Aperitif, Main Course, Dessert

It was a lemony sort of day . . . 

From the aperitif

of a gin martini

(is there any other kind?)

not with olives

but rather with lemon

a Meyer lemon

a Meyer preserved lemon

The lemony flavor was good with the gin

and the preserved lemon was briney enough to be a good olive replacement.

Dinner was a tajine

Done not in a tajine

(for I won't spend the money for one)

(and I don't have a place to store one)

but rather in my Le Creuset pot

(It makes a good stand-in for a tajine!)

 Lemons and olives and chickens and Moroccan seasonings.

From Ina Garten -- so it isn't "authentic" but Ina's recipes are always good!

Moroccan Chicken Tajine

6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 t. ground cumin

1 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. sweet paprika

1 T. kosher salt (I used lemon salt)

1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

1 large Spanish onion, grated (about 1 cup)

2 T. olive oil

1 to 2 preserved lemons, depending on size

8 chicken thighs, with bone and skin

Stems from parsley and cilantro, tied with twine

1/4 t. powdered saffron or 1/4 t. powdered turmeric and 4 strands saffron

1 cup pitted green Moroccan or Greek olives

1/2 bunch Italian parleys, chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

In a large bowl, mix the garlic, cumin, ginger, paprika, salt and pepper, 1/2 c. grated onion and the oil.

Rinse the preserved lemons and remove the pulp.   RESERVE the lemon peel for late use.

Add the lemon pulp to mixing bowl.   Add the chicken.   Mix everything together and place in a large plastic bag to marinate overnight in the refrigerator (24 hours really gives the chicken the best flavor).

In a large Dutch oven, place the chicken and marinade; add the stems of the parsley and cilantro, the rest of the grated onion, the powdered saffron and 1 1/2 c. water.    Bring to a boil over high heat, turn down to a simmer and cook, partially covered for 30 minutes.

Remove the cover, stir the chicken and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

Remove the chicken to a serving dish and cover with foil to keep warm.    Keep the sauce on stove and begin to reduce.

Slice the preserved lemon peel into thin slices and add to the sauce along with the olives, parsley and cilantro.   Reduce until the sauce is just a little thick.    This shouldn't take more than 5 min at the most.

Unocover the chicken and remove the skin from the chicken (It doesn't look pretty and who needs extra fat)   Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Dessert?

More lemons and olive oil

make a great cake

which is truly one of our favorites.

Made not the usual way with lemon zest and olive oil

but rather

A jar of preserved Meyer Lemon in olive oil

drained and the preserved lemon used in place of the zest

Not quite enough olive oil so regular olive oil was added to get the right amount.

It's a moister cake

A great after dinner cake

And a great tea cake for our afternoon nosh.

And the flavors are much more pronounced using the

preserved lemon in olive oil versus the "regular" way!

Do you remember in the late 80's 

lemon pepper

hit the shelves

One of my friends used lemon pepper in everything.

Green beans with lemon pepper,

Fish with lemon pepper

Salads with lemon pepper

Everything with lemon pepper

So tiring that I ended up avoiding lemon pepper like the plague!

But I was inspired this week

To use this citron lemon cyprus flake sea salt

Not on everything

but I did use it in the cake, the tajine, some steelhead trout I fixed  earlier in the week.

It's a great salt and definitely adds that "depth of flavor" that we are always looking for!

It is Friday and I'm joining Michael at Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday.