Warming Meals

By Britt Allgood

Winter 2023 is upon us. Cold, blustery days with a little sunshine and sometimes rain or snow make me crave a hearty and hot meal. When these cravings hit, I look for something that will lift my spirits and flirt with my taste buds. Root vegetables, soups, stews, casseroles, or gratins all help me to shake off the winter blues.

Dinner tonight

As I’m writing, I’m also thinking about what to make for dinner. Some time ago, I found a Moroccan-inspired dish with chicken, green olives, chickpeas, and apricots but it didn’t have enough spice for my taste. I’ve made it many times since and keep tweaking the recipe to amplify the flavor - today I’m going to share it with you. I’ve also modified the cooking style to cut the cooking time down from about three hours to ninety minutes.

The dish is typically prepared in a Tagine or as a Tagine. Confused, well so was I until I found out that a Tagine is another word for stew but it is also the name of the crockery in which the dish is prepared. I happen to have a Tagine but if you don’t you can prepare it in a Dutch oven or a heavy-bottom ovenproof pan with a lid.

You can serve the tagine with many things based on your preference such as white or saffron rice, a green salad, a tomato and cucumber salad, couscous, or just bread. Moroccan food isn’t very vegetable oriented but we are, so there may be some broccoli or carrots on the menu tonight as well.

Soup for the week

Soups are always on the menu in our home in the winter. They can be a quick snack, lunch, or a first course for a meal. I’ve written about soups many times and some of our favorites are carrot, butternut and parsnip, and potato leek. I recently came across a Wild Rice and mushroom soup that made my mouth water and I’m going to make a pot this weekend.

The soup has two types of mushrooms coupled with the nutty flavor of wild rice. Due to a mislabeled bulk bin at Whole Foods, I have an abundance of wild rice. So I’m not only making a potentially delicious soup, but I’m clearing some of the clutter from my kitchen cupboard.

Stay warm, Live, Laugh, Love, and Eat Well my friends.

Wild Rice and Mushroom soup

Serves 6 to 8 Total time 1 hour 45 min

1/4 oz. dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed

5 garlic cloves, peeled (1 whole and 4 minced)

1 sprig fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried

1 bay leaf

1 ½ tsp salt, divided

¼ tsp baking soda

1 cup wild rice, uncooked

4 cups water

4 TBSP unsalted butter

1 LB Cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced ¼ inch thick

1 onion, chopped fine

1 tsp tomato paste

1 tsp black pepper

2/3 cup dry sherry

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 TBSP soy sauce

¼ cup cornstarch

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup minced fresh chives

¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 375° F with rack in the middle. Grind the shiitake mushrooms in a spice or clean coffee grinder until finely ground (should be about 3 TBSP).

Bring four cups of water, whole garlic clove, thyme, bay leaf, ¾ tsp salt, and baking soda to a boil in an oven-proof pot. Add rice and return to boil. Cover and transfer to the oven and bake until rice is tender, 35 to 50 minutes. Strain the rice through a fine mesh strainer, and set it over a container that will hold 4 cups. Discard the garlic, thyme sprig, and bay leaf, and set the rice aside. Add enough water to the reserved cooking liquid to measure 3 cups.

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over high heat. Add the cremini mushrooms, onion, tomato paste, pepper, minced garlic, and remaining ¾ tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are browned and dark liquid develops in the bottom of the pot, about 15 minutes. Stir in sherry and scrape up any brown bits and continue to cook until almost dry, about 2 minutes. Stir in the ground shiitake mushrooms, reserved rice cooking liquid, broth, and soy sauce, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until onion and mushrooms are tender, about 20 minutes.

Whisk cornstarch with ¼ cup water in a small bowl until cornstarch is dissolved. Stir cornstarch mixture into the soup, return to simmer, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cooked rice, cream, chives, and lemon zest. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken with Apricots, Olives, and Almonds

Serves 4

Total time 90 minutes

3 pounds skinless, chicken thighs (or use boneless skinless cut into ½ inch cubes to make faster)

1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 TBSP olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth

One 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained

3/4 cup green olives

3/4 cup dried Turkish apricots

1/2 cup sliced almonds

In a large bowl, toss the chicken thighs with the onion, cumin, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne, and season with salt and pepper. Heat Olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pan with a lid. When the oil is hot, transfer the chicken and onions to the pan and cook over high heat for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the bay leaf and chicken broth, chickpeas, olives, and apricots, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through and the apricots are plump about 1 hour. Remove the bay leaf and season the juices with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the almonds on a pie plate and toast for about 7 minutes, until fragrant and lightly golden. Spoon the chicken and juices into shallow bowls, sprinkle with the toasted almonds and serve.