Moroccan Chicken

Combined two of my recipes that weren't quite right, Moroccan Chicken with Couscous from Martha Stewart and an Israeli Baked Chicken recipe from my Jewish Recipes cookbook. Each recipe has been okay in the past, but not quite as good as I would have liked. This time, the spice combo did the trick. I served it with Israeli couscous, heads above regular couscous which tends to get all over everywhere and is Ben's least favorite to eat (no flava) and least favorite to clean up. Also, quick n easy Israeli-esque chunky salad.

Spice combo:
2 T ground cumin
1 T paprika
1.5 t ground turmeric (this gives the dish a lovely yellowish color)
1/2 t cayenne pepper (my favorite ingredient)
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

(no chopped garlic this time but I might throw it in the pot the next time)

Trimmed fat off one pack of chicken thighs and then "shake'n'baked" it 70s style by shaking the chicken and spices together in a plastic bag.

Meanwhile, sauteed onion and carrots in olive oil. Added chicken after a few minutes to brown a tiny bit. Added 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed; 1 can of whole tomatoes, about 2 c of chicken stock. Brought it to a boil then down to low, covered it and cooked for ~40 minutes. In the past I've added zucchini the last 10-15 minutes but didn't have any on hand.

Chicken fell off the bone. It was well-seasoned, with just the right amount of cayenne to give it a little kick. Served it on a Wednesday basketball night. Easy, easy.

Carne Asada for New Years

Happy New Year! Today we had people over for Carne Asada on the barbeque. This marinade is incredibly easy and was a huge hit. We made 8 lbs of it, which ended up being a lot more than we needed for 10 people. We would have been fine with 6 lbs. We grossed up the ingredients below to account for our large volume of meat.

skirt steak 3 lbs
orange 3 sliced in half
onion 1 sliced thin
garlic powder 3 Tbsps
seasoned salt 2 Tbsps
pepper 1 tsp
oregano (dried) 2 Tbsps
vegetable oil 1/2 cup

1. Combine the garlic powder, seasoned salt, pepper, and oregano. Combine thoroughly.
2. In a baking dish spread out a layer of the onions.
3. Place a piece of the meat over the onions.
4. Squeeze 1/2 an orange over the meat.
5. Sprinkle the seasoning to taste over the meat.
6. Repeat the process with the remaining pieces of meat and continue to create a stack of meat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
7. Grill until nicely charred on both sides.

Serve with warm tortillas, diced onions and cilantro, and hot salsa.