Lesson 35: Stewing Peter Rabbit

Yesterday our class had our final lesson on stewing, with some interesting items on the menu.  My group decided to divide up the recipes like we did yesterday, to avoid confusion and get everything done faster.  Matt made the stewed rabbit legs with broccoli rabe and prosciutto (pictured above).  I was very excited about this dish because I have never tried rabbit before and my grandpa told me his mother used to make it for him when he was younger.  Thankfully there was plenty leftover to bring home for my grandpa to try and he loved it!  I was so happy to bring back a childhood memory for him through food.  I also really enjoyed the rabbit and was surprised to find that it tasted exactly like chicken.  

The recipe that I worked on was the Chicken Tagine with Cous Cous.  Matt helped me prep in the beginning of class, since my recipe had a ton of ingredients to be measured out.  This was a great recipe that I can't wait to make again at home.  There were so many components that added great flavor and texture to the dish.  I even cooked the chicken stew in a tagine, a cooking device typically used for Moroccan stews.  Here is a picture of one (I google imaged it because I forgot to take a picture during class..)

We weren't sure if the one we had in class was suitable for searing meat or sauteeing vegetables, so I prepped the stew in a small rondeau pan and transfered the whole thing to the tagine and put it in the oven to cook.  Like I said, this stew turned out fantastic!  After browning and removing the chicken legs and thighs from the pan, I added sliced onions, tumeric, coriander, cumin, cayenne, and a pinch of saffron.  I added some water, honey, cinnamon sticks, chickpeas, dried dates & apricots and added it to the chicken in the tagine.  While the stew finished cooking in the oven, I sauteed some zucchini and yellow squash in the same pan that I made the onion and spice mixture.  The chicken took only another 20 minutes to cook and I removed it from the pan.  I transfered the sauce/dried fruit mixture to a medium pan and reduced and seasoned it with some salt and a little more honey.  I added the squash to the sauce at the very end and poured it over the chicken and cous cous. 

Henry took charge of the vegetarian dish of the day: Turkish eggplant and lentil stew (although it was more like a casserole than a stew).  Unfortunately there was a little mishap with some eggplant being dropped on the floor, so our casserole was not able to bake (we still put it together and will bake it on Monday).  I tasted the other groups' casserole and really liked it.  It was sweet from the pomegranite mollasses that we drizzled over the lentils.  The breadcrumbs on top added great crunch and the tomato/onion mixture spread between the lentils and eggplant added an extra layer of flavor.   There was some extra eggplant and lentils that I was able to take home.  I want to try and recreate this recipe at home with the addition of goat cheese!

Allison and Al (yes, names get very confusing in this class..especially when the three of us are working in the same group) worked on the Korean Short Ribs.  These were slow cooked for the entire class and turned out amazing.  My family was very happy with the huge spread of food I brought home last night!

I'm definitely ready for a relaxing weekend after the intense week of cooking!