This Ultimate Chopped Salad became a staple in my diet when I moved part-time to Italy. I was trying to figure out a way to mix in a salad with my daily mealplan.

Don’t get me wrong, I love pasta and treats but too much of a good thing can be unhealthy. Most Italians don’t serve salad as a meal. It’s typically a side dish and served after the meal. In the U.S. we have plenty of salad-centric restaurants and a soup and salad or a sandwich and salad is considered a healthy and delicious meal. I don’t expect to find any salad bars around here! A U.S. supermarket will typically carry lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, and cucumbers but that’s not enough to sustain most of us as a primary meal. I decided to come up with something on my own.

For anyone who enjoys variety, I know that eating the exact same thing every day for lunch sounds awful. But women in the cast of the sitcom Friends did exactly this for a decade with one very special dish, which they nicknamed the “Jennifer Salad”.  We ate the same food: a “Jennifer Salad,” Courtney Cox explained as their daily lunch ritual for 10 years. Jennifer Aniston may not be eating salads with her castmates anymore, but the American actress changed her beloved salad recipe just a little bit. She calls it “My perfect salad – Bulgur, cucumbers, parsley, red onion, garbanzo beans, feta cheese, & pistachios,” she wrote in the accompanying caption.

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The Ultimate Chopped Salad

Course Entree

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 2 diced cucumbers.
• 1 15oz. can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained.
• half red onion thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley.
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh mint.
• 1/2 cup cubed feta cheese.
• 1/2 cup quartered strawberries
• DRESSING
• 1/4 cup apricot balsamic vinegar or white balsamic
• 2 tbsp juice lemon or half juiced lemon
• 1/2 tbsp honey mustard
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Bring 1 ¾ cup of water to a boil. Add 1 cup of quinoa. Bring to a rolling boil, stir, turn the heat down to low and cover. Cook for 15 minutes covered. Turn off heat and let sit for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, open lid and fluff with a fork. Your quinoa should have absorbed all the water, if not, return to heat for a few more minutes. Uncover the pot. Stir the quinoa. Let the quinoa cool for at least 20 minutes until it’s room temperature. Separate what you need. Refrigerate the rest.
• Make the salad dressing. In a small glass container, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, the lemon juice, mustard, sugar and a pinch of salt. Add the extra virgin olive oil and whisk until the olive oil is emulsified into the dressing. Set aside.
• Peel and slice the cucumbers, peel and thin slice the red onions, chop the parsley and the mint.
• Cut the feta cheese into cubes and cut the strawberries into quarters.
• Mix all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Separate the amount of salad you are going to serve and pour some salad dressing over it until incorporated. Taste it. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you like more dressing, add more. Otherwise reserve leftover dressing for the next salad.

The post The Ultimate Chopped Salad appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

On my previous Moroccan Couscous recipe, I went over the history of Couscous. This time I just want to present you with a variation to it which will go perfectly with my Chicken Tagine with Prunes and Apricots recipe. 

Also, the use of Preserved Lemons is a must in order to fully taste all those beautiful exotic flavors. I strongly encourage you to either make your own, order them from Amazon.com, or get them from a Middle Eastern market. 

This will be my last post on Moroccan cuisine for now as summer is finally upon us and I would like to share some of my favorite salad recipes with you all.

I hope you enjoyed this Moroccan series as much as I enjoyed creating it for you. 

Happy cooking!

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APRICOT COUSCOUS WITH PRESERVED LEMONS

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Moroccan

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup diced dried apricots
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp minced preserved lemons peel only rinsed
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 cup instant couscous

Instructions

• Heat water, apricots, honey, oil, preserved lemons, and salt in a saucepan to a boil over medium-high.
• Stir in couscous, remove from heat, cover pan, and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork before serving.

Notes

The post Apricot Couscous with Preserved Lemons appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

After being in Morocco and eating Tagine on a daily basis I can say that without a doubt, this is my favorite Tagine. There is something magical when you mix the chicken with prunes, apricots, and all those exotic aromatic spices. I had to bring my own lunch to a blog seminar and was informed that there would be a microwave available. When I warmed up my Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Prunes and Apricots and started eating, every single person who came inside the dining room wanted to know what I was eating, and what smelled so good. This dish is pure wonderfulness (spellchecker going crazy)!

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Since this is my second Tagine post, I will not repeat all of the information regarding Tagine that I had in the first post. What I would remind you is that Tagine is both a piece of cookware and a style of cooking. A Tagine is a two-piece set of cookware, traditionally made of clay and comprising a round shallow base topped with a fluted cone-shaped chimney. In Morocco, tagines are used for cooking stews and in some cases eggs and vegetables for a morning meal. If you don’t have a Tagine in the house, feel free to try a cast-iron or enameled Dutch Oven.

Although I have presented a couple of wonderful classic recipes, I would like to add that there is no single traditional recipe for Tagine but each Region, city, village, family, has its own authentic recipe. And let’s also say that like all dishes, it can be cooked with the ingredients to your liking. So here I offer you my choice, then you have fun trying your variants. 

Serve this delicious Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Prunes and Apricots with your favorite couscous or bread and see magic happens. BON APPETIT! 

.

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Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Prunes and Apricots

Course Main Course

Cuisine Moroccan

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs 4 chicken drumsticks
• 1 lemon preserved with pulp separated and minced
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tablespoon harissa Moroccan chili sauce
• 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 1 TSP ground coriander
• 1 TSP ground ginger
• 1 TSP ground cumin
• 1 TSP ground paprika
• 1 TSP ground turmeric
• 1/2 TSP salt
• 1 TSP ground pepper
• 3 TBSP fresh chopped parsley
• 3 TBSP fresh chopped cilantro
• 3 TBSP oil
• 1 small sweet onion diced
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 10 dried pitted prunes
• 15 dried apricots
• 3 TBSP brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 TBSP brown sugar
• 1 TSP butter
• 1 TSP chopped cilantro and 1 TSP chopped parsley for garnishing

Instructions

• Begin by first removing the fat and skin off the chicken then wash it and set it aside.
• Now, let's make the marinade. In a large bowl add minced lemon pulp, garlic, harissa sauce, lemon juice, saffron threads, ground coriander, ginger, cumin, paprika, turmeric, salt, pepper, parsley, and cilantro. Mix it altogether. Rub the chicken with marinate making sure you massage the chicken and spread the marinade all over it evenly.
• Turn on fire on medium-low and heat up the tagine pot, making sure to place a heat diffuser underneath, otherwise the clay pot will crack, or use a dutch oven or a large heavy skillet. Heat up the oil and start to cook the onions on a medium fire until they are soft and translucent about 6 minutes. Arrange the chicken on top of the onions and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Add the chicken broth to remaining marinate, mix it together and poor over the chicken and bring to a boil. Cover the tagine pot and cook it for 30 minutes. Meanwhile place the prunes, apricots, sugar, and cinnamon stick inside a sauce pan, add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook on a low fire uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until the liquid has reduced and turn into a sirup consistency.
• After 30 minutes turn chicken and cook for another 15 minutes. Add chopped lemon preserved peel and butter. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the prunes, apricots with the sirup sauce and discard the cinnamon stick. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste the chicken tagine and add more salt or pepper to taste. Sprinkle 1 TSP of cilantro-parsley on top and serve immediately with couscous or rice. Bon appetite!
• Turn the chicken over and cook for another 20 minutes. Add the chopped preserved lemon peel and the butter. Stir it. Cook for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle some cilantro and parsley on it and serve it with couscous or bread.
• Do not add salt until the end as the chicken and the preserved lemon is already salty.

The post Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Prunes and Apricots appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

Continuing with this Moroccan series, let’s talk about Couscous…

What is Couscous? – Couscous is a popular dish in Morocco and North Africa but is eaten all over the world. History has various theories about its origins. Some believe that couscous, like pasta, was created in China, while others are certain its origin is from East Africa. According to food writer Charles Perry, couscous originated among the Berbers of Algeria and Morocco between the end of the 11th-century Zirid dynasty, modern-day Algeria, and the rise of the 13th-century Almohad Caliphate.

