chefzadi

3- 4 lb whole chicken 1 preserved lemon, julienned 8 ounces green olives, soaked in several changes of water untill the brine is removed. About 2 hours. 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 Tb flat leaf parsley, finely chopped 1 Tb cilantro, finely chopped 1 ½ tsp tomato paste ½ tsp Saffron ½ tsp turmeric Salt and Pepper Olive Oil 2 cups water or more Method: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degree oven 2. Rub the skin with turmeric and saffron. 3. marinade for at least an hour in the refrigerator 4. Stuff the chicken with some of the preserved lemon, garlic, onions and herbs. 5. Drizzle a little olive oil allover the outside of the chicken 6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 7. Place the chicken in a dutch oven or a roasting pan. Add 2 cups of water to the pan. 8. Place the chicken in the oven for 1- 1 ¼ hours half, basting ever 20 minutes with the pan juices, add more water as the sauce evaporates and rotating the roasting pan in quarter turns. The chicken is done when the juices between the leg and body run clear. 9. 30 minutes into roasting add the remaining herbs, garlic, tomato paste, olives and preserved lemons. 10. Stir in herbs to the hot sauce a before service. 11. To serve, place chicken on a platter, spoon sauce on top. I also added a bit of my spice mixture at the beginning of the roasting, and then a bit more mid way through cooking. I usually add spices in steps throughout the cooking process. I find this gives a depth of flavor, a layer of mellowed spices through long cooking and then a fresher bouquet of spices add towards the end. I sometimes do the same with herbs. My spice mixutre 3 parts cumin 1 part fennel 1 part coriander seeds 1 pinch of saffron 1/4 part turmeric add to taste. I have found that this spice mixture is very appealing to most people who have tried. Photo of finished dish to follow.

The star ingredient Preserved Lemons. These are a versatile preserve to have around. So easy to make, lots of salt and water. Cure for a month. It can be added so many other dishes that aren't North African that it has become a bit of a staple in French home kitchens. It can be used in a gremolata of sorts, to add a kick of lemon to even Asian style dipping sauces.... Throuroughly rinse before using. Remove the pulp and discard. Yes, with these lemons the skin is used.

These are the spices we will be using. Clockwise starting at around 5:00 PM we have turmeric, fennel, saffron, cumin and coriander. This is one of my favorite spice blends. Some of you may know that in North African cookery the range of spices used is vast. Overall we use it with a gentler hand than Indian cookery and Algerians do not roast spices to intensify the flavors. Cumin is used as a top note in a lot of Algerian dishes. On the left is a pinch of saffron and tumeric dissolving in water (about 30 minutes). On the left is a chicken. This version calls for a whole chicken to roast, I like the crispy skin this produces. Other versions joint the chicken to produce a dish that is more like a braise. I can demonstrate later how to joint a chicken the French way, which produces more uniform pieces for service. Rub the saffron and turmeric mixture allover the chicken. Marinade in the refrigerator for at least an hour. This dish is for saffron, olive and preserved lemons lovers. It's a very fragrant dish. Quite different from the heavily tomato paste versions sold in Algerian fast food style restaurants in France. To be continued.... P.S. what you are seeing is my wife's handwork, not mine. I wanted to show homestyle cooking more than French Cheffy cooking, which I will do later.

I received a reply from the Bocuse institute. Nothing. They know nothing of this trip. But if they find anything they will be in contact later. But they say it's highly doubtful. This is a wild goose chase, non?

