Chicken Tagine with Pumpkin + Chickpeas

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH PUMPKIN AND CHICKPEAS
A tagine is a traditional stew and cooking pan from Morocco.

Ingredients:
6 large whole chicken legs (with thighs), skins removed.
2 tsp. cumin, crushed seeds or powder
2 large onions, peeled and quartered
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt + pepper
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 cup pumpkin pesto or 1 cups organic pumpkin puree.
pinch of ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup cooked chickpeas


Season the chicken legs with salt and pepper. If using cumin seeds, toast the seeds over medium heat just until you smell the flavors releasing. Crush in a mortar + pestle or with the bottom of a heavy pan. Sprinkle the cumin over the chicken. Set the aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a skillet over medium heat, saute the onions in butter and olive oil until softened. Season with salt and continue cooking until the onions are cooked, about 10 minutes. Add the pumpkin pesto, garlic, cinnamon and parsley. Stir until blended. Remove the mixture from the pan and place in a large tagine cooker.

Arrange the chicken legs over the mixture in one layer, skin side up. Add the chicken stock.
Cover the tagine and bake for 20 minutes, or until the liquid is bubbling. Reduce the heat to 175 degrees. Add the chickpeas and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, or until the chicken legs are tender to the touch of a fork.

Serve the chicken tagine over Sardinian Fregola.

Serves six.

Buon appetito! copyright 2011 Alisa Barry

Roasted Pumpkin + Sage Risotto

This recipe is one of my fall favorites.
If you've never made risotto, it might seem a bit daunting, but really it's very easy. It just takes time. Stirring, stirring, stirring. It is oh so worth it. Risotto is an Italian staple, originating in the North of Italy where rice paddies are abundant. {it might also have something to do with the stick-to -the-ribs warming quality of the dish in the winter}. Canaroli is my rice of choice. It's a bit more expensive, but the finished dish depends on quality of the rice. You want the rice to be al dente, yet creamy. Once cooked, you pretty much have to enjoy it presto, right away. As the Italian saying goes, "risotto waits for no one."

ROASTED PUMPKIN + SAGE RISOTTO

1 Medium sweet pumpkin
4 cups organic chicken broth
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp. garlic, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup canaroli or vialone nano rice
1 cup Pumpkin Pesto
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup Parmesean cheese

Roasting the Pumpkin:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the top off of the pumpkin and remove the pulp and seeds from the inside. {Save the seeds for roasting later}.
Rub the pumpkin lightly with olive oil and place on a parchment-lined sheetpan. Bake in the middle rack of the oven until golden brown and soft, about 45 minutes to an hour. The flesh of the pumpkin should be tender and easily pierced with a fork. Keep warm until ready to serve with the risotto.

Making the risotto:
Heat broth on low simmer until ready to use. In a medium- size saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the onions and garlic until soft. Add white wine and reduce by half, stirring occassionally to make sure all of the rice is evenly coated and does not burn on the bottom. Turn heat to medium high. Stirring continuously, add broth by 1/2 cup increments. As the liquid evaporates, add more. Within 20 minutes , taste for a creamy texture . Add pesto and continue stirring until risotto is al dente. Stir in mascarpone and Parmesan cheese just until blended. Serve at once with fried sage leaves and grated cheese.

Making the fried sage leaves:
You can cook these just before making the risotto.
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
10-12 fresh sage leaves, washed and dried.

Heat the butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook just until crisp, the butter will be foamy and just turning a light brown. Remove the pan from the heat and with a slotted spoon, transfer the sage leaves to a paper- lined plate. Set aside until Ready to use.

Buon appetito!


* PHOTO CREDIT: Thanks to Edie Kirkman for her beautiful photograph taken at Whole Foods Cooking School in Atlanta.


copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

Pumpkin Sage and Potato Gratin

Fall harvest is here and the Thanksgiving holiday is just around the corner. Menu planning is no doubt on everyone's mind right now. One of my favorite seasonal products is Pumpkin Pesto. It is made with pumpkin puree, roasted sweet potatoes and fresh sage. A hint of balsamic vinegar and brown sugar sweeten it up a bit for that perfect balance of flavors.

This season, I have been making a lot of one dish that seems to be a favorite of everyone who has enjoyed a taste.
Pumpkin Sage and Potato Gratin. It is quick and easy to make and a perfect side dish for the Thanksgiving Holiday menu.

PUMPKIN SAGE AND POTATO GRATIN

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large yukon gold potatoes
1 cup Pumpkin Pesto
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano Parmesan cheese
2 cups heavy whipping cream
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large ovenproof cassarole dish, butter the bottom and sides until well coated. Slice the potatoes into 1/8 inch rounds {no need to peel the potato if using yukon golds-simply clean and dry well}.


>Place the slices of the potato in a single, slightly overlapping layer to cover the bottom of the dish. Lightly salt and Pepper.


Spoon the pumpkin pesto over the top of the bottom and use a spatula to spread out so each bite will have a taste of the pumpkin. Sprinkle with one half {1/2 cup} of the Parmesan Cheese.



Add one more layer of potatoes. Season lightly with the salt and pepper, then sprinkle with the Parmesan Cheese. {The cheese can be salty, depending on which kind you use, so be careful with how much salt you add}.

Pour the cream over the potato mixture evenly, so that the potatoes are just coated.



Dot the rest of the butter over the top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork and the top is golden brown and bubbly . If the gratin starts to get too dark while cooking, cover with a piece of tin foil the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Serves six to eight.

Buon appetito!
copyright 2008 Alisa Barry