In the eleventh century, the Arab-Islamic conquest contributed to the spread of the dish throughout the North African region. Economic growth and the development of wheat production accelerated its expansion. Later, couscous was brought to the southern region of Andalusia in Spain and reached South America, through the Portuguese that emigrated from Morocco. The adoption of couscous continued in the twentieth century, mainly due to migratory waves from North Africa to Europe, and France.

Today, couscous is the culinary ambassador of North Africa and is an emblem of Moroccan culinary art. Light, versatile, and easy to prepare, it’s a delectable addition to any menu that also has numerous health benefits. Everyone has their own favorite recipe. Here is mine. Enjoy! 

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Moroccan Couscous

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Moroccan

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup instant couscous
• 1/4 cup pitted dates finely chopped
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds or pine nuts
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

• Bring juice and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small pot. Remove from heat.
• Stir in couscous and allow to sit covered for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a separate pan, saute dates, raisins, almonds and cinnamon in 1/2 cup to 3/4 water for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Add cooked couscous. Mix well and serve.

The post Moroccan Couscous appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

Before I jump into this recipe, I wanted to mention that preserved lemons are a central ingredient in this dish. If you read my last post about preserved lemons, you will understand why I chose to post a recipe for preserved lemons first. Because preserved lemons are quintessential to Moroccan cuisine. Without preserved lemons, Authentic Chicken Tagine would not be, well…Authentic. I strongly encourage you to either make your own, order them from Amazon.com or get them from a Middle Eastern market. Now back to the post.

What is Tagine?

In a general sense, tagine is a stew or a casserole-style dish that is cooked in a specially shaped pot also called a Tagine. It originated from the Berbers, the native, nomadic peoples of the deserts of North Africa whose culture greatly influenced the development of Moroccan culture as a whole. Some people believe it’s more accurate to refer to tagine cooking as a style of cooking, rather than as a specific type of dish – this makes sense considering the sheer variety of different stews that can be made in a tagine pot!

Spices Make the Dish

One common trait of nearly all tagine dishes is the liberal use of spices and aromatics. The most popular tagines in Morocco tend to feature both sweet and savory flavors – you’ll have a chicken tagine with lemons and olives or lamb tagine with prunes. Spices used include saffron, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, and many others. While Tagines commonly feature meats and poultry, these dishes can be completely vegetarian as well!

The Tagine Pot

One unique aspect of tagine cooking is the use of the tagine pot, which is unlike anything you may have seen before in the kitchen. It is flat on the bottom but conical on top. This shape helps to enhance the amazing flavors in a tagine dish – the conical top captures all of the flavors during cooking, condenses them, and then drips back down into the food, continually basting it. For the Berbers, who lived in the desert where water was hard to come by, this shape allowed them to conserve water during cooking  – it also saved space during their nomadic wandering since the cooking vessel was also used to serve the meal!

Tagines are best for long, slow cooking of tough cuts of meat, though vegetarian stews work well too.

But you don’t need a tagine to make this recipe. Use a Dutch oven or another lidded pot instead, as long as the lid fits tightly. If you choose to get a tagine, the use of a diffuser between the tagine and the heat source is essential. A diffuser is a flat metal paddle that sits between the burner and the tagine, and as the name says, it diffuses the heat so the ceramic doesn’t crack and break.

Begin by first removing the fat from the chicken, then wash it and set it aside. Then make the marinade and mix it all together. Rub the chicken with the marinade ensuring you spread it evenly.

And now, without further ado, it’s time to make our Authentic Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons. Happy cooking!

Cook’s note: Tagines are usually served accompanied by couscous which I’m planning to post next so stay tuned for the recipe!

