So it’s Friday night and I have frankly planned nothing. Usually we do an internet shop on the weekend but I have had an exhausting week so the Writer Upstairs has done most of the cooking – thanks be for his patience, but that means my meal plans are all gone.
There are two chicken breasts left in the fridge, no veg and an inordinate quantity of oranges (they’re not relevant, I just mention them so that my mum knows I eat fruit).
Quick survey of the pantry (seriously one of my favourite things about my cold and draughty terraced house) shows: a jar of Belazu chermoula paste (I’ve never had chermoula before but I brought this in a bogoff when I needed harissa – ah Waitrose, my downfall), couscous, dried apricots, dried dates (bought for the weirdest salad I’ve yet made, thanks Raymond Blanc), and tins of chickpeas.
So we had:
Chermoula rubbed chicken breasts (that’s it, that’s the recipe – open the jar, spread it, fry ‘em up. Although I did employ my favourite Food Network cooking technique of popping a lid over the pan so that they fry and steam at the same time. Juicy!)
A warm chickpea salad
Fruity couscous
Chickpea salad:
I cooked some onions in butter, added cinnamon and cumin when they were translucent, and then the drained chickpeas and simmered for about 5 minutes. Then at the end, I stirred in about half a table spoon (maybe) of pomegranate molasses and a squeeze of lemon juice. Then mixed in a handful of chopped dates and some parsley. Yum!
Fruity couscous:
Couscous, boiling water and some veg bouillon and about a tablespoon of orange blossom water. Plate over the top. Chop some apricots and grab the remnants of some flaked almonds, and the dregs of my last Christmas stockings’ hazelnut oil. Also yum! Though I think I would skip the orange blossom water next time. It was an interesting experiment but it did not go well with the chermoula.
Couscous, boiling water and some veg bouillon and about a tablespoon of orange blossom water. Plate over the top. Chop some apricots and grab the remnants of some flaked almonds, and the dregs of my last Christmas stockings’ hazelnut oil. Also yum! Though I think I would skip the orange blossom water next time. It was an interesting experiment but it did not go well with the chermoula.
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| Belazu brand chermoula |
South Carolina
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| Delicious looking chermoula |
It ought to be delightful. Let me know when you make your own.
Did you ever use that preserved lemon paste that I bought from Gastronomades last year? It was good on fish and I think it would be good mixed with a whole lot of cilantro and cumin.
Having any kind of a pantry is a happiness, especially since your actual kitchen is so tiny. I love the sound of the chickpea salad but probably would use apricots instead of dates - too sweet for my taste. And without having tasted it I completely agree about the orange flower water - there's way too much indiscriminate use of orange flower water. The other evening at a large buffet dinner with a north African/Middle Eastern flavour to it, there was a boiled beetroot salad with OFW in it - too flowery and sweet in a way that beetroot doesn't need. And do you need me to bring more hazelnut oil? I think I got you a tiny can from the US last time but I could be very kind and bring you one from Pillac. I just made myself home sick by looking at online photos of Pillac! Here I found photos of the hazel harvest - doesn't look like a barrel of laughs.
I have become a fan of pomegranate molasses thanks to you and Ottolenghi. One of your surrogate aunties has three kinds in her cupboards - pomegranate, barberry and something else - I only remembered the barberry because it is so exotic and I felt quite pathetic as I only had one kind of fruit molasses in my otherwise enviable pantry. (Today, you could freeze a pig in there.) I googled fruit molasses and came across this recipe for cranberry molasses which I think could be really good - I'll let you know. It's obviously that time of year here in the US. This week will be heavy on the turkey, alcohol and sugar.
I have some things to say about chickpeas too - socca is one and have you made Ottolenghi's hummus? Also chicken breasts - left over chicken potpie filling this evening, with local gritsssss!
More later
Mama
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| Hazelnut oil from Les Vergers du Marquis |
Having any kind of a pantry is a happiness, especially since your actual kitchen is so tiny. I love the sound of the chickpea salad but probably would use apricots instead of dates - too sweet for my taste. And without having tasted it I completely agree about the orange flower water - there's way too much indiscriminate use of orange flower water. The other evening at a large buffet dinner with a north African/Middle Eastern flavour to it, there was a boiled beetroot salad with OFW in it - too flowery and sweet in a way that beetroot doesn't need. And do you need me to bring more hazelnut oil? I think I got you a tiny can from the US last time but I could be very kind and bring you one from Pillac. I just made myself home sick by looking at online photos of Pillac! Here I found photos of the hazel harvest - doesn't look like a barrel of laughs.
I have become a fan of pomegranate molasses thanks to you and Ottolenghi. One of your surrogate aunties has three kinds in her cupboards - pomegranate, barberry and something else - I only remembered the barberry because it is so exotic and I felt quite pathetic as I only had one kind of fruit molasses in my otherwise enviable pantry. (Today, you could freeze a pig in there.) I googled fruit molasses and came across this recipe for cranberry molasses which I think could be really good - I'll let you know. It's obviously that time of year here in the US. This week will be heavy on the turkey, alcohol and sugar.
I have some things to say about chickpeas too - socca is one and have you made Ottolenghi's hummus? Also chicken breasts - left over chicken potpie filling this evening, with local gritsssss!
More later
Mama
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