Creative Cookery

While reading Julia Child's My Life in France, as well as other books by and about chefs, I am always a bit envious of the chef's ability to create recipes. After a little more thought on the matter, I've decided we all create recipes without realizing it. How many of us tweak a recipe here and there or make substitutions out of necessity or "what if..."? I catch myself doing it all the time.

This recipe is just such a bit of creative cookery, inspired by Moroccan tangine, though I don't think any Moroccan would really approve, but it is delicious!

Tagine with Butternut Squash

(served on a bed of whole wheat Green onion couscous–recipe follows)

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (1-lb.) pork shoulder cut into 1" cubes

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 cup stock (I used my own veggie stock)

1 (14.5 ounce) can Muir Glen fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained

3 cups peeled butternut squash cut into 1" cubes

(fresh from the garden–how lucky am I)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional, since I completely forgot, and it was still delicious!)

1. Combine spices in a bowl. Add pork and toss well to coat. Let rest for about 20 minutes.

2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat; cook about 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook another minute; stir frequently.

3. Stir in broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Add squash; cover, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until squash is tender.

Note: or should I say 'notes'? First, the original recipe called for beef, but I really enjoy the pork with the other flavors. I would also like to try this with lamb, one of my favorite meats.

Also, this may be a good time to start the couscous if you're using whole wheat, which uses 20 minutes of resting time.

My last note has to do with an alternate mode of cooking. I made this for a crowd of 12, tripling the ingredients and letting it cook in a crock pot the day before I was to serve. This did two things: first, it cooked it slowly, which is how I think tagine should be cooked; and second, it allowed the flavors to marry overnight, making it more flavorful. But, if you only have an hour, this will still delight your palate!

4. Serve on a bed of green onion couscous and sprinkle with cilantro. I also served with potato rolls and butter; yum!

Bon appetit!

Oh, yes, and here's the recipe for the couscous:

Green Onion Couscous

Bring 1 cup stock and 1/2 cup water to boil in a medium saucepan (or use all stock, if you like). Gradually stir in 1 cup uncooked whole wheat couscous. Remove from heat and let stand 20 minutes. If you're using regular couscous, you'll need only 1-1/4 cup of liquid and five minutes standing time. Fluff couscous with a fork and stir in 1/3 cup of chopped green onion, including the green portion. This, and the tagine as written, will serve four.

First Harvest

We've had an exciting weekend so far. Okay, I say that a little tongue-in-cheek, but there's something invigorating about sinking your hands into the loose, cool soil, and being part of the life cycle that begins with a tiny seed and that ends with a wonderful meal made with your fresh vegetables.

These tiny pea pods were the first "harvest" of our little garden. Anthony is certain all plants should be pinched to encourage more growth. I'm not so sure this applies to vegetables. However, I was making fresh soup and decided to pick a few of the sugar snap pea babies to give his theory a try and to give our soup some home garden goodness. I used the Italian parsley from the garden as well. The herbs in the garden bed are doing splendidly--much better than they would have done in pots on the porch.

We also planted our 10 butternut squash babies from the compost bin, an additional four strawberry plants, dahlias, a peony, stock, and blanket flower. This planting frenzy necessitated the cleaning and redefining of a planting bed and some serious weed pulling. Then, we ran out of daylight.

I have basil, lavender, and snapdragons that need planting, too, and I'm going to go against my planting by the moon to get them in the ground. Maybe they can serve as an unofficial experiment.