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Chicken Tagine

Course Main Course

Cuisine Moroccan

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 4 chicken drumsticks and 4 chicken thighs
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 preserved lemon *can make yourself* or purchase online pulp separated from peel
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley plus an extra 1 tsp for garnishing
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro plus an extra 1 tsp for garnishing
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 small red onions finely sliced or 1 large one
• 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
• half cup green olives
• 1 teaspoon ghee or butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground pepper
• Optional Harissa paste for serving on the side

Instructions

• Begin by first removing the fat off the chicken then wash it and set aside.
• Now, let's make the marinate. In a large bowl add the garlic, the pulp of the preserved lemon, parsley, cilantro, 2 TSPS lemon juice, paprika, ginger, cumin, turmeric, coriander, saffron threads. Mix it altogether. Rub the chicken with marinate making sure you massage the chicken and spread the marinade all over it evenly.
• Turn on the fire on low and heat up the tagine pot, making sure to place a heat diffuser underneath, otherwise the clay pot will crack, or use a dutch oven or a large heavy skillet. Heat up the oil and start to cook the onions on a medium fire until they are soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Arrange the chicken on top of the onions and let it cook for about 3 minutes. Turn once. Cook for another 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Cover the pot
• Cover the tagine pot and let it cook for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook for another 20 minutes. Add the chopped preserved lemon peel and the olives. Stir it. Cook for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle some cilantro and parsley on it and serve it with couscous or bread.
• Do not add salt until the end as the chicken and the preserved lemon is already salty.

The post Authentic Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

One might think, it’s just preserved lemons. Why all the fuss? Isn’t that easy to make? True. But, this is not about the level of difficulty, it’s about all the little questions that arise when making preserved lemons. When I took a cooking class in Marrakech, the chef just showed me how to slice the lemons, add salt to them, and place them inside a jar. I thought that was it. So simple. I didn’t think for a minute about all the hows and whys afterwards, after all, I was on vacation and I couldn’t wait to hit the public markets.

Once I returned from my trip, I decided to work on my preserved lemons and many questions arose. For instance, do I have to sterilize the bottle jars first, do I have to …….?

Since I couldn’t get in touch with the chef who taught the class, I had to look for answers online, and pretty much all the recipes I looked at had NO ANSWERS to my questions, so I had to figure them out on my own. The solution was to purchase several bags of lemons, preserve them in different ways, and after 4 weeks, see which ones made it. After four weeks, I discovered that some of the lemon jars turned out beautifully. Others made it, but the lemons turned dark brown in color, and a couple of the jars had mildew on top. Yikes! Since I had stickers placed on each jar, I was able to determine why this occurred. As it turns out, some of the jars were not filled to the top with lemon juice. The ones completely immersed in liquid were fine.

I would have to say this was a fun yet very stressful experience. Waiting four weeks to find out which ones made it and which ones failed was no fun. The good news is that I answered all my questions, and going forward, making preserved lemons will be a breeze, so here we go:

1- THE JARS: Use wide-mouthed 1 pint (16 OZ) jars with a two-piece screw-on lid to preserve 3 lemons, or a 1-quart canning jar to preserve 6-8 lemons.

2- You don’t have to sterilize the jar in boiling water. Salt is a very powerful preservative and has been used to preserve foods for centuries. In Morocco, it’s not customary to sterilize the jars because the salt content is so high, however, I did place mine with the two-piece screw lids inside of a pot of boiling water for a minute because they came home dusty from the hardware store, but if it makes you the least bit worried, then you can boil the jars for 5 minutes to sterilize them, or just run through the hottest wash-and-dry cycle of your dishwater right before you start. Either way, make sure it’s bone dry!

3- Pack them inside the jar as tightly leaving as little air inside the jar as possible. Ensure the lemons are completely covered by the juice, otherwise, they will be floating and the top lemons will not immerse completely in the juice.

4- Pour the juice into the jar until it is filled to the brim and all lemons are completely submerged. This will ensure no mildew forms on top. WARNING! If a piece of lemon is sticking up out of the solution, mold will form!

