Kate and Baz's Wedding Present

Mo-Roccen chicken tagine and spice mix

Today were off to Kate and Baz's wedding in Sydney and we have decided to get them a tagine and some of my favourite spices. This little Moroccan number is great as you make the spice mix once and it lasts a good 3-4 meals and by the last meal there is no need for a recipe as by then you have got the idea on how it all works well with chicken effectually needs the Moroccan spice mix, chicken, a starch(eg chickpeas) something crunchy like nuts and most importantly something sweet(the apricots) I have used craisins before and it was AWESOME!!

Mo-Roccen Spice Mix 

·         5 teaspoons cumin seeds

·         5 teaspoons coriander seeds

·         1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds

·         2 ½   whole allspice

·         5 teaspoons ground nutmeg

·         2 ½   teaspoons ground ginger

·         1 ¼   teaspoons ground red pepper

·         1 ¼   teaspoons ground cinnamon

·         1 ½ teaspoons salt

Roast seed spices in an oven or constantly stirring in a dry pan over a stove(recommended) then combine remaining ingredients in a mortar and pestle and GRIND!

Mo-Roccen Chicken recipe

• 2  medium  sliced Onions
• Couple of cloves of Garlic
• Pinch or 2 of salt
• 1  teaspoon brown  sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon  black pepper
• Cup chicken stock
• 1/3  cup  Apricots
• 1/3 cup Almonds
• 4  chicken thighs fillets roughly chopped
• 1  cup chickpeas
• Oil (recommend low fragrance)
•  2-3 teaspoon Mo-Roccen mix

Serve with couscous

Heat oil in a tagine over medium heat. Add onion and garlic cook until soft then add Mo-Roccen mix and chicken when chicken is lightly browned turn down heat to very-low add stock, chickpeas, cover and cook on low heat on in and oven for 30-40 minutes NB don’t peek as the heat will escape.

After this add Apricots Nuts and salt and pepper to flavour.

NB Mo-Roccan mix keeps well so keep it in a jar in the cupboard.

Welcome to my Food Flogging Blog and Roast Beetroot Dip

I've finaly done it... I started a blog complete with my shitty formating and consistancy...

To start with I want to share a recipe: Roast Beetroot Dip that I recently made this for My wife Cristie’s 30^th birthday BBQ along with a series of other things that I whacked up over a few nights in my standard late night cooking frenzy.. I don’t know how much I will be able to pull these midnight mania missions off once I’m a Dad in a few months.. but if it is food I’d say kismet and Cristie won’t mind more food..

4 Medium beetroot (typicly sold as a bunch)

4-5 bits of garlic

150g yoghurt

2 tbs fresh lemon juice

1 tsp ground cumin

1-2 tsp coriander seeds

1/3 tsp fennel seed

A fair bit of salt and a crack of ground pepper

Splash I think it was about 2 tbs of olive oil

Method

• Preheat oven @ 180°C.
• Trim beetroot to have about an inch of stalk left..
• Bake beetroot and the garlic for about 40 minutes or until tender. Cool for a while.. Until not hot..
  Separate tray or stainless bowl Roast Coriander and fennel seed until coriander browns..
• Grind roast spices with a bit of salt and the cumin. I used a pestle in the little stainless bowl but if you don’t have a mortar and pestle I’d try crushing with the side of a knife on a chopping board.
• Squeeze the beetroot out of skin and chop remaining bit of stalk off. Peel the garlic if you didn’t already
• Put everything so far and the yoghurt and lemon juice into a food processor. Process until fairly smooth.
• Taste and add some olive oil and keep processing until not tasting of dirt flavour that beetroot is famous for.. You may need to add some salt and pepper too..
• Cover and refrigerate
• Serve once chilled

I think this one gets better with time as it tastes great a day or two later… or that could be I had a case of having high expectations just after cooking something at 11pm….