Spicy Harissa Chicken Tagine

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. chicken thighs – boneless, skin removed
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed)
• 1 sliver orange peel (optional)
• 1 lemon
• 2-3 T. harissa
• 2 T. Hungarian sweet paprika
• 1 T. cumin
• 1 t. turmeric
• 2 t. salt
• 1 t. pepper
• 1 fennel bulb
• 1 leek
• 3/4 c. kalamata olives (pitted)
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 handful fresh mint leaves

Instructions:

1. Get your dutch oven or tagine out and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prep veggies: remove sliver of orange peel, set aside. Juice orange to make 1 cup of juice (add water or juice to fill remaining). Peel the 10 garlic cloves. Keep them whole. Pit the kalamata olives. Slice and clean the leek. Dice and trim the fennel into bite size pieces. Set aside.
3. Prepare the chicken:  Note: you can use skin-on and you can use chicken legs and thighs. I like thighs only and I like it without the skin – less fattening. But still delicious. Peel the skin off the thighs, if necessary, and season with 1 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper.
4. In the dutch oven (or tagine) put the 2 cups of chicken stock, 2-3 heaping tablespoons of harissa, 1 cup orange juice, 2 T. Hungarian sweet paprika, 1 T. ground cumin, 1 t. turmeric, 1 t. salt, and 1/2 t. pepper. Mix mix mix until fully incorporated. 
5. Toss the leek, fennel into the dutch oven. Add the remaining ingredients: 10 peeled garlic cloves (whole), 1 fresh lemon (cut into wedges, seeds removed), 3/4 cup kalamata olives (with seeds removed), and 1 handful of fresh mint leaves (chopped). Mix. Add the chicken pieces to the pan – and you’re ready to go.
6. Cover with the lid – place into the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour.
7. After 1 hour, remove the lid, and continue to bake for 30 minutes. (Why? Because this gets the top of the chicken slightly crunchy and the sauce to further reduce). After 30 minutes – remove from the oven and serve with lots of the sauce on top of Israeli cous cous.

Sweet Potato, Kale, and Goat Cheese Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 pizza dough
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced into rings or strips
• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 bunch kale, washed and chopped into small pieces
• goat cheese
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• salt, pepper, olive oil

Instructions:

1. Prepare dough and bake sweet potato at 400 degrees for 1 hour.
2. Caramelize onions in a pan with olive oil and salt.  Then add kale and cover until kale is slightly softened.
3. Preheat oven and pizza pan to 500 degrees.
4. Peel and mash sweet potato with some salt and pepper.
5. Once pan is heated, remove from oven and put the dough on it.  Next, spread mashed potato on top of the dough as if it were a sauce.  Sprinkle with garlic.
6. Put cheese, kale, and onions on pizza and bake for 10 min.  Serve with red pepper flakes.  The kale should be a little crispy and the cheese doesn't really melt.

Marinade for Vietnamese Grilled Pork

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oyster sauce
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 shallot
• pepper

Instructions:

• Mince garlic and shallot and then mix in with the rest of the ingredients.  Marinate pork in mixture for at least an hour before grilling.

Kale and Potato Gratin

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds thin-skinned boiling potatoes such as red potatoes
• 1 bunch kale
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Between 1/3 and 2/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional) OR 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs, such as thyme or sage

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Get a pot of water boiling large enough to accommodate the potatoes. Also prepare an ice bath.
3. Meanwhile, slice the potatoes 1/4-inch-thick. Set aside. Remove and discard the spines from the kale then chop the remaining leaves in 1/2-inch-thick ribbons by stacking the leaves and slicing in the direction of the veins. This doesn't need to be exact, as long as you end up with a pile of roughly 1/2-inch-thick shreds of kale.
4. When the water is boiling, add a dash of salt and gently drop in the potatoes, cooking for about 2 to 3 minutes, until tender, but not cooked through. Drain and plunge into the ice bath. Drain again and dump onto a dish towel and blot.
5. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the kale and rub the olive oil mixture aggressively into the leaves. Layer the kale and potatoes alternately with a sprinkling of bread crumbs and Parmesan in a 9"x12" rectangular casserole or glass or ceramic baking dish.
6. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes, until top is crispy.

Chipotle sweet potato soup!

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• Vegetable broth
• Chipotle peppers to taste
• Cilantro for garnish
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil

Instructions

1. Lightly sauté onions and garlic in a large pot.
2. Throw cubed and peeled sweet potatoes into pot with 1 chipotle pepper and some adobo sauce from the can.
3. Pour in broth so it is just covering the potatoes.
4. Boil until the potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork.
5. Add salt and more adobo sauce to taste.
6. Serve with cheesy toast and with cilantro on the side.

Zesty Braised Chicken with Lemon and Capers

Ingredients:

• 8 bone-in chicken thighs with skin (6 ounces each)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 large peeled garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 cups Sauvignon Blanc
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• Four 1-inch strips of lemon zest
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 1 bay leaf

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust with flour. In a large ovenproof skillet, melt the butter in the oil. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a large plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.
2. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. 
3. Add the stock, lemon zest, thyme, capers and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up. Transfer the skillet to the oven and braise for about 45 minutes, until the meat is tender.
4. Return the skillet to the stove and boil until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Discard the thyme, bay leaf and lemon zest, if desired, before serving.

Braised Chicken with Cilantro, Mint and Chiles

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken drumsticks
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• Salt
• Freshly ground white pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 cup packed cilantro, plus leaves for garnish
• 1/2 cup packed mint leaves
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 2 poblano chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 1 jalapeño, stemmed and seeded
• 1/2 cup light cream or half-and-half
• Sliced pickled jalapeños, cooked rice and warm naan, for serving

Instructions:

1. Make 3 slashes to the bone in each drumstick. Rub the chicken all over with the coriander and season with salt and white pepper.
2. In a large Dutch oven or enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Add the chicken and cook over high heat, turning occasionally, until browned all over, about 8 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine the 1 cup of cilantro with the mint, onion, poblanos and jalapeño and blend until finely chopped. Add the cream and 1/2 cup of water and puree until smooth.
4. Pour the green sauce over the chicken and bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer over moderately low heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle the chicken with cilantro and serve with jalapeños, rice and naan.