November 11 Meal: Making Moroccan

Some rare recipes don't even look that good in the pictures the magazine has.  That's when I get scared.  The Braised Chicken with Dates and Moroccan Spices fit into that description.  It just looked very brown.  It didn't turn out too bad, though.  I also made the Moroccan Carrot Salad (because that just makes sense) and Roasted Red Onions with Pomegranate, Orange, and Parsley Gremolata (because it seemed to fit best here). 

Braised Chicken with Dates and Moroccan SpicesI finally got to use the leftover pieces of chicken from my butchering experiment.  One day I bought 3 fresh chickens form the farmers market and the farmer instructed me to watch a YouTube video on how to cut it up.  It was a fun experiment and it is pretty economical.  We used the breasts pretty quickly, followed by the thighs, but it's those legs and wings that just kept sitting in the freezer.  This recipe calls for chicken breast, thighs, and legs, but I just used our legs and wings since that was enough.  First, sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, and flour and brown with olive oil.  Remove chicken and add shallots to saute.  Then, add cinnamon sticks, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne pepper.  Add chicken broth and lemon juice and simmer for a while.  Add the chicken back in and cook for 20 or so minutes until done.  To finish the dish off, add cilantro and sliced almonds.  Not too bad.

Yumminess: 7 out of 10
Cost: Approx $10 for 3 servings
Time: Bon appetit said 1:15 hours for prep and 1:40 hours total.  It took me about 20 minutes of prep and 1:15 hours total.
Was it worth it?: It was nice to try, but probably won't be on my list to make again.

Moroccan Carrot SaladThis is a really tasty and easy salad. Just imagine the dressing: cumin, ground ginger, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne pepper, allspice, ground clove, olive oil, lemon juice, and mint!  The salad part is just shredded carrots, baby carrots, and sweet onion.  All those spices really make this simple salad stand out.

Yumminess: 9 out of 10
Cost: Approx $5.25 for 2 servings
Time: Bon appetit said 20 minutes for prep and total.  It took me about 15 minutes of prep and total.
Was it worth it?: Yes, this is very good and unique.

Roasted Red Onions with Pomegranate, Orange, and Parsley GremolataI was kind of excited about this recipe, but it was just alright.  First, mix olive oil, pomegranate molasses (found out our local Mediterranean deli), red wine vinegar, fresh rosemary, kosher salt, and black pepper.  Add wedges of red onion and mix.  Roast the onions on foil for 55 minutes.  The gremolata, which is just a topping, is a mixture of pomegranate seeds, Italian parsley, and orange zest.  The taste wasn't bad, but it just didn't hit the spot that I thought it would.  It was interesting, at least.

Yumminess: 6 out of 10
Cost: Approx $4.50 for 2 servings
Time: Bon appetit said 40 minutes for prep and 1:35 hours total.  It took me about 15 minutes of prep and 1:10 hours total.
Was it worth it?: It was nice to try, but I won't make it again.