Someone Else Makes Dinner For Me!

Even as someone who loves to cook, it is always a pleasant treat when a friend offers to make dinner for me (and smart thinking on the part of the friend as it means I will return the favor soon enough). When I've had a particularly stressful day, or a long week, or we just need an excuse to get together, I can always count on my friend, Pamalicious, to cook up something delicious. A fan of ethnic cuisines, Pamalicious has shown me the ways to making arroz con pollo (y mojo, delicioso!) and also carnitas and recently made this delightful Moroccan style dish for me from a recipe she found in Gourmet Magazine (also known to some as "Food Porn Magazine").

Awesomely, she made the dish from memory--a testament to not only how easy it is, but how delicious it is too! "I made some adaptations. I didn't use the almonds, and I also use more ginger and cinnamon, as I like mine more highly spiced. Adding a 1/2 tsp of cloves gives it a nice flavor, too," she explained to me when I asked for the recipe later. The recipe below is how it was prepared for me but you can click the link to see the original recipe.

Moroccan Style Chicken with Apricots Glaze
--2 TBSP honey
--1/2 cup dried apricots, halved
--cinnamon
--ground ginger
--black pepper
--salt
--2 TBSP olive oil
--2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, each pounded to consistent thickness
--1 TBSP butter
--medium yellow onion, diced
--garlic, minced
--1/2 bundle fresh parsley, chopped
--1/2 bundle fresh cilantro, chopped

In a sauce pan bring one cup of water, the honey, and the apricots to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the liquid reduces to a thick syrup. If your apricots are particularly dry you might need to add more water.

Whisk ground cinnamon, ginger, pepper, a pinch of salt, and 1 TBSP olive oil in a large bowl. Dredge the chicken in the mixture, coating each piece thoroughly.

Heat butter and 1 TBSP olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the butter melts. Brown the chicken in the butter, cooking 4-ish minutes on each side (amount of time will depend on the thickness of the breasts).

Add onion, garlic, and a sprinkle of salt to the pan and sauté for a few minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan and the cilantro and parsley. Cover the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the apricot mixture and cook, uncovered for 10 or so more minutes. Serve with couscous. Eat!

Pamalicious is excited about the meal she just made for us.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 60 minutes
Serves: 2
Calories: 661 per serving

From Israel With Love

Recently I had the pleasure of being invited to a dinner party hosted by some lovely folks from Israel. Our food was Mediterranean themed and our gracious hosts made such wonderful dishes as falafel, Israeli salad, hummus, roasted chickpeas salad, and chicken shawarma with fresh pita.

Traditionally shawarma refers to meat that has been slow-roasted on a spit rotisserie style. It is often served as a sandwich or wrap with a pita and fattoush salad. Our version has been adapted for home cooks without access to a rotisserie (or hours for slow cooking).

Chicken Shawarma
--1 small sweet white or yellow onion, finely minced
--olive oil

--2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into chunks
--garlic, finely minced
--paprika

--light curry powder
--cumin

--black pepper

Tip!
Peel the onion and slice in half. Using the smallest grade on a cheese grater, grate each half of the onion. Be careful not to slice off chunks of your fingers! Grating the onion in this way gets the onion into small pieces and also keeps the juices which will mix well into your shawarma sauce.

I planted myself in the kitchen while Naor, one of our gracious hosts, showed me how to make his version of the shawarma.

Ours is a fast version that takes about 45 minutes. If you have two hours, you can also cook the shawarma slowly on medium low. Naor informs, "When I am in Israel and we make this it is done over a wood stove."

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot throw in the onion and 3/4 of the chicken. Move the chicken so that 1/4 of the pan is still open. Pour some olive oil into this hole and add in the minced garlic. Let it saute for a few minutes before stirring together and adding in the rest of the chicken.


"When making shawarma look for the color," Naor tells me as we begin to add spices to the chicken mixture. First we layer on the paprika, then the curry powder and the cumin.



The water that cooks out of the chicken combines with the onion and garlic juices to form a sauce. As we mix our chicken and spices together I notice there is a lot of water in the pan.

As we continue to cook down, season, and stir this water will evaporate and the liquid will cease to be thin as time goes on.


Naor lets the chicken cook down for a few minutes in between seasoning. He'll stir and then add a layer of paprika, cumin, and curry powder. Our chicken, which started off pink, is now a lovely golden color. Our sauce which was once quite yellow has transcended to gold and then finally a rich ochre color.

Once Naor is satisfied with the color and the consistency of the caramel-colored sauce, we begin to sneak bites of the chicken to determine whether we should add more seasoning. Finally, after one final seasoning, stir, and cook down session, he declares it ready.

And man, was it ever good!