I’m forever running to the grocery store to pick up a few last minute ingredients that inevitably turn into a buggy full. 

You know this drill. 

Other than to enforce an Eat Out of the Fridge/Pantry Week (which we do out of necessity every other month or so) I can’t seem to break this. 

So while I am guilty of veering off the shopping list path…on occasion I’m so glad I did.  Flounder fillets were not on the list, but when they look as bright and fresh as these did….there’s a change in our dinner plans. 

I had recently paired Cheesy Garlic & Herb Pull-Apart Bread with store-bought, ready-made and delicious Cajun Crab Dip. 

So considering I had run into the store for 3 items and now had a pound of flounder in the buggy…I had no problem at all picking up a tub of this goodness or you could make this Maryland Crab Dip, which would be delicious with the flounder.

When we entered the Winter Thyme season, I declared a Spice Exploration was in order.  It was time for me to get to know spices the way I had fallen in love with fresh herbs. 

Peri Peri

During one of my favorite Sundays with Shelby outings, she and I discovered Penzey’s Spices.  I’ve since revisited Penzey’s and one of my selections (from their over 200 varieties) was Peri Peri.  After reading the label I knew Peri Peri would turn our Crab Stuffed Flounder into a dish worth posting.  Let me share the description of this amazing spice blend, straight from Penzey’s website.

“Awesomely hot and spicy North African-style hot
pepper blend. Also known as berbere or bere bere.
No salt, no mild paprika, just a lot of Cayenne Red
Pepper with the rich flavors of fenugreek and
cardamom. It’s not just hot, it’s peri peri hot.
Hand-mixed from: cayenne red pepper, garlic, ginger,
fenugreek, cardamom, cumin, black pepper, allspice,
turmeric, cloves, Ceylon cinnamon and coriander.”

While peri peri does have it’s own unique heat derived mostly from the cayenne pepper, when added to a rich cream sauce the other list of spices in this blend make it more about the flavor and less about spicy hot.  Peri peri has earned a spot on our counter, next to salt and pepper….that’s how good it is.

We had this dish a couple weeks ago and couldn’t wait to share it. Then I discovered that February 18th was National Crab Stuffed Flounder Day and I had to hold off posting until today. 

If you don’t have a Penzey’s Spices near you, all of their products can be ordered online at www.penzeys.com.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Crab Stuffed Flounder {with Peri Peri Cream Sauce}

You'll love this tender crab stuffed flounder topped with a spicy cream sauce.

Course Main Course

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Stuffed Flounder

• 1 pound flounder fillets 3-4 fillets
• 1 cup prepared Cajun Crab Dip or Maryland Crab Dip (recipe link in post)
• 1/2 teaspoon Peri Peri seasoning can sub berbere or cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil for greasing baking dish

For the Peri Peri Cream Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon Peri Peri seasoning

For Serving

• 4 servings Cooked pasta or rice
• 2 scallions thinly sliced for garnish
• 1 small handfull fresh cilantro or parsley chopped for garnish

Instructions

For the Stuffed Flounder

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse and pat dry flounder fillets. Equally divide crab dip and place at the end of each flounder fillet and gently roll. Place seam side down in a lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle flounder with Peri Peri seasoning. Bake for 25 minutes.

For the Peri Peri Cream Sauce

• Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add flour, stirring constantly until bubbly. Whisk in milk, Peri Peri seasoning, and salt and cook until sauce has thickened, whisking constantly. Remove from heat.

For Serving

• To serve, place the stuffed flounder on a bed of pasta or rice, spoon cream sauce over each fillet. Garnish with sliced scallions and chopped cilantro or parsley.

The post Crab Stuffed Flounder {with Peri Peri Cream Sauce} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Several years ago for Christmas, Shelby gave me a Flavors of the World subscription box. It was great fun each month to unpack and explore the contents.

Each box was designated to a different region of the world. There were often teas, chocolates, and assorted snacks as well as regional ingredients with recipe cards.

After enjoying my four-month subscription, the one item that left the biggest impression and was still lingering on my mind was this Braai Seasoning.

