The full menu from our Moroccan dinner was : A Harissa brushed Halibut, Gazpacho, Greens followed by the Chicken Tagine with preserved lemons and cracked olives a coriander feta polenta and a roasted beet and fresh mint salad. For dessert: a Fig and sesame Tart with orange cardamon cream.
Creating the Moroccan chicken in an authentic clay tagine from Morocco was divine. The earthy flavors from the clay along with the wonderful seasonings meld to create this comforting stew. If you don’t own a tagine you this can be done in a heavy dutch oven and cooked stove top. Just bring the mixture to a boil then lower to a simmer and cover. Cook for 45 minutes or longer. Scroll down for the full recipe. Bon app?tit.
Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons, Green Olives and Golden Raisins
1 whole chicken, quartered
1 tsp each, turmeric, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, dried cilantro
½ c olive oil
½ c lemon juice
8 slices preserved lemon
½ c green olives
½ c golden raisins
2 c chicken stock
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all of the dry spices together with the olive oil and lemon juice. Toss the chicken in the marinade and let sit refrigerated for at least an hour.
On medium-high heat, sear the chicken to create a nice golden crust, approximately 8-10 minutes. Make sure to turn the chicken so that all sides get the color.
Scatter lemons, olives and raisins over the tops. Pour in chicken stock and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.
Recipe courtesy of Casey Solomon for Sunday Suppers
Alongside our main entree and as a palate cleanser we served a side of roasted beets. We used a mix of red & baby beets which are gorgeous at the farmers market. This is the kind of dish that gets better the longer it sits. You’re essentially pickling the beets so the longer the better.
24 baby beets, scrubbed with stems cut
3 tbl olive oil
2 tbl minced shallot
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ c red-wine vinegar
½ c really good olive oil
1 bunch of fresh mint
Toss beets with olive oil and salt, wrap in a double layer of foil and roast in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Mix together shallots, sugar, salt and vinegar. Slowly stream in olive oil, whisking constantly.
Remove beets from oven and let stand for 10 minutes still covered, Peel if desired.
Cut in half and toss with vinaigrette while still warm. Tear mint leaves and fold in gently. Serve warm or chilled.
Recipe courtesy of Casey Solomon for Sunday Suppers
Our first course at the Moroccan dinner was this beautiful Harissa brushed Halibut. Harissa is very powerful so use it sparingly. It’s a gorgeous contrast to the delicate white halibut. Harissa is a North African hot red sauce or paste made from chili peppers (often smoked or dried) and garlic, often with coriander and caraway or cumin and served with olive oil. It can be used both as a condiment and as an ingredient in recipes. Our favorite is this one.
The gazpacho will be one of the easiest things you’ll ever make. Double the recipe and have it on hand for lunch. So refreshing! Scroll down for the full recipe.
Harissa Brushed Halibut with Gazpacho
(Makes 4 servings)
For the Halibut
1 tbl harissa paste
juice of ? a lemon
1 lb halibut, cut into 4
salt to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine harissa powder and lemon juice. Brush a super thin layer on the fish and season with salt. Wrap tightly in foil and bake for 10 minutes.
For the Gazpacho
4 cups tomato juice
1 cucumber, peeled seeded and cubed
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
? small red onion, chopped
1 small garlic clove, chopped
? c olive oil
? c balsamic vinegar
2 Tbl Worcestire Sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
juice nad zest of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 3 minutes
chill for at least an hour
garnish: microgreens from the farmers market tossed with a bit of olive oil
Recipe courtesy of Casey Solomon for Sunday Suppers
The table design from our Moroccan dinner was inspired by the old tiles that we used as a runner down the middle. Jessie (from Rountree flowers) came in and constructed these amazing little mum shapes – inspired by the patterns in the tiles and by piles of spices – amaaaazing. She then continued with rose petal garlands, decorating the tabletop with those pops of orange and pink, they were just the thing. The candlestick holders were actually regular taper holders that Jessie converted into pillars by attaching votive holders on top, filling them with sand and using a bit of fun tak to attach – neat trick ! More about the menus & paper items coming soon…stay tuned xoxo
Ok, please forgive us, caving into popular demand we will be going out of order a bit. We know we owe you some market photos (and we will post those next week)…but everyone is anxious to see the photos from Amy’s Table up close. We don’t blame you – it was magnificent and it was truly an honor to have Amy as our guest contributor. The fabulous backdrop and pattern along with all the paper goods & goodie bags were designed by the ever-talented Erica Miller of Thoughtfulday.
Other incredibly talented women worked to bring this together – Aran Goyoaga of Cannelle et Vanille baked the orange flower macaroons, orange creamsicle panna cotta and baked meringue sandwich cookies. The gorgeous cake was designed by Archana Rao of Love Street Cakes. Those gorgeous flower centerpieces were created by Jessie of Rountree Flowers. And…Ali Kantor created a traditional moroccan cookie called kaab el ghazal, which served as a favor for the guests to take home in goodie bags. YUM.
