Nopale Bison Tacos

The Lowdown:

Okay, let's just say this was an experiement to try to cook, write, and photograph a blog session in an hour an a half. That's not what I intended initially - not even by a long shot. Regardless, here I am trying to get myself out of a jam again. I don't even like jam. Marmalade and jelly can get added to that list as well. Okay, any fruit related toast spread is not in my good books. Jam; however, is at the top of this list because I'm stuck in one right now (what a stupid saying anyway, which further makes me dislike jam at the moment). Like any good get-out-of-a-jam artist, I have a few go-to options. Actually, to be fair, everyone has the same one. TACOS. They are loved by adults, children, and anyone who is a hybrid mixture of the two (like myself). In fact, they are so easy to create that I'm making them as we... speak?

I guess I should consider myself lucky that while in this time management mishap I was fortunate enough to have everything on hand. Nopales on hand... WTF? To be fair, the only reason I have cactus paddles (nopales) on hand is because there is a grocery store in town that is open 24 hours a day. Splendid! I can now shop at 1:30am. No more children, whom were clearly raised by neglegent parents, running around with their miniature shopping carts acting like they are in a destruction derby and not a grocery market. I know that was me 25 years ago... Okay, maybe even 20 years ago, but still! I digressed. The point is, I can calmly hunt and gather now. No distractions. No kids. Nobody rushing to get last minute items for dinner. No kids. No kids. Did I say no kids? Yes, this whole paragraph was, in fact, to reiterate why I had napoles on hand at a time like this.

I should also be thanking Girlichef for her idea. I would thank her for the recipe, but to be honest, there was just too much writing. No time to read. Cook, eat, go. If you were reading two posts ago, you'll remember that showering isn't the best idea when you are cooking. However, considering my time restraints, I will be performing this daunting task again. Not to mention, trying to look decent, having a beer, and getting dressed. Err, I'm not sure if it will be in that order.

Now, for my busy night... at music bingo? Seriously, I'm in this much of a rush to get to music bingo? Well, maybe it's the $5 martinis. Maybe it's the corny 80's and 90's music. Maybe it's just getting out of the house on a monday. Either way, here's to a successful rush job on dinner. Tacos, you've once again saved me.

The Playlist:

3 Morita chilis

2 Pasilla chilis

1 Chipotle chili

1 Red onion, chopped

5 cloves Garlic

2 Tomatoes

1 tsp Cumin, ground

2 cups Water

Salt & Pepper, to taste

2 lbs Meat (I used bison), cubed

2 tbsp Olive oil

1/2 cup Navy beans, dried

1 Lime, peals only

1 tbsp Red wine vinegar

Water

3 Nopales (cactus paddles), de-thorned & cut into 1 inch squares

Water

Cilantro, to taste

The Skinny:

1. Combined all the first layer of ingredients into a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth. Set aside and allow the flavours to mingle (sort of like speed dating I suppose).
2. In large sauce pan: heat oil then add meat and brown on all sides. Add enough water to fully cover the meat, then add navy beans, lime peals, and red wine vinegar. Simmer on medium-low for an hour (or until beans soften and water is reduced to near-dry).
3. In small pot: bring enough water to submerge nopales to a boil, then add nopales and boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove napoles from the water and set aside.
4. In large sauce pan: add tomato mixture to the meat, cover, and simmer for 20-40 minutes. Add napoles and cilantro, then remove from heat.
5. Serve with warm tortillas, or as tacos in this case.

Stay Rad -h

Featured on: Chef in Training, Premeditated Leftovers, 33 Shades of Green, Food Renegade, Lady Behind the Curtain, A Little Nosh,

MIA....or OOT

I'm in Toronto looking for a place to live my lovelies... be back in a couple weeks. Wish me luck!

Strange-Brew Diaries 2.1: Beacon IPA Smoked Turkey Crostinis

The Lowdown:

Lighthouse Brewing Company, 2012

Recently I have gained access to a smoker. Since then, I've become a chain smoker. I can't get enough of it. Seriously, I am willing to smoke anything at any time. This particular recipe was an experiment to see what happens when you brine a meat with beer instead of water (a hoppy beer at that). The outcome was pleasant. I'm not too sure if the subtleties of the beer can be detected, but never the less I enjoyed it. Next time, and there will be a next time, I will use less ingredients and focus solely on the beer brine.