Braai is the South African equivalent to BBQ. And from what I understand Braai to South Africans is both a cuisine and a pastime. So much so they renamed their nation’s Heritage Day to Braai Day (September 24th)!

This smoky paprika blend is so full of flavor and is phenomenal rubbed on chicken and pork. However I enjoy it most often sprinkled on an avocado or liberally spooned into my Smoky Sweet Potato Hummus.

I tried for months to locate this brand online and scoured the shelves at Whole Foods, World Market and the like, to no avail. Yet I hung on to the empty jar for a couple years with the hopes that I might locate it.

It wasn’t until this summer, when we got on a Paella kick, that we found ourselves with an abundant supply of smoked paprika.

It hit me one day.

The smoky base flavor of that beloved Braai South African Spice Blend was just that.

Seems quite obvious now that I should have tried to recreate the blend at home long before now. Nonetheless, I have come up with what I believe to be the perfect balance of smoky, salty, herby goodness.

At present, the blend finds its way into marinades, dry rubs, dips, and dressings. Hope you’ll mix up a batch and give it a try! Enjoy!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Braai Seasoning

This smoky, salty, herby spice blend is the perfect companion for chicken or pork. And delightful sprinkled over avocado or eggs or stirred into hummus!

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Smoked Paprika
• 2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
• 2 Tablespoons Dried Minced Garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Sea Salt

Instructions

• Combine all spices into a jar. Store in spice cabinet.

The post Braai South African Spice Blend appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Shelby and I recently explored Ethiopia.  More precisely we explored her kitchen.  We set out on a Sunday adventure that delivered us to Desta Ethiopian Kitchen, a highly favored restaurant here in Atlanta.  We sampled many, many dishes and decided our favorite of all was the red lentil stew or Miser Wot.

It’s been a couple months since the taste of this spicy stew first tickled my tongue.  I remembered the flavor as rich, with warm heat that made you pause for just a minute before reaching for more.  All of the dishes we sampled that day were ‘spicy’ as in layers of spice flavor….and most delivered heat as well.  I’ve grown to really love spicy cuisine and that’s coming from a girl who for most of her life didn’t even put pepper on food.  I attribute this taste bud transformation to hormones :)  I’m quite okay with it.

Back to Miser.  I knew this would be the first dish I would want to try my hand at recreating.  The first thing I discovered were all the Ethiopian spelling variations (miser, misir, mesir, wat, wot, wet).  I did a suitable amount of recipe research, all of which told me I must first begin with berbere seasoning.  Thanks to last year’s Winter Thyme Spice Exploration, I have a nice collection of spices and was able to make the berbere from what I had on hand.  I did make a couple substitutions which you’ll see in my Berbere Seasoning recipe post.

The dish combines the aromatic flavors of onion, garlic, and fresh grated ginger, sautéed in oil.  The stew comes together with the addition of the berbere seasoning, diced tomatoes, red lentils, and broth (or water).

I’ve seen recipes that call for precooking the lentils for about 30 minutes before incorporating them into the stew.  Instead I chose to cook them with the seasoned aromatics, adding additional broth as needed, which infused the flavors so nicely throughout the dish.  This method also allowed me to keep a little lentil texture instead of them melting away completely.

I knew I wanted to add a little something special to this dish.  Traditionally it is served with injera, a spongy flatbread.  However my injera making skills are non-existent.

If you’ve been following our recipes you may have picked up on my love for eggs, especially baked eggs.  This stew seemed like the perfect vessel so I nestled in a couple eggs and finished the dish in the oven.  Miser Wot with Baked Eggs was a delightful brunch and reheated nicely the next day.

I followed tips from this recipe and this recipe and made a few changes of my own.

