Moroccan chicken

This is a dish my dad used to make years ago - I only just remembered it and how delicious it was so  had to get the recipe from him straight away. I'm not a fan of spicy food or coriander therefore most Indian or Moroccan recipes I have to adapt or I just tend not to try them which is a shame. The reason I love this one so much is because it isn't spicy at all but still has incredible flavour from the chicken thighs, cinnamon and sweet apricots. The sweet with savoury in this dish works perfectly together and the light, fluffy cous cous is perfect with the sauce. As I've sad before, I love cooking with chicken thighs because they're so moist and tender. The other good thing about this recipe is that it's really quick to make but it still tastes like a special meal that someone's slaved over for hours...

Serves 2
- 4 boneless and skinless chicken thighs, cut in half
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 onion, chopped
- 75g dried apricots, quartered
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 300ml chicken stock
- 1 tsp turmeric
- lemon juice
- cous cous, to serve

1. Fry the chicken thighs in olive oil for 5-10 minutes, or until browned on both sides.
2. Add the garlic and onion and cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. Add in the apricots and cinnamon and stir.
4. Mix the turmeric into the prepared chicken stock and pour into the pan.
5. Bring to the boil, then cook for about 10-15 minutes.
6. Remove the chicken thighs and set aside, keeping hot.
7. Raise the heat and reduce the sauce until it is fairly thick and syrupy.
8. Meanwhile, cook the cous cous according to packet instructions.
9. Add the lemon juice to the sauce, then serve up the cous cous, with the chicken thighs placed on top, and pour over the sauce. Serve immediately.

Enjoy :)

Moroccan Lamb

I made this meal a few weeks ago in an attempt to make two lamb steaks a bit more interesting. I looked up various Moroccan lamb recipes and most of them were slow cooked and different cuts of meat so I had to make quite a few adjustments. I nearly always use smell to decide what I should put with what, and this is especially important when adding spices in this dish, but I had a blocked nose at the time so cooking this was a bit of a nightmare. It also meant I couldn't really taste it  very well when eating it - all I know is that it was very hot in my mouth (spicy hot), but I am a massive wimp when it comes to spice so if you enjoy spicy food this will probably seem very mild. My mum said it had a lovely flavour so I'm trusting her and sharing this with you guys! The honey and apricots will add a sweetness to counteract the spice, which will go perfectly with the warm cinnamon and tomato flavours.

Serves 2
- 2 lamb steaks
- olive oil
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tbsp turmeric
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 300ml lamb/beef stock
- handful of dried apricots, quartered
- 1 tbsp runny honey
- handful of pine nuts
- handful of parsley, chopped

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3 / 160 degrees. Rub oil on the lamb steaks.

2. In a dish, combine all the spices, and rub the lamb steaks in the mixture until coated. Keep in the fridge for half an hour.

3. Fry the onion and garlic in a large pan until soft. Add the lamb steaks, browning each side. Then, add the tinned tomatoes and stock, and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the liquid has started to reduce.

4. Next, add the apricots, pine nuts, honey and parsley and stir.

5. Return the mixture into the dish and cover with foil. Cook in the oven for about an hour, or until the meat is tender and the sauce reduced. Serve with rice and vegetables!

Enjoy :)