It has been a goal of mine to start using beer in my recipes more often. They can provide interesting flavours that you can't get from any other source. This isn't saying that my palette is so refined that I need these hard to find flavours in my food just to survive. It's more of an opportunity to remake recipes, or re-try recipes that lacked a certain edge the first time around. Turn them more "me," essentially. I am, after all, a huge fan of Victoria's local brews, and love supporting them anyway I can. Primarily, this includes sitting with a couple of friends in a pub pretending that we deserve a beer after a hard day's work. 

This recipe focuses on a local IPA crafted by Lighthouse Breweries. A description of their brewery can be found here. Lighthouse prepares, locally and sustainably, two of my go-to mug fillers -- the Beacon IPA and Race Rocks Amber Ale. So what better place to start my second episode of Strange-Brew Diaries than with Beacon IPA. 

Curiosity killed the cat, not creativity. With that in mind, I shall begin to explore the realm of Strange Brew Diaries: Lighthouse. Of course, if you can't get this product, any IPA should work. Let me rephrase that, any real IPA should work. If you're thinking Alexander Keith's IPA please stop reading this immediately and go sit in a corner... alone.

The initial algebraic equation behind this experiment was India Pale Ale + Indian Spices + Smoke = Something. Yes, that was as far as I got. I'm not much of a mathematician. I'm also not much of a practitioner of patience. Essentially, I'm a trigger happy pseudo-cook. This was a poorly thought of recipe brought upon by my addiction to smoking. However, I loved it, and I can ensure you that I will be doing this again.

So go grab an IPA and ponder about the possibilities of acquiring your own smoking habit.

The Playlist:

1 lb Turkey breast, boneless & skinless

2 cups IPA

1/2 tsp Graham marsala

2 tbsp Sea salt

1/2 cup Organic cane sugar

1/2 inch Ginger, thinly sliced

1/4 cup Basil, chopped

1/4 cup Cream cheese (or substitute goat cheese)

Course black pepper, to taste

1/2 English long cucumber, thinly sliced

1 Baguette

The Skinny:

1. Combine the turkey breast, IPA (I chose Lighthouse Beacon IPA), graham marsala, sea salt, sugar, and ginger in a container large enough to fully submerge the turkey breast into. Brine for 12-18 hours (if thinly sliced) or 2 days if whole breast.
2. In a smoker smoke the turkey breast for 3 hours using the wood chips of your preference. Remove and allow to cool. If the smoke flavour is too over-powering I suggest allowing the turkey to soak in water for 30 minutes. In my experience, this allows the flavours to mellow out.
3. Heat the oven to 350* and cook the turkey throughout. I sliced mine thinly so that this process only took 10 minutes.
4. In a mixing bowl: combined the basil, pepper, and cheese. 
5. Spread cheese onto baguettes and add the cucumber slices and the smoked turkey.
6. You can figure out what to do next on your own... you're adults.

Featured in: Food Renegade, Chef in Training, Premeditated Leftovers, 33 Shades of Green,


Stay Rad - h

Pickled Fennel with Orange

 Good morning sugar pops!

There are some traditions we could stand to lose - witch burning, paying for medical care, exclusively heterosexual marriage... 

But then there are some that we need to fervently grab onto. 

One of these, is preserving food.

It's something many of our parents, their parents, and their parents before that have done for centuries but in a pro-mass produced, anti-think consumer culture it seems to have fallen by the way side. After all, why would we go to all that trouble to collect an abundance of one particular food stuff, process it ourselves and make space to keep it in when the big chain grocery store down the street has everything we could possibly ever want or need? 

For me there are three reasons.

First, it's a well known fact that Vancouver Island has only about 3 days worth of food available to us, should all shipments cease due to natural or man made disaster. That's not very long. And when people get hungry, they get scary. It only makes good food sense to make sure we have our own back ups in case of emergency. And if you don't believe me, ask the folks at Doomsday Preppers.

source

Second, all that handy-dandy-ready food at the grocery store? Most of it's filled with shit you don't wanna eat. From GMO corn and soy, to artificial "natural" flavors and colors, to preservatives, to who the ef knows what else. Every action has an opposite and equal reaction. In other words, everything you eat effects how you feel, look, and do. What do you think those additives, fillers, replacements, etc... affect you?