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Miser Wot {with Baked Eggs}

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 cup red lentils
• 2 cups water or vegetable broth divided
• 3 Tbl. olive or vegetable
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes or two medium tomatoes, diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1- inch piece fresh ginger grated
• 1 1/2 Tbl. berbere seasoning see recipe link in post
• 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
• 1 good handful of fresh cilantro leaves chopped
• 3 or 4 eggs

Instructions

• Rinse lentils for 1-2 minutes or until water drains clear.
• In a medium skillet, sauté onion in oil until tender, 8-10 minutes.
• Add in garlic and ginger and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle in berbere seasoning and stir to combine. Then add in tomatoes, lentils and one cup of broth. Simmer covered on low over low heat, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes.
• Gradually add additional broth as needed and continue cooking until lentils are soft, but not mush; approx. 15-20 more minutes. The stew should be moderately thick but not dry.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer lentil mixture to an oven proof serving dish. Stir in chopped cilantro leaves. Use spoon to make a 3-4 wells. Crack an egg into each well. Bake for 15-20 minutes until egg whites are set.

The post Miser Wot {with Baked Eggs} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

One of our favorite dishes enjoyed at Desta Ethiopian Kitchen was Miser.  Red lentils stewed in a rich spicy berbere sauce with onion, garlic, and ginger.  I set out to recreate this warm and flavorful dish from the ground up.

Here is my version of the Berbere spice blend (pronounced burr-burr-ee and meaning “hot”).  I slightly adapted this recipe from Epicurious according to the spices I had on hand and reduced it by half.

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Berbere {Ethiopian Spice Mix}

Author Adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

• 2 Tbl. Peri Peri or ground Serrano pepper
• 4 Tbl. paprika
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp. ground fenugreek seed or yellow mustard
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• pinch clove
• pinch garlic powder
• pinch cinnamon
• pinch allspice

Instructions

• Combine all spices and store in an air tight container.

The post Berbere {Ethiopian Spice Mix} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I had a fabulous day yesterday, spent in the company of my daughter Shelby.  As often as possible, and most always on Sundays, we get together for a day of catching up.  No matter how often we speak on the phone there’s nothing like the feeling that overcomes me every time I see her and each time we spend a day creating life’s memories.

Yesterday’s adventure began right out of the gate with lunch.  I suggested we try a new cuisine.  Shelby suggested Ethiopian.  Alrighty then, let the adventures begin.  We chose Desta Ethiopian Kitchen, the highest rated Ethiopian restaurant in Atlanta.  Shelby’s roommate Claire joined us, which was so nice and helpful.  She knew all about injera (the spongy pancake-like flatbread) and how to use it as a utensil.  Hehe, I knew before the first bite of food came that I would LOVE this meal.

Because we chose this restaurant on a whim, there was no time to research the must-try list.  Having said that, Desta’s menu had wonderful descriptions including a glossary down one side.  I wish I had taken a picture of it so I could remember all the mouthwatering details of each dish we chose.  The menu was broken into categories.  Appetizers, Tibs, Salads, Kitfo, Vegetarian, Fir Fir, Pasta, and Desserts.  When it came time to order we were full of questions and our server was more than willing to help and actually steer our selections.  So here’s what we had with a little description of each dish:

• Injera.  We were delivered a plate that at first glance looked like a pile of steamed hand towels.  Instead they were rolls of spongy pancake-like sourdough flatbread.  Injera.  Every table had a plate of them and they were refilled throughout the meal.  The traditional way to eat Ethiopian dishes is to tear off a piece of injera and with your right hand pinch it down over the meats, stews, or vegetables that are served family style.  Although they did bring us forks we were quite fine eating with our hands.  Since this was our first experience with injera I will just say that it didn’t have much flavor, but it served it’s purpose of absorbing the amazing sauces.

• Kitfo Appetizer.  Right out of the gate we proved we were up for anything and began with a Kitfo Wrap.  Steak tartare mixed with spicy clarified butter rolled in injera.  My attempt to order the Kitfo dinner made our waitress a little uneasy and she convinced us to try an appetizer portion.  That was the right call.  Although we each ate a roll (which according to the menu rating system made us ‘Very Brave’), none of us were fighting for the last one on the plate.  We can check that off our culinary list, along with chicken feet from our Chinese New Year Exploration.

• Fish Tibs.  I was talked out of the Kitfo dinner and talked in to the Fish Tibs.  Crispy sautéed pieces of seasoned tilapia cooked with red onion, tomatoes, and jalapeno peppers.  Very good and relatively mildly seasoned compared to some of the other dishes.  When I got home and did a little post-meal research every review of this restaurant raved about their Fish Tibs.