5- Use sea salt (Iodine will turn lemons brown). I used kosher salt because it has a clean, iodine-free flavor. Avoid table salt as it contains preservatives that prevent it from properly protecting against mold.

6- The Lemons: You will want to use organic, pesticide-free lemons. Get twice as many as lemons as you’re going to preserve, because you’ll use half of them for the juice. A tip I learned from Moroccan chef Mourad Lahlou, executive chef/owner of the Mourad restaurant in San Francisco and also a book Author is before you start juicing, you might want to do what he does at his restaurant: use a zester to strip off the zest from the lemons you are juicing, NOT THE ONES YOU’RE PRESERVING. Spread the zest on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and put it in the freezer. Once it’s frozen, transfer it to a resealable freezer bag and you’ll have a supply of lemon zest ready to use in cooking or baking.

7- Use both conventional lemons and Meyer lemons if you find them and see which one you prefer. I made two batches. I liked the Meyer lemons batch much more. Conventional lemons, (which are generally either Eureka or Lisbon lemons are too tart.). Meyer lemons taste more lemony and are significantly less tart, less acidic, and sweet enough to be added to many dishes, including ice cream. In Morocco, Doqq and Boussera lemons were used. I found that Meyer lemons are most similar to them.

8- Put the jars in a dark spot, like a cupboard or pantry, not in the refrigerator. For one week, turn and shake the jar once a day to redistribute the salt that has settled to the bottom. Add more lemon juice if you notice that the lemons are no longer submerged. I marked the date on the calendar for when they would be ready so I wouldn’t forget. Then, lemons take 1 month to preserve. In the meantime, don’t be concerned if there is a little bubbling around the edge of the jar. That is a normal part of the fermentation process. Your lemons may also turn a little brown, which is also normal. That’s why sea salt is recommended.

9- Storing: In his book, Mourad Lahlou said: Once you’ve opened your jar of preserved lemons, top off the liquid with an 1/8-inch-thick layer of olive oil. You can store the jar at room temperature for several more months, though the lemons will continue to soften. I think they’re at their peak of creaminess after 3 to 4 months. To keep them from softening further, Chef Mourad recommended draining any that are still left after 4 months (save the brine to add sparingly to dressings and sauces) and removing the pulp and pith. Then store the rinds in a small glass jar, completely covered with extra virgin olive oil, for up to a year in the refrigerator. This has the added advantage of giving you a supply of preserved lemon rind that’s always at the ready. If at any point a white film forms on the surface of the liquid, the whole lemons, or the rinds, don’t worry. Just rinse it off before using the lemons.

10- The chef who taught me this class in Morocco said that she had kept preserved lemons inside her cupboard for as long as 3 years without any problem. They got a little discolored, but still tasted amazing. It must be the salt, as it’s a very powerful preservative.

11- Always use utensils to remove needed preserved lemons from the jar, never your hands.

12- If you find the lemon peel too salty, you could soak the preserved lemon in cold water to reduce the salt.

13- Some white crystals will form on the top of the lemons in the jar, which is normal, so do not discard the lemons.

Making Preserved Lemons: First, gather your supplies and ingredients. You will need 1 pint (16 OZ) jar, three lemons per pint jar, or you can use a 1-quart canning jar and double the recipe.

You will want to buy organic and pesticide-free lemons. You will also need kosher salt because it has a clean iodine free flavor. Eureka or Lisbon lemons. I bought a bag of Meyer lemons at Trader Joe’s and they worked beautifully. If you can’t find Meyer lemons, Eureka or Lisbon lemons could be used.

Scrub the lemons you plan to preserve under cold running water, then pat dry. Stand the lemon stem side down and cut into the lemon as if you were going to half it, but stop at 1/2 inch above the bottom. Now make a perpendicular cut, also stopping halfway above the stem.

Next, hold the lemon over a cutting board packing as much salt as possible into the cuts of the lemon, about a tablespoon.