Sunday, August 16, 2009 A Summer Supper A 3 Course Meal & Demo by Chef Casey Solomon (Menu details coming soon) AND…! A guest appearance and Dessert Class with Pastry Chef Aran Goyoaga from Cannelle et Vanille
To sign up email us at: info[at]sunday-suppers.com
We are so very behind, and we’re so sorry ! we have lots of market photos and recipes to continue posting…but wanted to give you a sneak peek at our Moroccan Evening that we hosted last night. So many of you wrote in and wanted to attend, we truly wish we had room for all of you ! It was a full house with guests and amazingly talented vendors…we couldn’t have been more excited to work with all these lovely ladies: Erica Bohanon from Thoughtful Day, Amy Atlas (check out her Moroccan Inspired Dessert Table below (!), Aran Goyoaga from Cannelle et Vanille and of course our fav. florist & friend Jessie from Rountree…Just wait till you see all their creations…ok, back to the editing board more coming soon
Our tabletop: Burlap tablecloths + blue & white napkins, cute little mini ball jar glasses + vintage silverware & gorgeous flower creations by Jessie = a rustic but classic tabletop, perfect for a farmer’s market dinner, don’t you think? The menus were printed on brown paper bags which we incorporated into our favors (more about these later) and we used these adorable little clothespins, which we are in love with!
We’ll be posting more about the food, menus & flowers this week and next…!
We like to serve a little welcome beverage when everyone arrives for class, at our Market Class we made a beautiful Citrus Thyme Water. This is great to do with any combination of fruit and herbs. Make a huge batch and just have it on hand. The flavors intensify as they sit.
We served it in an oversized glass jar, an old ladle & a collection of vintage cocktail napkins. It’s so easy to do ! Scroll down for the full recipe below.
Thinly slice 3 oranges, 3 lemons and 3 limes. To 2 gallons of water, add the citrus slices and a handful of thyme sprigs. Let stand refrigerated for at least 2 hours before drinking.
Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons, Green Olives and Golden Raisins
1 whole chicken, quartered
1 tsp each, turmeric, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, dried cilantro
½ c olive oil
½ c lemon juice
8 slices preserved lemon
½ c green olives
½ c golden raisins
2 c chicken stock
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all of the dry spices together with the olive oil and lemon juice. Toss the chicken in the marinade and let sit refrigerated for at least an hour.
On medium-high heat, sear the chicken to create a nice golden crust, approximately 8-10 minutes. Make sure to turn the chicken so that all sides get the color.
Scatter lemons, olives and raisins over the tops. Pour in chicken stock and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.
Recipe courtesy of Casey Solomon for Sunday Suppers
24 baby beets, scrubbed with stems cut
3 tbl olive oil
2 tbl minced shallot
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ c red-wine vinegar
½ c really good olive oil
1 bunch of fresh mint
Toss beets with olive oil and salt, wrap in a double layer of foil and roast in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Mix together shallots, sugar, salt and vinegar. Slowly stream in olive oil, whisking constantly.
Remove beets from oven and let stand for 10 minutes still covered, Peel if desired.
Cut in half and toss with vinaigrette while still warm. Tear mint leaves and fold in gently. Serve warm or chilled.
Recipe courtesy of Casey Solomon for Sunday Suppers
Harissa Brushed Halibut with Gazpacho
(Makes 4 servings)
For the Halibut
1 tbl harissa paste
juice of ? a lemon
1 lb halibut, cut into 4
salt to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine harissa powder and lemon juice. Brush a super thin layer on the fish and season with salt. Wrap tightly in foil and bake for 10 minutes.
For the Gazpacho
4 cups tomato juice
1 cucumber, peeled seeded and cubed
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
? small red onion, chopped
1 small garlic clove, chopped
? c olive oil
? c balsamic vinegar
2 Tbl Worcestire Sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
juice nad zest of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 3 minutes
chill for at least an hour
garnish: microgreens from the farmers market tossed with a bit of olive oil
Recipe courtesy of Casey Solomon for Sunday Suppers
The table design from our Moroccan dinner was inspired by the old tiles that we used as a runner down the middle. Jessie (from Rountree flowers) came in and constructed these amazing little mum shapes – inspired by the patterns in the tiles and by piles of spices – amaaaazing. She then continued [...]
Ok, please forgive us, caving into popular demand we will be going out of order a bit. We know we owe you some market photos (and we will post those next week)…but everyone is anxious to see the photos from Amy’s Table up close. We don’t blame you – it was magnificent and [...]
We’re pretty psyched about this one !
Sunday, August 16, 2009A Summer SupperA 3 Course Meal & Demo by Chef Casey Solomon (Menu details coming soon)AND…! A guest appearance and Dessert Class with Pastry Chef Aran Goyoaga from Cannelle et Vanille
To sign up email us at: info[at]sunday-suppers.com
All Photography by Karen Mordechai
We are so very behind, and we’re so sorry ! we have lots of market photos and recipes to continue posting…but wanted to give you a sneak peek at our Moroccan Evening that we hosted last night. So many of you wrote in and wanted to attend, we truly wish we had room for all [...]
Our tabletop: Burlap tablecloths + blue & white napkins, cute little mini ball jar glasses + vintage silverware & gorgeous flower creations by Jessie = a rustic but classic tabletop, perfect for a farmer’s market dinner, don’t you think? The menus were printed on brown paper bags which we incorporated into our favors (more about [...]
We like to serve a little welcome beverage when everyone arrives for class, at our Market Class we made a beautiful Citrus Thyme Water. This is great to do with any combination of fruit and herbs. Make a huge batch and just have it on hand. The flavors intensify as they sit.
We served it [...]
