Note: I was sent a copy of Eating With Peter for review. Opinions are mine alone.
It comes as no surprise that I gravitate toward books that use food to tell a story. Eating with Peter: A Gastronomic Journey written by Susan Buckley tells the story of her adventures travelling the world with her husband Peter— a well known writer, food critic, and gourmand—exploring foreign cuisine and cultures, from the Michelin-starred restaurants to the sprawling souks of Morocco. Eating with Peter chronicles a life-changing journey of gastronomy and love across Europe, North Africa, and various less-known culinary corners. The book also features 28 recipes that will appeal to lovers of North African, Caribbean, and French cuisines.
Susan’s life would never be the same after she meets Peter Buckley. A man who was larger than life, Peter pulls Susan out of her comfort zone to taste the fine life, literally. Together they embark on a rollicking adventure through Michelin-starred restaurants in France to the souks of Morocco and the waters of the Red Sea and the Caribbean. They explore the world, and along the way discover the most desired tables (sometimes in a tent) and the best markets, moving from Peter’s adventures with Hemingway to sampling delectable treasures in an Alpine meadow. When they return to New York, Susan and Peter—a writer, photographer, gourmand, as well as an inventive chef—incorporate their adventures into their daily American life. As they explore three-star restaurants, French farms, and Italian cheesemakers, the reader gets a taste of famous gastronomic dishes and their chefs, in addition to learning about mouth-watering recipes, culinary moments around the Buckley’s kitchen and table with family and friends, and many of their New York food secrets.
Inspired by the chapter about their travels through Morocco, I adapted the recipe provided within the book to make this One Pot Moroccan Chicken with Couscous.
It’s a fairly simple recipe made with ras el hanout, a North African spice blend that makes this such a tasty dish. The name, which means “head of the shop” (which is similar to the English expression “top-shelf” is a mixture of the best spices the seller has to offer. As such, there is no definitive ras el hanout recipe. Common ingredients include cardamom, cumin, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, coriander, paprika, and turmeric. For those near Philadelphia, I picked mine up from The Head Nut in Reading Terminal, but it can be found in many supermarkets as well.
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 chicken thighs, 2 drumsticks, and 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ras el hanout, divided
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch saffron
- 1/4 tsp powdered ginger
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup couscous
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges for serving
Add 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large saute pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season your chicken with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon ras el hanout. Add a couple pieces of the chicken to the pan and cook on medium high until browned on all sides and cooked through (about 10 minutes).
Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pan. When melted, add your chopped onion and season with ¼ teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, and the crushed saffron.
Stir occasionally and cook until the onion is fragrant, about 4 minutes. Stir in the almonds and cook for another minute.
Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring to a boil.
When boiling, add in the couscous, stirring to combine. Top with a fitted lid and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, stir in the raisins and 1 teaspoon ras el hanout.
Top with the chicken pieces and serve with lemon wedges.
My whole house smelled absolutely amazing while I was cooking this!
The different spices within the ras el hanout add such wonderful flavor and warmth to the chicken and couscous.
Cooking the couscous in the same pan that the chicken was cooked in adds another layer of flavor. I loved the sweetness from the raisins and crunch from the almonds as well!
A little squeeze of lemon juice right before digging in adds some brightness to this. I originally intended to pack this up and save it for a busy weekday dinner, but after tasting the chicken, my husband and I decided we couldn’t wait and had it for dinner that night!
Ras el hanout can be used in a variety of dishes. It would be great as a rub on grilled meat, or stirred into a stew to add some warmth and depthness to the stew. It’s definitely worth adding to your spice collection!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 chicken thighs, 2 drumsticks, and 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ras el hanout, divided
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch saffron
- 1/4 tsp powdered ginger
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup couscous
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges for serving
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large saute pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season your chicken with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon ras el hanout. Add a couple pieces of the chicken to the pan and cook on medium high until browned on all sides and cooked through (about 10 minutes).
- Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pan. When melted, add your chopped onion and season with ¼ teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, and the crushed saffron.
- Stir occasionally and cook until the onion is fragrant, about 4 minutes. Stir in the almonds and cook for another minute.
- Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring to a boil.
- When boiling, add in the couscous, stirring to combine.
- Top with a fitted lid and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, stir in the raisins and 1 teaspoon ras el hanout. Top with the chicken pieces and serve with lemon wedges.
This was amazing! Thanks (: