At Spice&Easy, we have always loved to travel, to visit new countries, to experience new cultures and especially to taste and enjoy the local cuisine! This is not so easy at the moment during a worldwide pandemic. So why not join us on a culinary adventure, bringing the taste and aromas of the countries you would love to visit and those you have visited and loved, into your home and to share with your family and friends.
No passport / safepass needed!
The combinations of blending herbs and spices are endless with some mixes working so well that they have come to represent certain cultures and cuisines around the world. We can bring these many and varied blends with their amazing flavours and aromas into our own kitchens to inspire us and to add authenticity and personality to our international dishes!
Two of our favourite spice mixes are Ras al Hanout and Harissa (Tabil), we fell in love with them both visiting Morocco and Tunisia. They are the most popular spice blends used in North African dishes from Morocco across Algeria to Tunisia.
Ras el Hanout is a blend of up to 40 different spices, it literally means top of the drawer / shop, suggesting that the blend is the best one could buy and was sometimes gifted by the spice merchant to his best customers. Aromatic, warm, sharp, and slightly pungent. It can be rubbed into meat, added to fish, stirred in rice dishes, soups and couscous. It is especially significant for giving the spicy and sweet aromas to the famous Moroccan Tagines.
Harissa / Tabil spice mix, one of the most popular spice blends in Tunisian cuisine, it has a warming, earthy flavour and when added to roasted chili peppers along with garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice it becomes the delicious warming Harissa paste we all know.
Moroccan Vegetable Tagine
A simple vegetable tagine recipe packed with warm Moroccan flavours rich and aromatic. This dish with the Ras el Hanout spice blend brings both sweet and savoury to the table to make everyone happy!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, more for later
- 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and chopped
- 8-10 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp Ras el Hanout Spice Blend
- 1 tsp Rose Harissa Spice Blend or 2 tsps. Harissa Paste
- 2 cups canned whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 cup dried apricot chopped
- 1 litre low-sodium vegetable broth (or broth of your choice)
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas (canned & drained)
- 1 lemon, juice of
- Handful fresh parsley leaves
- 4-6 chicken thighs (optional)
Ingredients
- In a large heavy pot or Dutch Oven, heat olive oil over medium heat until just shimmering. Add onions and increase heat to medium-high. Sauté for 5 minutes, tossing regularly. Include chicken thighs in this step for browning.
- Add garlic and all the chopped veggies. Season with salt and spices. Toss to combine.
- Cook for 5 to 7 minutes on medium-high heat, mixing regularly with a wooden spoon.
- Add tomatoes, apricot and broth. Season again with just a small dash of salt.
- Keep the heat on medium-high and cook for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for another 20 to 25 minutes or until tender, a further 20 minutes if chicken is added. This step can be in a slow cooker on high for 4 hours.
- Stir in chickpeas and cook another 5 minutes on low heat.
- Stir in lemon juice and fresh parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt or harissa spice blend to your liking.
- Transfer to tagine or serving bowls and top each with a generous drizzle extra virgin olive oil. Serve hot with your favourite bread, couscous, or rice. Enjoy!
Visit us at The Spice House for your spices, herbs and blends or check our web site: www.spiceandeasycyprus.com for more recipes and info or Find Us on Facebook (Spice and Easy Cyprus) or Telephone: 99104622