Next, place the lemon in the jar, scored side up, so the salt does not spill out. Pack as many as you can into the jar, pushing down hard so they’re squeezed in tightly.

Put the lid on the jar, and leave it out overnight. The next day, use a clean spoon to pack them tighter and add as many as you can to fill the jar. Juice the remaining lemons, and add the juice to the jar. When the lemons are submerged, tighten the lid and place them in a cool, dark spot to preserve. Don’t tighten the lid too much, as this may cause it to buckle. I had to add a little juice after the first week to make sure the lemons stayed submerged. I checked on my lemons every few days, turning the jar upside down to redistribute the juices and salt through the jar.

HOW TO USE PRESERVED LEMONS: You can add preserved lemons to Couscous: Toss some finely minced preserved lemon rind and parsley into couscous just before serving. Preserved lemons stuffed into the interior of a roasted chicken infuses great flavor. Vinaigrette: Add the brining liquid sparingly to vinaigrette and salad dressings. Use small amounts of the brining liquid to flavor and season chicken and fish, as it really adds to the flavor. Desserts: Add minced preserved lemon rind in small amounts to ice creams or rice pudding. I have salt and juice syrup left, I have been using a small amount of this to flavor and season chicken and fish, it really adds to the flavor.

Conclusion. As Chef Mourad Lahlou said “Every culture has their own unique contribution to the culinary world. According to him, preserved lemons are Morocco’s greatest culinary contribution to the world.”

After being in Morocco and tasting some of their delicious authentic dishes, I would have to agree with him 1000%!

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Preserved Lemons

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 minute minute

Total Time 16 minutes minutes

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 6 Meyer lemons
• 6 tablespoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• juice of 6 lemons

Instructions

• Before starting, find a jar large enough to accommodate all of the lemons snugly — I used a 2-quart jar for my 8 lemons. To sterilize it, fill it with boiling water, leave for a minute, and then empty it. Allow it to dry out naturally without wiping it so it remains sterilized.
• Wash the lemons and cut a deep cross all the way from the top to within ¾ inch from the base. Put a tablespoon of salt in the bottom of a 16 OZ pint-sized jar. Stuff each lemon with about 1 tablespoon of the salt (if lemons are small, use 2 teaspoons) and place in the jar. Push the lemons in tightly so they are squeezed together snugly. Put half tablespoon of salt over the top of the lemon. Repeat the process by putting a tablespoon of salt inside the second lemon, and then push the second lemon in tightly pushing them down hard so they're squeezed in tightly. Seal the jar and leave in a cool spot for at least a week.
• After the initial period, remove the lid and press the lemons as hard as you can to squeeze out as much of the juice as possible. Add the lemon juice, and cover and seal the jar, transfer to the fridge, and leave for at least 4 weeks. The longer you leave them, the better the flavor

The post Preserved Lemons appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

Hello friends. I hope this note finds you well. I’m not going to make this a dramatic occasion because it’s quite the opposite. It’s a celebration. After surviving a nearly fatal accident in Italy and the pandemic which left me unable to travel abroad, I’m back and I couldn’t be happier and healthier. I’ve fully recovered and I am eager to live life, travel, and start posting again, so you can expect great content coming your way soon!

Kind regards,

Carla

The post Special Announcement appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

This dish has just a few ingredients and is perfect for summer barbecues or to take along to a get-together. Some years ago I recall going to a potluck brunch and tasting this Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe. It was delicious and I immediately asked who made the dish! One of the women in attendance said she prepared the dish and that she found the recipe in Giada De Laurentiis new cookbook, Everyday Italian. As soon as I left the party I went straight to Barnes & Nobles and I got myself a copy of her book. I have been making it ever since.

It’s a perfect dish for entertaining because it’s great when served hot and just as delicious at room temperature.

Cook’s notes: When making this Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe I recommend cutting the broccoli stalks lengthwise into one inches pieces. Cut the larger stalks into halves or quarters to keep them delicate.

Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil and the freshest Parmigiano Reggianoano cheese you can find. I shave mine over the top of the hot pasta so that it melts just a bit. For those of you who wish to skip the pork, you can substitute spicy turkey sausage.

I hope you enjoy this Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe recipe and that your guests love it! Happy Summer!!

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Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author My Global Cuisine (Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

Ingredients

• 2 cups of broccoli rabe approximately one big bunch, stalks trimmed and quartered crosswise 2 inches piece size
• 13 ounces or 376g dried orecchiette pasta or other small shaped pasta
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound spicy pork sausage casings removed
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• Pinch of dried crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until crip-tender, about 1 minute. Strain the broccoli rabe with a slotted spoon or spatula, reserving all the cooking liquid. Place the broccoli rabe inside a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside. Cook the orecchiette in the same pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes or according to the package instructions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
• Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until the sausage is brown and juices form, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the broccoli rabe from the cold water, add to the skillet and toss to coat. Add the pasta and enough reserved cooking liquid, about 1/4 cup and stir to moisten. Stir the Parmesan cheese, salt to taste, and pepper into the pasta mixture. Transfer to pasta bowls and serve. Enjoy!

Your comments mean a lot to me. If you made any of my recipes or are considering making them, please leave a comment bellow. Please choose a star rating too. Thank you. Carla!

The post Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

This Brazilian Beef Stroganoff brings back so many wonderful memories from my childhood. I grew up eating this dish in my mother’s kitchen. My mother went to the market for fresh food daily, and cooked lunch and dinner six days a week. A typical meal included rice and beans along with animal or fish protein, seasonal vegetables, and a salad. On Sundays, she usually served spaghetti with rotisserie chicken and salad, and every so often, this Brazilian Beef Stroganoff. It was a special occasion dish and typically served no more than once a month.  It was my favorite, I would regularly beg her to make it more often, but she would always say to me, is it your Birthday? Christmas? She really wanted to make sure that we ate a healthy diet and kept certain dishes for special occasions.

I don’t know if it’s because we only were allowed to eat this on special occasions, or because it’s a decadent Brazilian comfort food,  but I will always consider this Brazilian Beef Stroganoff my ultimate childhood gourmet meal!

A little bit about the history of this dish. Beef Stroganoff is a Russian dish of sautéed pieces of beef served in a sauce with smetana (sour cream). From its origin in mid-19th-century Russia, it has become popular around the world, with many variations of the original recipe. This recipe substitutes heavy cream and ketchup, for the sour cream and mustard used in the Russian recipe. I personally prefer this version since my palate does not appreciate strong mustards such as Dijon.

I hope you enjoy our version of Brazilian Beef Stroganoff and that it brings a lot of comfort and joy to your palate!

Cooks notes: Any tender steak cut such as ribeye, sirloin, or hanger can be used in place of tenderloin. Brazilians serve Beef Stroganoff with white rice and potato chips since they are great for dipping. You could serve this dish with your preferred vegetable as well. Enjoy!

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Brazilian Beef Stroganoff

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 4-5 tablespoons canola or corn oil divided
• 1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin strip steak or top sirloin, thinly sliced across the grain and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 medium sweet onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 10 ounces white mushrooms wiped clean and sliced
• 1/4 cup cognac or brandy
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup flavored beef stock
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley finely chopped
• *******************************************************
• FOR THE RICE
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup white rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• *******************************************************
• OPTIONAL: Potato chips