• Ribeye Tibs with Awaze Sauce.  This was Claire’s choice and it was a good one.  Tender small cubes of ribeye steak sautéed with onion, tomatoes, and peppers served with Awaze Sauce.  Awaze Sauce is made from berbere (a red chili pepper based spice blend), ginger, garlic, and butter.  This dish was spicy, but not too spicy for these girls.

• Vegetarian Platter.  Shelby rounded out our selections by choosing this amazing platter.  This dish is deserving of a post of it’s own.  I literally contemplated getting in my car and driving the hour to Desta for lunch today just so I could sample all of these wonderful veggie delights again.  Oh my word.  I began my research the minute I got home and think I have come up with all the proper names and descriptions of each (listed below).  Again, all of these were eaten by hand with the injera bread.
• Shiro.  A thick red sauce made from chickpea powder, garlic, onion, and spiced berbere butter.  The texture reminded me of thin refried beans and was spicy and full of bold flavor.  Shiro is served warm on top of injera.
• Miser Wot.  Red lentils stewed in a rich spicy berbere sauce with onion, garlic, and ginger.  The red lentils were one of our favorites.  They were served warm over injera.  This will be the first dish I try and recreate at home.
• Ater.  Yellow split peas stewed in a special sauce (I’m guessing it had turmeric) with onion, garlic, and ginger served warm over injera.  Very tasty.  We all really liked this one as well.
• Dinech Wot.  “Wot” is a term used for stews.  As in this warm potato stew with the now familiar smoky flavor of the berbere sauce.  Yummy with kick.
• Tikel Gomen.  Sautéed cabbage, carrots, and onions with a warm turmeric sauce.  This dish was mild and the turmeric sauce offered a nice contrast to the spicy berbere based dishes.
• Gomen.  The last of the warm vegetarian dishes was fresh collard greens sautéed with onions, garlic, and ginger.  Lots of garlic.  So delicious.
• Tomato Fit Fit.  Small pieces of injera are mixed with diced tomato, onion, jalapeno and a vinaigrette dressing.  This dish is served cold and had a lovely flavor, although at this point we were beginning to get our fill of injera :)
• Suff Fit Fit.  Small pieces of injera mixed with sesame seed juice and served cold.  I’m neutral on this dish.
• Mixed Greens & Tomato Salad.  Right in the middle of our veggie platter was a pile of fresh mixed greens with diced tomato, red onion and carrot with a light vinaigrette dressing.  At first, compared to all of these elaborate dishes, the salad seemed an odd addition.  I quickly came to appreciate it as a palate cleanser between bites of the other bold and spicy dishes.  It was wonderful.
• Azifa.  When finished eating we began to name our favorites, almost in unison “the green one” got a big thumbs up.  It took some time and persistence to come up with the proper name for this one.  Oddly it’s not listed on their menu, but after reading pages of restaurant reviews I found mention of it and Googled the ingredients.  Bingo.  Azifa is green lentil salad served cold with a light vinaigrette.  This will be the second dish that I attempt at home.  It was delicious and like the mixed green salad offered a refreshing contrast of flavor.
• Beet & Potato Salad.  Last but not least, rounding out this glorious vegetarian experience was the tasty beet & potato salad.  It was served cold in a lemony olive oil dressing.

With the variety of dishes we sampled I feel confident when I say that I love Ethiopian cuisine.  And fortunately there were several other traditional dishes on their menu that I’m anxious to try.  Like Sambusa (beef or lentil filled crispy wontons), Lamb Tibs, their dessert case looked amazing and the Tiramisu got wonderful ratings, their breakfast and brunch platters sound as amazing as the vegetarian platter, and I’ve since learned that Ethiopian coffee is renowned.  I think all good Winter Thyme Spice Explorations should include a tour of Ethiopian cuisine.

Lunch was just the start of our fabulous day.  From there Shelby and I headed to the historic Virginia Highland neighborhood.  It was another first for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  We parked and walked through the blocks of bungalow homes, popping in and out of quaint and trendy shops, eclectic eateries, parks and galleries….all the while dreaming out loud about which house we’d choose when we move in and wouldn’t the dogs be so happy here (everyone had a dog, welcomed in all stores, water and treats provided at every turn).  The day was still young and we had a little more adventure left in us, so we got back in the car to head to the next historic neighborhood on our list.  But before we got far this ‘piece of art’ caught our attention.

And how.  There it was in front of a house leaning against the black iron fence, next to the trash can.  Could it be that someone was parting with this creation?  Sure enough it had been cast aside about to make it’s way to a landfill.  We did a U-turn and turned down a side street to get a better look.  It was so bizarre, kind of creepy, and very very cool (yes that is a lantern head and various other pieces of hardware).  Shelby jumped out, I popped the trunk, in it went, we never looked back.  Off to Little Five Points, treasure in the trunk.

Little Five Points is another famous Atlanta neighborhood.  But not for any of the same reasons as Virginia Highland.  In fact, quite the contrary.  Once again, we parked the car and headed out on foot.  It seems anything goes in Little Five which made for some mighty fine people watching.  The drag queens walking their dog who was also dressed in drag, stands out.  The shops were edgy with lots of shock and awe (Criminal Records and Junkman’s Daughter were standouts).  The street musician, who seemed to tune out the passersby, sang with the most soulful voice….it gave us goose bumps.  Then there’s the famous Vortex Bar and Grill where you enter through a giant skull.  Not a neighborhood I will need to visit often, but it definitely left an impression on me.  And that impression is to not judge people.  Shelby and I may have stood out more than most as we made our way in and out of shops, but no one judged us.  We laughed and talked and even shed a tear or two as we talked about life.  We turned no heads.

I’d like to close this post with a message for my beautiful 22 year old daughter to ponder.  Life is a series of adventures.  Some will far exceed your expectations and others will leave you broken.  They all become part of you, your make up, your character, your strength.  You are weaving a fine piece of cloth that is your life.  Let it keep you warm at night and let it help you fly by day.

And remember, never pass a treasure on the street without at least giving it a second look, never stop tasting the unknown, and never ever stop loving with all your heart.

The post Ethiopian Kitchen {Sundays with Shelby} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I wanted to share one more Winter Thyme Spice Exploration dish before I mentally checked into Spring.  When I discovered Kefta Mkaouara, a traditional Moroccan tagine dish, it offered all the right components.  Lovely spices, fresh herbs, wonderfully seasoned mini-meatballs, and poached eggs all slow cooked in glorious tomato and olive sauce in our new Tagine.  Beautiful. 

The word ‘Tagine’ can refer to the cooking method (slow braising of meats, chicken, or fish with vegetables or fruits) or the cooking vessel (an earthenware pot with a dome shaped cover, designed to return condensation to the bottom).  In this case I used both the method and the vessel.  This dish could easily be made on the stove top in a large deep skillet with a lid, however the tagine makes a lovely oven to table serving piece, perfect for a family style meal.

For this recipe, the meatballs are slow braised in the tomato and olive sauce.  Near the end of the cooking time, the eggs are poached in the sauce.  While Kefta Mkaouara {Moroccan Spicy Meatball & Tomato Tagine with Poached Eggs} incorporates quite a few herbs and spices, this is not a hot & spicy dish.  Instead it’s an aromatic dish bursting with the flavors of cinnamon, paprika, and cumin.  We served ours with white rice, infused with a hint of cinnamon.  This meal would be wonderful served with Moroccan flat bread as well.

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Kefta Mkaouara {Moroccan Spicy Meatball & Tomato Tagine with Poached Eggs}

Kefta Mkaouara has all the right components. Lovely spices, fresh herbs, wonderfully seasoned mini-meatballs, and poached eggs all slow cooked in a tomato and olive sauce.

