Eating with Your Hands

This morning I found this article in the New York Times about eating with your hands, manners, and the (re)evolution of it in the dining world. I've been to a number of restaurants where you eat with your hands - Ethiopian and Moroccan mostly.

There is something about eating with your hands that just takes the dining experience to a new level.

I'm a firm believer that you eat with all of your senses. Everyone knows you eat with your mouth, and therefore "taste" and some will recognize smell...then there are those who realize we also first experience food with "sight" before "taste". Which is why I'm a love of making food "pretty" or appealing looking. Depending on the food you might experience "hearing" it - the sizzle of a fajita plate, the crackling of a well toasted crème brûlée - but so rarely to we touch our food.

Many of us can remember being told "don't play with your food" or "use your fork" as a child. So unless you grew up with a culture that encourage and expected you to eat with your hands this is a new concept completely.

But let me say it's something to experience. Don't let the saucy-ness of the dishes intimidate you, using bread or rice will help make the transfer of food from plate to mouth less disastrous.

Moroccan Style Tomato Soup With Chickpeas

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon ginger
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 pounds tomatoes, chopped
2 cups of stock
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
Parsley or cilantro for garnish

Preparation

1. Cook onion and garlic and ginger in olive oil for 5 minutes.
2. Add 2 teaspoons each cumin, coriander and cinnamon; cook for 1 minute.
3. Add tomatoes, stock and cooked chickpeas.
4. Simmer until saucy.
5. Garnish with parsley or cilantro.

Recipe: Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 skinless chicken thighs

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots (can substitute dried figs, prunes or other fruit)

1 cup chopped tomato (fresh or canned or boxed, with juice)

2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, drained, with the liquid reserved

1 to 2 cups chicken stock, bean liquid or water, or more as needed

1/2 cup bulgur (can substitute couscous or rice)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish.

Directions:

1. Put oil in a large, deep pot over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add chicken and brown well on both sides; remove from pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, add onion to the pan and cook until soft, about 5 minutes; add garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, dried apricots and tomato. Cook and stir just long enough to loosen any brown bits from bottom of pan.

2. Add chickpeas and 1 cup of stock or bean liquid to the pan and turn heat back to medium-high. When mixture reaches a gentle bubble, return chicken to the pan. Cover pot, turn heat to low and cook, checking occasionally to make sure the mixture is bubbling gently, for about 15 minutes or until tomatoes break down and flavors begin to meld. Stir in bulgur, adding more stock if necessary so that the mixture is covered with about an inch of liquid. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Cover and cook until the chicken and bulgur are both done, about 10 to 15 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasonings and serve in bowls garnished with parsley.

Yield: 4 servings.

Morroco? Nope Portland!

Who ever knew airport food could be so beautiful & yummy?

Good job Caper's Cafe (Portland OR airport)!

This is my Morrocan Chicken dish from last night! Chicken, chickpeas, onions/peppers and raisins on a bed of couscous - served with toasted pita. The raisins I could have done without but yummy all the same. Perfect fuel for the three hour plane delay I was facing. So if you're ever in the Portland airport skip the pizza slice, be a little daring and go for the Morrocan chicken!