And third, it's fucking fun. And if it isn't, it should be. Preserving food - whether it's curing, canning, pickling or otherwise - is a fundamental knowledge to our survival as a species. That's pretty neat. And the more we embrace that, the more bourbon soaked cherries we'll have for the year. Now that's fun.

For this week's recipe from another blog, I decided to opt less for boozy fruit and more for citrusy fennel - if for no other reason than because I got a shit ton of fennel from our CSA over the past 2 weeks. ¡DPM! Does - a Brooklyn based duo creating recipes from Clara's Abuelita  in Argentina - make a damned good batch of pickled fennel. So I'm sharing it with you...

Pickled Fennel with Orange
(printable recipe) - makes 1 500ml Jar.

Ingredients:

4 Medium Sized Bulbs of fennel, very thinly sliced (a mandoline is useful here).

1 Tsp Fine Sea Salt.

1 Orange for zest cut into thin strips.

6 Tbsp white wine vinegar.

6 Tbsp orange juice.

2 Tbsp sugar.

4 Whole black peppercorns, cracked.
A Couple Sprigs of Fennel Tops (optional).


What to Do:

Toss the sliced fennel in a shallow bowl with the salt. Let them stand for one hour.

Meanwhile, sterilize your jar(s), lid(s), and ring(s). You can do this in a water bath canner if you have one or if you don't just use a very deep wide stock pot with one of those old fashioned metal steamers laid out in the bottom. This will keep the jars off the bottom of the pot so they don't break. Fill the pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Using a pair of tongs with rubber bands wrapped around the ends to prevent slippage, carefully place the jars, lids and rings in the water in batches so they fit comfortably with 1 to 2" of water above the jars and boil/sterilize for about 15 minutes. Carefully lift jars, lids and rings out of the water and set aside on a clean, dry surface. Sterilized!

If any brine exists in the bowl after this time, drain and toss the slices with the orange zest. Pack them into a sterilized pint jar, placing a fennel sprig or two against the side of the jar is using.

In a saucepan, heat the vinegar, orange juice, sugar and peppercorns over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Pour the hot liquid over the fennel, leaving 3/4" of head space at the top of the jar. 

Secure rims and lids on the jars and place back in the boiling water to ensure seal for 15 minutes. Carefully remove from the water and allow to set and cool to room temperature. You may hear a "ping" noise coming from the jars - this is an excellent sign. Once cool, check to make sure the rings have in fact sealed and refrigerate any that don't.

Those that are sealed can be stored for many weeks while any open jars should be used within a week or two.

Eat.

Do you know how to preserve food? How about small rodents? Do you think "preserving" this kind of knowledge is important?

 

This post is linked up with Cast Party Wednesday; Whole Foods Wednesday; Fresh Foods Blog Hop; Frugal Days Sustainable Ways; Full Plate Thursday; Keep It Real Thursday; Showcase Your Talent; Tastetastic Thursday; Wellness Weekends; Fresh Bites Friday; Foodie Friday; Carnival of Home Preserving.

Andhra Pappu (Dal) w/ Curried Sweet Potato Chips

The Lowdown:

I'm not sure where my fondness for Indian food came from. Whatever the reason, I'm glad I discovered it (or more likely it was forced upon me). The flavours are unmatched. The aromas are unmatched. Well, scratch that. A revised statement would go something like this, the aromas are sometimes unmatched. Right now it looks and smells like a napalm bomb just exploded in my kitchen. I was trying to be what some refer to as a multi-tasker. But let this be a lesson to you, oven @ 485* + shower = disaster. You know you've fudged it when you have to arm everyone in the house (condo in my case) with a fanning-towel. You may have won the battle, curried sweet potato chips, but the war is far from over. For now, a glass of wine. Tomorrow, I will overcome your evil antics.

If you've made it this far, or have read anything else I've written, you'll know that I'm a horrible planner when it comes to cooking. I am sporadic at best. I invite people over for dinner without a plan or menu. I have to improvise because I'm too lazy to go hunting and gathering. To sum it up, I am a horrible cook. But then again, I've never claimed to be anything other than that. I would like to think I make up for my downfalls with wine. Yes, the old "get them bubbly and they'll enjoy anything" tactic. Love it.

