brown Sugar

1/2 c Brown Mustard (don't go too cheap here)

Melt the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, salt and pepper.  Cook until soft (about 20 - 25 minutes).  Add brown sugar and mustard. Remove from heat.

Pulling it all together:

We cooked the burgers on the grill but utilize whatever cooking method you like. Top with bleu cheese crumbles, caramelized onions and baby spinach.  Serve on a slightly toasted Kaiser roll.

I served the burgers with a small spinach salad and side of Bush's Grillin' Beans. 

Makes 8 servings.