MKMW: Two for the price of One

Today I gave myself permission to take the day off and do whatever I felt like. Most of the time I work every day of the week, which is what happens when you run your own business, but my brain was fried from trying to comprehend chemometrics, so decided enough was enough. One of my tasks is to catch up on some blogging, so here goes.

My Kitchen, My World

There was a change afoot at MKMW this week when Susan handed over the responsibilities for this event to Lauren. So, a big welcome to Lauren, and a thanks to Susan for getting us going. Keep baking those cookies!!

Part One: Argentina

This week, Teresa of I’m Running to Eat chose Argentina as our target country. While I’ve never been there myself, two of my close friends lived in Buenos Aires for several years on assignment. Through their eyes and letters, I received many colorful impressions of the country, the people, and the food. It’s not uncommon, even nowadays when I visit them, that they will grill steaks and serve them with chimichurri sauce. (I must get that recipe from them!)

So, in honor of Argentina and my friends, I chose to pan-grill some small steaks and smother them with chimichurri sauce. It beats steak sauce any day!

Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce:

1 cup lightly packed chopped parsley (ideally, flat leaf "Italian" parsley)
3 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves (optional)
2 tablespoons shallot or onion, minced
3/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
3 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar, or red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Place all chimichurri sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until well chopped, but not pureed. Reserve.

Part Two: Morocco Revisited

Last week, when I was searching for the right recipe for Morocco, I completely overlooked one of my favorites that I cook from time to time. It works especially well for potlucks and it utilizes the wonderful slow cooker. I decided to include it this week as sort of a bonus recipe.

Moroccan Chicken (Slow Cooker)

(from Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely)

2 16-oz cans garbanzo beans, drained

1 12-oz can diced tomatoes

1 small red bell pepper, seeded, cut into 1” squares

1 small red onion, chopped

½ cup golden raisins

2 tablespoons tomato paste

¼ cup chicken broth

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1” cubes

2 tablespoons peanut butter

Place garbanzo beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, raisins, tomato paste, broth, garlic, and cumin in slow cooker. Mix until well combined.

Place chicken on top of bean mixture. Cover. Cook on low heat setting 6 to 7 hours, or until chicken is tender. Stir in peanut butter, blending well.

Serves 4-6.

This coming week we get to visit Cambodia, so I’m off to do some research (which is a heck of lot more fun than working!)