If you're still reading, despite my best attempts to warn you, the plan was to make a dal with curried sweet potato chips for dipping. Instead, I have dal with watering eyes and inflamed lungs. Curry is not so pleasant when you burn the hell out of it. In fact, not pleasant is a gross understatement. For your enjoyment, I will refrain from saying what I am really feeling right now. Lucky you.

It is a known fact that curries are better the day after anyway. So let it be called fate that I burned the chips and could not eat the dal tonight. Yes that's it. It was all part of some grand scheme - a master plan if you will. (In a National Geographic narator's voice): the young cook's hunt ended poorly; tonight he will go hungry. Likely, he will survive as he has stored fat reserves over the past winter.

So without further ado, this is Food Mazaa's Andhra Pappu. And that concludes this weeks Recipe Remix. If you're new or confused, once a month we post a remake of a recipe from another blog. So enjoy. Do it, that is an order!

The Playlist:

1/2 cup Toor Dal (medium-sized Split yellow lentils)

1 cup Masoor Dal (split red lentils)
4 Tomatoes, chopped
1 Onion, diced
1 tsp Turmeric

2 cups Spinach, chopped
4 Green chillies, halved

1/2 cup Coriander leaves, chopped

2 tsp Garham marsala 

Salt, to taste

2 tbsp Oil

2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

4 Red chillies, dried
4 cloves Garlic, minced

The Skinny:

1. Soak the dals in water for an hour then strain and add to a large skillet with 3 cups of heated water. Bring to a boil then skim off the froth. Cover and allow to boil for 25 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, green chilis, turmeric, spinach, onion, coriander leaves, salt, and garham marsala into the lentils. Cover and simmer on medium heat.
3. In a seperate pan, put oil, mustard seeds, garlic, red chilis, cumin, and garlic on medium heat and cook until garlic browns. Once browned, add to the pappu. Mix thoroughly and allow to simmer for a while longer.
4. Remove the lid and simmer for 5 more minutes. If you have the time, allow the dal to rest over night. If not, serve warm.
5. If you'd like to make the curried sweet potato chips all you have to do is heat vegetable oil in a frying pan (enought to submerge the chips in), then cut the sweet potatoes thinly and dust them with chickpea flour and garham marsala. Cook in the oil until crispy.
6. Enjoy. 

Featured on: 33 Shades of Green, Premeditated Leftovers, Food Renegade, Chef in Training, 

Stay Rad -h 

Cactus Jelly Bourbon'd Bacon Tacos

Good morning to you darlings!

So if you follow me @ Gastronomical Sovereignty, you may know I take part in this little thing called Foodie Pen Pals... And by little, I mean gargantuan. It's over 1000 members strong and each month we swap packages all around the world just stuffed with incredible food stuffs. It really is amazing to have so many food bloggers, non-food-blogger bloggers and blog readers connect over such vast distances!

This past month a woman named Tenecia had me as her assignee. You can read more about her here or check out her blog, Boobs, Barbells and Broccoli. One of the things she sent me was a locally crafted Cactus Apple Jelly. 

Um, first response: heck yeah! 

And my second response: what the ef is cactus apple jelly?

Now, the average person might spread that baby on some whole wheat toast, or a sesame seed bagel maybe, or if they were feeling really adventurous... dare i say, some homemade, from-scratch pancakes...? Oooooh, that's living on the edge!

But I'm no ordinary person. And neither is Tenecia. I wanted to do abnormality justice damn it!

Instead, I threw a good half jar into a small saucepan, reduced it down with a 'lil bourbon - because we all know bourbon makes everything better - and then used it as a glaze...for bacon.

Because if bourbon doesn't make everything better, bacon sure does. Mmmmm bacon... err bourbon... uhhh bourbony bacon.... mrraaaawwwwlllll.... (that's drooling in type form).

Tenecia also included a package of hand made tortillas from her area so what else could I possibly make besides cactus jelly bourbon'd bacon tacos?

Cactus Jelly Bourbon'd Bacon Tacos

(printable recipe) - serves 8 as an appetizer or 4 as a main.

Ingredients:

1 Lb. Happy Bacon, chopped.

8 Oz. Cactus Apple Jelly (though regular apple jelly would suffice).

1 Oz. Bourbon.

Handful or Two of Fresh Arugula.

1 Ear of Fresh Corn.

1 Pint Fresh Tomatoes.

Some Sour Cream (for serving).