Instructions

• Bring beef to room temperature before cooking.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season beef with Worcestershire sauce, salt and, pepper. Add half of the beef to the skillet in a single, even layer; cook, turning once, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer beef to a plate, tent with foil and set aside. Repeat process with remaining beef, adding more oil if necessary.
• Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, cook for 20 seconds. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute. Add a splash of oil if necessary. Add cognac. Cook stirring constantly, scraping up browned bits from the bottom, for about 2 minutes.
• Add cream, and tomato paste. Stir to combine; add beef stock and boil until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in ketchup. Cook for another minute.
• Return beef and any juices that have accumulated on the plate to skillet; stir to combine. Cook until beef is heated through. Sprinkle parsley over Beef Stroganoff and serve immediately with white rice and potato chips.
• To make rice:
• Heat one TBSP oil in a medium-sized pan over low heat. Add garlic and fry until fragrant for about 20 seconds. Add rice; increase the heat to medium; cook stirring constantly for about 1 minute; Add water; bring to a boil; add salt and bay leaf; stir; cover pot and bring the heat to a low simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes; uncover the pot and stir the rice; drizzle a little oil over it. Turn off heat. Cover the pot. Let the rice seat inside the covered pot for about 3-5 minutes.
• Enjoy!

Your comments mean a lot to me. If you made any of my recipes or are considering making them, please leave a comment bellow. Please choose a star rating too. Thank you. Carla!

The post Brazilian Beef Stroganoff appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

Some years ago, I met a woman from Vietnam who introduced me to the flavors of her country. After my culinary training in Thailand, I noticed there were some similarities to the Vietnamese food I had come to know over the years.  I started to do some research on traditional Vietnamese cooking. After some time, my search turned me toward a Vietnamese chef named Helen Le. She is very popular on YouTube and she has published a cookbook. Among her recipes is this Vietnamese Shrimp Curry. I love pumpkin, okra, and shrimp and decided to give it a try. All I can say is WOW! The colors and flavors of this Vietnamese Shrimp Curry are marvelous. With a few modifications to make it my own, this dish is now in the regular rotation. Given my love of Southeast Asian food, I am adding Vietnam to my list of countries to visit in the near future. Until I get there, I will be reaching out to my old friend to see if there is another authentic recipe I can share from this food-rich culture.

Above are the ingredients. In the original recipe, Helen adds sweet potatoes and pumpkin to her curry. I found that to be too much for me so I choose to remove the sweet potato. She also adds the onions at the end however since I prefer my onions well cooked, I decided to add mine earlier on in the process. She also cooks this Vietnamese Curry Shrimp with water. While this is a reasonable approach, I find the mixture of half water and half vegetable broth makes the sauce a bit richer. Be sure to pound the Lemongrass as it helps release the flavor (below).

Now we’re cooking! This Vietnamese Curry Shrimp has a perfect balance of spices. It’s hearty, flavorful, and not overly spicy. If you prefer a little more heat, feel free to add a touch of your favorite chili. Overall the dish is somewhere between a soup and a delicious curry. Either way, it will warm your soul.

I hope you will follow in love with this Vietnamese Curry Shrimp just like I did. Enjoy!

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Vietnamese Shrimp Curry

Course Entree

Cuisine Vietnamese

Author My Global Cuisine (Adapted from Helen Le)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound extra-large shrimp or prawns deveined and cleaned, tails on
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 lemongrass stalk cut into 3 inches pieces slightly bruised
• 1 teaspoon lemongrass minced
• 1 pound Asian pumpkin or sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
• 7 ladyfingers okra cut the ends and then into one-inch pieces
• 1 small yellow onion sliced
• 1 shallot minced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable or prawn stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro for garnishing Optional

Instructions

• Season the shrimp with 1 tablespoon of fish or vegetable stock. Add some salt and pepper to it. Set aside.
• Bring a wok or large saucepan to a medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the bruised lemongrass and stir-fry for about 30 seconds to bring out the aroma. Add the remaining minced lemongrass, shallots, and garlic. Fry gently for about 18 seconds.
• Add curry powder, turmeric powder stir together. Add tomato paste. Stir. Add coconut milk, water, stock, stir and bring to a boil. Add salt and sugar. Stir. Add pumpkin and onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add Shrimp and okra and cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Transfer curry to a serving bowl. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
• Enjoy!

Your comments mean a lot to me. If you made any of my recipes or are considering making them, please leave a comment bellow. Please choose a star rating too. Thank you. Carla!

The post Vietnamese Shrimp Curry appeared first on My Global Cuisine.