The other day in the office we started talking about weeknight cooking ruts. You know the ones, where you just can't stomach another stir-fry or even take out. So, how do you introduce new flavors to work week dinner routines while keeping it easy? While trying to answer this, our administrator, Asha, started dreaming about a tagine she had during her travels in Paris...but, traditional tagines requiring 20+ ingredients and hours of cooking just felt like too much after a long work day.
That's where Moulin Mahjoub comes in. This North African company manages to pack the spiced and bright flavors of Tunisia, including harissa, preserved lemons, capers, green olives, cumin and caraway into their products. Their organic tomato-based sauces, named after two neighboring regions in Central Northern Tunisia, are an easy and flavorful way to spice up your work week meals. The Teboursouk Sauce is enhanced by preserved lemon, mountain capers and green olives produced on their estate. The brininess of this sauce pairs well with fish and shellfish. The Tibar Sauce bolstered with harissa and capers is excellent with poultry and an array of sweeter vegetables such as butternut squash and parsnips. Using the Tibar Sauce, Asha came up with a fast weeknight tagine with only five ingredients (most of which you probably already have) that you can make in less than 30 minutes.
Make a No-Fuss Tunisian Dinner
Weeknight Tagine
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 _ inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 jar Organic Tibar Sauce
1 cup fresh chickpeas, hulled (if fresh chickpeas are not in season, use 1 cup of cooked chickpeas)
Directions:
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Add onions to pan and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients plus a _ cup of water. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down heat to low. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is tender.
Serve on a bed of M'Hamsa Hand-Rolled Couscous.
Serves 3-4
These sauces lend themselves to a myriad of additions, here are some more simple combinations:
- Butternut Squash, Chickpeas and Spinach
- Carrots, Fennel and Parsnips
- Rock Cod and a couple teaspoons chopped Preserved Lemon
- Housemade Merguez Sausage and Baby Artichoke
One More Way to Spice It Up
Harissa from Tunisia
Tunisian cooking is heavy on the spice and heat. Harissa, a chili-based paste traditionally used as a condiment and flavoring in Tunisia, is a great way to add a kick to tagines or couscous. This medium-strong harissa, preserved in extra virgin olive oil, is characterized by its grainy consistency and its slightly smoked flavor. For a traditional Tunisian snack, mix a tablespoon of harissa with a couple teaspoons of good extra virgin olive oil and slather it on a baguette.
Order Organic Harissa Spread
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