Course Entree

Cuisine Moroccan

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author adapted from Christine Benlafquih

Ingredients

For the Kefta (meatballs)…

• 1 lb. ground beef or lamb
• 1 small onion fine diced
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. hot paprika
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped

For the Mkaouara sauce…

• 2 lbs. ripe tomatoes peeled, seeded, chopped or 2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes)
• 1 onion diced
• 1 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. hot paprika
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 12-15 small green olives sliced

To serve…

• 4 eggs for poaching
• 2 cups cooked long grain rice
• fresh cilantro and parsley for garnish

Instructions

• When using a tagine or dutch oven, preheat oven to 325 degrees.

For the Kefta (meatballs)…

• Mix all ingredients until just combined. Do not overwork. Form into small meatballs, about 1-inch in diameter.

For the Mkaouara sauce…

• In a large sauce pan over medium heat, combine all sauce ingredients (except green olives) and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Transfer into bottom portion of the tagine.
• Nestle meatballs into sauce. Sprinkle with sliced olives. Cover tagine base with lid and bake for 30-35 minutes.
• Remove tagine from oven, remove lid, with large spoon make 4 wells in sauce. Crack an egg into each well. Return lid and return tagine to oven. Cook for an additional 10 minutes until egg whites are set.

To serve…

• Serve family style with rice and fresh cilantro and parsley.

The post Kefta Mkaouara {Moroccan Spicy Meatball & Tomato Tagine with Poached Eggs} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

The first time we made African Chicken Peanut Stew was the day Shelby and I discovered Penzey’s Spices.  I bought three spices that day, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and cardamom seeds.  You see, earlier that morning I had read my first ‘non-family/friend’ comment on Lemony Thyme.  It’s hard to explain the feeling but I was a titch giddy.  Perhaps it’s like being in high school and having a crush on the most popular kid in school, who doesn’t even know you exist.  Then one day, out of nowhere, they greet you by name.  What?!  Me, you know my name?  And my mother didn’t put you up to this?  It’s the kind of thing that can make your day or for me… changed my cooking life.

Here was that comment as posted on our North African Lamb Kebabs recipe:  I found your site looking up Patty Pan squash. Wonderful recipes, photography and blog. If making this lamb recipe again, may i suggest lightly toasting and then grinding your cumin and coriander from whole seeds? (mortar & pestle or coffee/spice grinder). You would not believe the difference in depth or flavor. I found this out myself when learning Indian cuisine from Laxmi Hiremath’s book “The Dance of Spices” and will never go back. I get my seeds from an Indian grocery store. Can’t wait to try your recipe/s. Cheers!

And here was my response:  Thank you so much for visiting Lemony Thyme and for the spice suggestion!!  I have been so focused on getting to know my fresh herbs that I’ve neglected the ‘spices’ in my recipes.  You’ve inspired me.  I think my winter focus will be just that….spice exploration.  And I’ll start by checking out “The Dance of the Spices.”  Thanks again and please share if you try any of our recipes. I’d love your feedback. Cheers!

And so Winter Thyme Spice Exploration was born.  That evening when I came home from my Sundays with Shelby outing to Penzey’s I promptly toasted my coriander seeds, ground them fine and added them to this wonderful African Chicken Peanut Stew.

Today we decided to elevate this dish and turn it into African Chicken Peanut Stew Pot Pies (anything served in pie crust gets high marks in this house).  I’ve said before, I’m a big fan of ready-made pie crusts.  They’re so versatile…you can even braid them.  Side note:  does the above picture feel upside down to you?

Or you can cut fun shapes to decorate your pies.

This time around we slightly modified the original recipe, found on Simply Recipes, according to ingredients on hand.  We replaced the chicken legs and thighs with boneless breasts, added new potatoes in addition to the sweet potato, and kicked up the heat by increasing the cayenne and black pepper.  The end result is a hearty flavorful stew with hints of ginger and peanuts and warmth and goodness.  I have eaten it hot in a bowl like soup…incredible.  I have had it over a bed of couscous which was delicious.  I’ve eaten it cold for breakfast, the best way to appreciate true flavors….divine.  And now I’ve enjoyed it from a flaky pie crust bowl and I am in heaven.

If you have yet to dabble in African cuisine I can’t tell you enough how much flavor you are missing out on.  I’m so hooked I’ve added a new Moroccan/North African Category to Lemony Thyme.  And while this African Chicken Peanut Stew is West African inspired it falls nicely in this category.