8 Organic Corn or Flour Tortillas.

What to Do:

Place a pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the corn and allow to cook until tender. If it's fresh from the farmer's market it will cook much faster (approx 3 minutes); if it's store bought, hang on for 7-10. Drain, allow to cool to touch and then using a steak knife, saw the kernels off the cob. Set aside. 

As the corn cooks, dice the tomatoes and wash and dry the arugula. Sprinkle both lightly with salt and toss the arugula with a touch of good quality olive oil.

Place a large frying pan over medium-low heat. When hot, gently and carefully place the bacon in the pan. Cook until crispy, flipping half way through - be careful! The grease is a hot one! Drain on a paper towel lined plate and set aside. 

Turn your oven to 300 degrees F. Gently heat the taco shells as you finish the recipe. Alternatively, you could do this in a microwave for 60 seconds with the tortillas wrapped in a towel.

Wipe out the pan and add the jelly and bourbon, Reduce until relatively thick and sticky. As it cools it will get thicker. If it gets too thick, just reheat.

Add the bacon and stir well.

Throw all the ingredients into separate bowls and build your tacos...then...fill up your glass with one of these...and....

Eat!

What gets your creative motor running? What inspires you?

This post is linked up with Cast Party Wednesday; Whole Foods Wednesday @ This Chick Cooks; Whole Food Wednesdays @ Beyond the Peel; Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways; Showcase Your Talent Thursday; Full Plate Thursday; Tastetastic Thursday; Foodie Friday; Fight Back Friday; Fresh Bites Friday.

Spiked Hibiscus Lemonade

The Lowdown:

So what do you do after one of those days that you actually accomplish you're list of tasks (or completed a few, then threw the list away)? Well, one could make a new list of chores to do... Or, a better option is to kick back and relax. A much better option in my humble opinion. Keep it simple ya know; there will always be another day to do chores. Besides, life is about enjoying the simpler things sometimes. For example, a nice lemonade on a moderately hot, sunny day. Put a couple of ounces of citrus vodka in that lemonade and life becomes even simpler. Well, maybe I become simpler and life remains just as complex. Either way, spike the damn lemonade.

I've recently come across a fun, and simple, way to make classic cocktails different. Or new cocktails all together for that matter. A way to add a new essence to them -- a spin if you will. Have too many, and it definitely adds a spin(s) on life. Oh man, I crack myself up. Sometimes I think it's good that you can only read what I'm writing and not see how I'm acting. Ahhh, the beauty of the written word. 

So this new simple idea is (drum roll... extended drum roll...) -- simple syrup. Although sometimes the simple syrup isn't so simple. I've been bouncing ideas of different infusions for the last few weeks and there are as many options as your imagination can think of. Cardamom ginger simple syrup -- why not? What's better than that, is just how cheap it is -- water, sugar, infusable ingredients. What's even better than that, is that you'll never have to use pop ever again. What's even better than that is I'm already on the patio enjoying it. Of course, you can feel free to keep yours virgin. I however, have just almost complete my list of chores so I deserve a stiff one. Cheers.

The Playlist:

2 oz Citrus vodka
1 oz Hibiscus simple syrup*
1 Lemon, juiced
3 dashes Peach bitters (or any fruit bitters)

Variations

5 Blackberries, muddled
Top with soda (optional)

2 Strawberries, muddled
1/2 cm Ginger, muddled
Top with soda (optional)




*In pot: put three parts sugar, three parts water, one part dried hibiscus flowers then put on medium heat until sugar dissolves. Set aside and allow to cool. Strain out hibiscus.

The Skinny:

1. Muddle fruit in martini shaker, then add all of the ingredients (except for the soda if you are choosing to use this). Add ice and shake vigorously.
2. Strain over a rocks glass filled with ice.
3. Garnish how ever you'd like to.
4. Sit on your patio and enjoy.

Stay Rad - h

Featured on: Chef in Training, 33 Shades of Green, 

RPI: Mission Goat (aka ew)

Warning: I am not a happy girl. This is a post about goat. And as luck Haydn would have it, I don't like goat.

Actually, when Haydn won our last match of Rock Paper Ingredient I was pretty stoked that he selected goat. I was all, "rad! i've never had goat. this is going to be awesome!"....

....3 days later... 

i. wanted. to. die.

Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. But my nose certainly wanted to curl up inside itself and shut out the world. It smelled like live barn yard animal rotting away in arsenic and iodine.

