Merguez And Butternut Tagine Food

CHICKEN AND MERGUEZ TAGINE

Steps:

• For the spice mix: In a small bowl, add the cumin, paprika, turmeric, coriander, ginger, cayenne and cinnamon. Stir to combine and set aside.
• For the tagine: Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat until hot, then add the chicken, skin-side down, and sear until browned on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes per side.
• Meanwhile, place a large, family-sized cast-iron tagine on a low heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil plus the spice mix. Cook until the spices have bloomed and the oil is hot, 2 to 3 minutes, then add the carrots and onions and allow them to slightly soften, about 3 minutes. Add the chickpeas, sausage, garlic and seared chicken. Carefully add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Nestle in the olives and preserved lemon, then lower the heat and cover the tagine. Continue cooking over low heat for about 1 hour. Add more chicken broth slowly if needed (see Cook's Note).
• For the couscous: Meanwhile, in a large metal bowl add the couscous, raisins, olive oil, turmeric and salt and mix together.
• Bring the broth to a boil, then add to the couscous until it is covered and the liquid is a little more than 1/2 inch above the couscous. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until the liquid is absorbed, preferably in a warm part of the kitchen, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Pour the couscous onto a very large platter. Remove the chicken from the tagine to a work surface. Pour the vegetables from the tagine around the couscous. Put the chicken on top of the vegetables and garnish the whole platter with the toasted almonds and parsley.

TAGINE OF LAMB & MERGUEZ SAUSAGES

Steps:

• For the marinade, roast the spices in a dry pan for a couple mins until fragrant. Put remaining marinade ingredients in a blender and process to a smooth paste, then add the roast spices and blend again to combine. Place the lamb in a large bowl and pour over the marinade. Leave in the paste overnight, or for at least 2 hrs to absorb all the flavours.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. In a large roasting tin, big enough to fit the meat in one single layer, heat the oil and place over a high heat on the hob. Remove the meat from the marinade, wiping off and reserving any excess, then brown shanks on all sides in the hot oil.
• Add remaining marinade to the dish along with the carrots, onions and prunes, then pour in 1 litre water. Cover the dish tightly with foil and cook in a low oven for 3½-4 hrs until the meat is tender and falling away from the bone. Add the honey, lemon juice and seasoning and keep warm.
• If using, fry the sausages until cooked through, then add to the tagine. Serve the meat in a large bowl with the sauce spooned over, then scatter with the preserved lemons and mint, and serve the harissa on the side.

MERGUEZ BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat until simmering. Add pancetta and cook, stirring often, until fat has rendered, 10 to 12 minutes. Add carrot, onion, and celery and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
• Add ground beef and merguez sausage and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring to break meat into small pieces, until browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain excess fat as needed.
• Add Chianti and cook until liquid has almost evaporated. Reduce heat to medium and stir in tomato paste. Cook until sauce turns dark red, 3 to 5 minutes. Add enough milk to barely cover the meat. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until milk has evaporated and the mixture turns into a thick rich sauce, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Adjust salt and pepper, if necessary.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & CHICKPEA TAGINE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan, then slowly cook the onions for around 10 mins until starting to caramelise. Stir in the garlic, ginger and spices and cook for a further 2 mins. Add the vegetables and canned tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Put the lid on and simmer for around 15 mins or until all the veg are tender. Stir in the chickpeas, heat through and serve with couscous or rice.

MERGUEZ WITH HALLOUMI AND FLAME-ROASTED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place the sausages into a low-sided roasting pan (this makes the cooking time quicker).
• Slice the halloumi into 1/4-inch slices and then lay them on and around the sausages in the pan.
• Take the peppers out of the jar and also strew them around the sausages and cheese, cutting them into smaller slices and pieces as you go, then drizzle over the oil. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, by which time the sausages should have browned and the cheese colored in places.

TUNISIAN FISH TAGINE

Steps:

• Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan for 2-3 minutes over low heat. Grind to a powder in a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder and set aside.
• Seed the chilies and cut into julienne strips.
• Place half of the olive oil in one large frypan and half in a nonstick pan with a lid. Put the potato into the nonstick pan. Add the tumeric and fry, tossing and turning the potatoes.
• At the same time in the other pan, fry the onion and celery, stirring occasionally. When the onion begins to soften, add the garlic, lime leaves, chiles, cumin, paprika and saffron. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes, then season lightly with salt and pepper and turn off the heat. Leave in the pan while the potatoes finish cooking.
• As soon as the potatoes are cooked, season the fish steaks with salt and pepper and put them on top of the potatoes. Spoon the onion mixture over and around the steaks and pour over the tomatoes. Bring to boil over a medium-high heat, immediately lower it and cover. Cook gently for 7-10 minutes or until the fish is just cooked. Taste and season.
• Serve in large warmed bowl, sprinkled with cilantro.