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African Chicken Peanut Stew {Pot Pies}

Course Stew

Cuisine African

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 6

Author Hank Shaw

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. Pillsbury ready-made pie crusts 2 crusts
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 2 lbs. of chicken legs, thighs, and/or wings
• 3 Tbl. canola oil
• 1 large onion. sliced
• A 3-inch piece of ginger peeled and minced
• 6-8 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 sweet potato peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2-3 small new potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 qt. chicken broth
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup roasted peanuts
• 1 Tbl. coriander seeds toasted and ground
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper or to taste
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

• In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion for 3-4 minutes, add the ginger and garlic and saute another minute. Add the potatoes and stir to combine.
• Add the chicken breasts, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot and simmer gently for 90 minutes (check for chicken doneness after an hour). When chicken is done and potatoes are tender remove from heat.
• Remove chicken pieces and shred or chop and return to pot. Taste for salt and pepper and add in as much black pepper as you can stand. The dish should be peppery. Then stir in fresh cilantro.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Line individual baking dishes or one pie plate with ready-made pie crust and prebake for 5 minutes.
• Fill dishes with prepared stew, add a top crust or adornments, and return to the oven for 20 minutes or until pie crust is golden brown. Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving, sprinkle with fresh cilantro leaves.

The post African Chicken Peanut Stew {Pot Pies} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

“It’s my pleasure.”

What a lovely statement and I mean that so sincerely when it comes to cooking for my co-workers.  Today was a lunch meeting for our fabulous Customer Service Team.  I shared BBQ Turkey Burgers, Smoked Paprika Sweet Potato Chips and this Moroccan Couscous Salad which is just bursting with flavor.

I prepared the couscous and once cooled tossed it with sweet seedless red grapes, dried apricots, toasted pine nuts, scallions and fresh cilantro, then drizzled the salad with an apricot lemon dressing (Eureka Lemon EVOO, apricot preserves, white balsamic vinegar, sriracha, lemon juice & zest, toasted ground cumin seeds, coriander, and a pinch of cinnamon). This Moroccan Couscous Salad had the right balance of sweet and tart, with the subtle flavors of spice shining through. Spectacular.

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Moroccan Couscous Salad {Share the Love}

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Moroccan

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the couscous

• 2 cups couscous
• 2 Tbl. olive oil
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2½ cups chicken or vegetable broth or water
• ½ cup pine nuts toasted
• 1 cup red seedless grapes halved
• 1 cup dried apricots cut into strips
• ¼ cup scallions thinly sliced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped

For the dressing…

• ¼ cup Eureka Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/8 cup apricot preserves
• 2 Tbl. white balsamic vinegar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbl. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. sriracha hot sauce
• ½ tsp. ground cumin
• ¼ tsp. ground coriander
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. salt or to taste

Instructions

For the couscous…

• In a large sauce pan, add broth, salt, and olive oil to a boil. Stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat. Allow to rest 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Cool completely before assembling salad.
• Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until they begin to turn golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove from pan immediately.
• In a large bowl, combine couscous, pine nuts, and next four ingredients.

For the dressing…

• Whisk together all dressing ingredients. Adjust seasoning to taste.
• Pour over couscous mixture and toss gently to combine. Chill until ready to serve.

The post Moroccan Couscous Salad {Share the Love} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Santa Claus is quite perceptive.  I mean he brought me a Terracotta Tagine for Christmas and it wasn’t even on my list.  How did he know?!!  Working perfectly into our Winter Thyme Spice Exploration plan, we put that baby to good use tonight.  We turned a basic beef stew into a fragrant adventure with this Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash.  Paprika, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne came together with tangy tomatoes and sweet butternut squash to create a BIG flavor sauce.  The beef was tender, as slow braised beef should be, and completely infused with Moroccan love.  I’m smiling.