In all honesty: I didn't try it. 

I was so put off by the scent of the cooking meat I couldn't bring myself to put it in my mouth. 

Funny enough, Haydn and I both selected a Moroccan approach.. John enjoyed it - good on him. I'd have hated to see it go to waste.

Of course I adore Haydn for being so adventurous (and dashing) and selecting such a unique ingredient. Well done, friend. I'm sorry I couldn't do it.... that's a hard limit for me.

Obviously I didn't keep my full recipe for this dish. However if you click here, you'll get the basic idea. Sub goat for the lamb. 

RPI.... you may have beaten me this round, but next time, I'm gonna burnin this mother down!

RPI: Moroccan Goat & Date Tagine

The Lowdown:

What the heckers is a tagine, is probaby what you are thinking right now. I was thinking the same thing about two weeks ago. I was also thinking the same thing 4 years ago when I went into a Moroccan restaurant (that sadly closed down recently). If it weren't for the lovely device known as the interweb I would still have no idea. After all, books are archaic and require actual work to read. Right. A tagine (tajine) is a term commonly used when describing an assortment of Moroccan dishes that are cooked in, you guessed it, a tagine. It is a earthenware piece of cookware that is shaped like a cone or a te-pee set on top of a round, thick-brimmed base. The shape was designed so that all of the condensation from the steam would trickle back down into the base, where the main components of the meal are. When finished, the top of the tagine is removed for serving. Of course, now we will most likely use a modern pot or cast iron sauce pan.  Yes, this concludes the history lesson.

It's just like green eggs and ham, said Sam I Am. He was a bit skeptical at first, but when he finally gave in it was heaven. I felt the same way. I always do when I'm trying something new. Success and failure never enter my mind while cooking. That is a minor consequence. I mainly think about the possibilities. Now, I will eat tagine in a house, I will eat tagine with a mouse; I will eat tagine with a fox, I will eat tagine in a box. Enough of that, Dr. Suess has left the building folks.

I feel that this is one dish where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The beauty of this dish comes from the simplicity. Simplicity is often one of my key goals. To do this, I always try to understand the basic ingredients, so that their flavours have a huge x-rated orgy and produce flavourful, robust dishes. Elegance is highly over-rated. Flavour orgies are in.

After doing a bit of research, Moroccan cuisine has four major spices (pepper, salt, ginger, and turmeric). Freshness and patience is the key. A bit of luck goes a long way as well. While hunting and foraging today, I found fresh green peppercorns, which added a beautifully robust flavour to the overall sensation of this dish. Seriously, when was the last time you saw fresh peppercorns?

I am a spice whore. I am a flavour monger. I am a heat trollop. But this dish, despite being mind-blowingly simple, exceeded all my expectations. I even resisted the urge to throw cayenne pepper in just to add a bit of heat ( this was really rare for me). Despite this, as I have said before, I enjoyed this dish immensely. Add the honey dates and almonds on top and you are entering a whole new realm of awesomeness.

The Playlist:

1 kg Goat meat (can substitute lamb or beef)
2 medium Onions, minced
5 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tomato, chopped (optional)
2 Carrots, chopped (optional)
2 sticks, Cinnamon
2 tbsp Ginger, minced
2 tbsp Green peppercorns, fresh
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp White pepper (optional)
1/4 cup Canola oil
2 1/2 cups Water
1 hand full Cilantro sprigs, tied

2 cups Dates, pitted
3 tbsp Honey
3 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 cup Almonds, fried 

The Skinny:

1. In large pot: brown goat meat with the onion, oil, and spices (crush half of the green peppercorns in a mortar and pestle to release their fragrance). Add water and cilantro and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Cover with a tight fitting lid and allow to cook for 1 hour.
2. Remove 1/2 cup of the simmering liquid and set aside. Add more water if it appears that the simmering liquid is drying out. Cover and allow to cook for 1 hour longer. The meat should be "fall off the bone" tender when it is finished.
3. In small sauce pan: add the 1/2 cup simmering liquid, dates, honey, and cinnamon and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the lid from the tagine and simmer down the liquid until it is the desired consitency.
5. Serve warm, and add dates and almonds as per individual taste.

Featured on: 33 Shades of Green, Premeditated Leftovers, Food Renegade, Chef in Training,

Stay Rad -h