Category Archives: chicken
Jack is Cooking with a Tajine
This post has been sitting in my computer waiting for some attention for quite a while now, but finally here it is! Two weekends ago i made a semi-traditional Moroccan dish using my Mom’s Tajine.
Tajines are pretty awesome. Heres what wikipedia has to say about them:
A tagine or tajine (pronounced /tɑːˈʒiːn/; Arabic: طاجين, pronounced [tˁaːdʒiːn]) is a type of dish found in the North African cuisines of Algeria, Morocco, andTunisia, which is named after the special pot in which it is cooked. A similar dish, known as Tavvas, is found in the cuisine of Cyprus. The traditional tagine pot is formed entirely of a heavy clay which is sometimes painted or glazed. It consists of two parts; a base unit which is flat and circular with low sides, and a large cone or dome-shaped cover that rests inside the base during cooking. The cover is so designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom. With the cover removed, the base can be taken to the table for serving.
here’s what it looks like:
Anyways, i made a buttercup squash Tajine (but you can use any kind of winter squash. i LOVE winter squash!) for the most part this dish is really easy to make. If you don’t have a Tajine, you can make the same thing in a casserole dish, but it will come out differently because of the lack of the magic cone shaped top.
To accompany this Tajine, i also made some chicken. i’ll talk about that in a bit.
so heres what you’ll need:
For the Tajine:
squash (of any winter variety)
whole cloves of garlic (a whole bunch)
shallots (depending on the size maybe 5 or 6) also whole.
olive oil
harrisa paste
honey
almonds
raisins
saffron (optional)
For the Chicken:
Chicken split breast (i recommend Herondale Farm chicken!)
yogurt (2 cups)
onions
whatever spices you want
So First i chopped up the squash (well i didn’t, but somebody did! haha)
and we peeled the shallots and the garlic
* update! * it has been pointed out to me that credit is due! Roland, chopped up the garlic and the shallots!
and Julie cut up the Squash! haha. always give credit where credit is due! i knew i didn’t chop that stuff up…
Then i took the Chicken, and marinated it in the yogurt along with some onions i had sauteed along with some indian spices that i don’t know the name of. i will try to find out the name and update this post!! so yeah, take the sauteed onions and mix it with the yogurt and let the chicken sit in it for maybe 30 minutes:
Now for the Tajine!
first take a couple good dregs of olive oil and start cooking the shallots and garlic over a medium heat.

MMM MMMM MMM delicious!!!
Jack is Cooking Pad Thai
i’ve been away traveling. so i’ve decided to cook something i learned in my travels. pad thai.
pad thai is super easy. here’s what you’ll need
rice noodles
tofu or chicken
1 egg
green onions
bean sprouts (about a handful)
2 tbspns pad thai sauce (you can find this stuff in most big grocery stores. stop and shop and whole foods both have them i know it!)
1 tbspn fish sauce
soy sauce
1 tbspn sugar
chili sauce (optional)
crushed peanuts
lime juice