Simple steps to wonderful flavor.  The Tagine’s dome-shaped cover is designed to return all of the condensation to the bottom, allowing a slow braising process, resulting in tender moist meats.  If Santa didn’t bring you a Tagine don’t let that stop you from making this wonderful Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash.  Feel free to use your dutch oven and get happy.  Trust me, the aromas alone dancing through your kitchen will make you happy.

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Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash

Course Entree

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Inspired by Cooking Light, January 2011

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1 lb. beef shoulder roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 4 shallots sliced
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 14.5 oz can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 3 cups 1 inch cubed peeled butternut squash
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add beef, toss well to coat.
• Heat oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add beef and shallots, cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.
• Add garlic, cook 1 minute stirring frequently. Stir in broth and tomatoes, bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Add squash.
• Transfer mixture to Tagine. Bake covered for 90 minutes. Remove from oven, stir in frozen peas and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
• Serve over rice sprinkled with fresh cilantro.

The post Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash {B is for Braising} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

It’s hard to believe that just three short months ago I was harvesting my fresh herbs and hanging them by their toes to dry, as we began Autumn Thyme.  Now I can hardly wait for Winter Thyme ~ A Spice Exploration.  Shortly after Christmas, we’ll be unveiling our new Winter Thyme banner….but for now, I’ll give you a preview of what’s to come.  Presenting North African Chicken with Spicy Green Sauce.

Thinking about what to make for dinner earlier today, I had a little North African vibe swelling.  We’ve made a couple of dishes lately with the wonderful flavor influences from this region and I’ve loved each one equally.  A quick Internet search for North African Chicken brought me this fantastic recipe from City Kitchen on The New York Times Dining & Wine page.  This Tunisian one-pot dish brings together the beautiful flavor balance of toasted caraway, cumin, and coriander seeds.  Once I read the ingredients list I knew it would go perfectly with a Spiced Cashew Rice recipe we tried a couple months ago that features the subtle flavors of cinnamon and cloves.  The entire dish was amazing, right down to the Spicy Green Sauce.  Look out North Africa…we’re about to embark on a flavor exploration and you’re on our radar.

My Winter Thyme goal is to better understand, and therefore share, spices and seasonings and how they add wonderful flavor and character to dishes.

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North African Chicken {with Spicy Green Sauce}

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried chickpeas soaked in cold water overnight (or 3 cups canned chickpeas)
• 1 small onion peeled and stuck with 2 cloves, plus 1 medium onion, diced, about 2 cups
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp. coriander seed
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seed
• 1/2 tsp. caraway seed
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 4 chicken legs with thighs
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 inch long stick of cinnamon
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 pound carrots peeled, in 2-inch batons
• 1/2 pound small turnips peeled and cut in wedges (or substitute potatoes in cubes)
• Spicy green sauce for serving see recipe
• Cashew Spiced Rice see recipe

Instructions

• Drain the soaked chickpeas, then cover with 8 cups water in a large pot. Add the onion stuck with cloves and the bay leaf, bring to a boil, then gently simmer for 40 to 60 minutes, until tender. Season with salt, leaving the chickpeas in their broth. Chickpeas may be cooked in advance. (If using canned chickpeas, rinse and add salt to taste and cook with onion 25-30 minutes).
• While chickpeas cook, make the spice mixture and cook chicken: In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the coriander, cumin and caraway seeds until fragrant. Grind to a coarse powder with a mortar or in a spice mill. Stir in the cayenne.
• Rinse the chicken legs/thighs and pat dry. Season generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the spice mixture and rub into the meat.
• In a heavy-bottomed enameled soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken legs/thighs and brown gently until golden, about 4 minutes a side. Remove chicken and set aside. In the same pot, add diced onions and a little salt. Let onions soften and color for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, and scraping up any brown bits. Add cinnamon stick and garlic and cook for a minute more.
• When chickpeas are cooked, drain, reserving broth. Return the chicken to the pot and pour in 4 cups of chickpea broth (or water). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook, covered, for 25 minutes.
• Add chickpeas, carrots and turnip or potatoes and cook, covered, for 15 minutes more. Let rest 5 minutes and skim excess fat. Serve with broth, spicy green sauce and cashew spiced rice.

The post North African Chicken {with Spicy Green Sauce} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.