entrees: the final frontier

If you pop by my little space on the interwebnets, you know how passionately I feel about cinnamon. That glorious little spice is probably present in 90% of my recipes, which isn't really that obsessive a big deal when you consider that most of them are for baked goods.



Well, folks, I'm branching out.

I've always been intrigued by the flavors of Moroccan cuisine, with the use of sweet, plump raisins and fragrant cinnamon in an entree being particularly appealing. Toss in a few more of my favorite ingredients--chicken, chickpeas, and cilantro--and we're well on our way to a new but exciting taste experience! Why did I wait so long to try this out? Heaven only knows.

This stew was quite simple to put together--as is often the case, the hardest part was waiting. I don't own a tagine, the traditional piece of kitchen equipment in which to prepare a dish like this, but I think the good ol' Dutch oven worked just fine.

In addition to being easy, my Moroccan meal was really packed with complimentary and delicious flavors. A choice spoonful for this gal would contain a chunk of meaty chicken, two swollen and juicy raisins, two nutty chickpeas, some verdant cilantro, a glob of tangy tomato, and enough rich broth to send that cinnamon aroma straight up your nose. Yeah...I broke out the big spoon for this supper.

Now that I've used cinnamon in a main dish, there'll be no looking back. Resistance is futile.

Moroccan Melange
(pieced together from multiple sources)

1 onion, chopped
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
2 cups whole tomatoes, broken up, with their juices
1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, saute the onions in oil until they become soft, around 8 to10 minutes. Add the chicken, tomatoes, beans, raisins, broth, lemon juice, and spices and cook covered in the oven for at least 2 hours (but longer is better). Be careful not to let the stew dry out!
Before serving, adjust seasonings and top with cilantro.