After the first steaming. Empty the steamed couscous into a bowl. My aunt in Algeria uses a wooden bowl, so does my maman in France. In Los Angeles we are using a steel bowl. I apologize for the blurry and overall poor quality photos. We did purchase a decent camera, but it was diffiult to cook, take photos with two small children. Drizzle 1/2 cup of cold water onto the hot couscous, add 1/3 of the butter, 1 tablespoon of EVOO and sprinkle a tablespoon of salt. Stir with your fingers in the circular motion as shown previously. My wife as asbestos hands, if you don't you can use a fork. Let cool for 30 minutes. Stir again with your fingers to seperate all the clumps. It is very important that there are no clumps. Return to steamer for 20 minutes or so. Repeat the process above, add 1/2 cup of cold water, drizzle of olive oil, 1/3 of the butter and salt (to taste). Stir, let cool for 30 minutes, stir again (no clumps at all). Return to steamer for another 15-20. Repeat the process above, drizzle of olive oil, no water this time, 1/3 of the butter and salt (to taste). Stir to remove all clumps. The steaming times are approximations. Some packaged couscous is "drier" than others. Some palates prefer fluffier, mositer couscous. Others like me prefer "al dente" but still tender. Use your palate as a guide. Serve like this. It can be individual portions or on a large platter for family style dining. The simplest way to eat couscous is with buttermilk or kefir. You can also add fresh steamed fava beans to the couscous. Or add a little sugar, cinnamon and raisins, still served with kefir or buttermilk. Next we will be making a version of Poulet au Citron or Roast Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Olives. This version we will eat with baguette bread. In Morocco a version of this dish is eaten with flat bread if I recall correctly. Algerians even in Algeria eat a lot of baguettes. There are other versions of this dish that can be eaten with couscous. With the leftover Poulet au Citron we will make Trid or poorman's B'stilla. To be continued later today....

This is the brand that I prefer, simply because it is the brand that I grew up with in France. I will post later with photos of how to make the semolina couscous entirely from scratch. The blurry hand in the photos is my wife's not mine. The quantities that my wife is preparing is one box or 500 grams. For this we use one stick of butter, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and about2-3 tablespoons of salt to taste. The addition of butter to semolina couscous is more of an Algerian touch. Others use only olive oil. I prefer the taste and texture of buttered semolina couscous. The couscous deliciously absorbs the butter, whereas I feel that olive oil sometimes isn't as well absorbed. Of course there is the difference in flavor. The quantities I give for butter and olive oil is not a fixed rule. Please add or omit to suit your taste and diet. This is the double steamer that we used to make this batch of couscous. I wanted to show egulleters that special equipment is not neccessary. Couscousiers cn be purchased for $!5- $100 and up, depending on the model. The one you buy should of course suit your needs and budget. This is dry couscous straight of the box. Add 1/2 cup of water, stir and let rest for about 30 minutes Notice the clumping. It is normal, do not be afraid that something went wrong. Break up the clumps with your fingers, using a circular motion. There should be no more clumps. Place couscous in the steamer for the first steaming. The couscous will not fall through the holes. The water should never touch the bottom of the insert, if it does it will produce a soggy layer. Some North African cooks cover the steamer or couscousier, I do not. Covering the pot produces a moister couscous, I prefer mine "al dente" if you will. To be continued in about 30 minutes...

This is the teaching kitchen at Sur La Table where I recently taught a class on Moroccan Tajines and Cousocous. It's a very well designed facility. The class sold out pretty quickly with a wait list to boot, so I am very excited about the growing public interest in North African cooking. These are the ingredients for Roast Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Olives, Lamb Tagine in the Style of Setif and of course couscous. I will be posting recipes with step by step photos throughout this week as time permits.

John- The best (or should I say most distinctive?) ethnic shopping in Paris is for North African products for obvious reasons, biggest minority group over there. Ptipois already mentioned the places to shop for this. If you're in the mood to a little kitchenware lugging you can pick up a couscousier or some tagines at bargain prices. My memory is a bit sketchy on how strongly Vietnamese is represented. I think that the Vietnamese food in France is a bit different from the food America. And from what I hear it can be quite good. If your in the mood for North African cuisine Ziriab - Moroccan Rue des Fossés Saint Bernard, 9th floor Paris 01.46. 33. 47. 70 l’ Arganier 19 ru Saint Croix de la Bretonnerie (4th arr) Paris Mansouria Hours Wed-Sat noon-2pm; Mon-Sat 7:30-11pm Address 11 rue Faidherbe Location 11e, 11th & 12th Arrondissements (Opéra Bastille/Bois De Vincennes) Transportation Métro: Faidherbe-Chaligny Phone 01-43-71-00-16 La Table Marocaine du XVe 25, r du Hameau 75015 Paris Tél : 01 56 36 07 38 Au Pied de Chameau Moroccan cuisine. 20, r Quincampoix, 75004 Paris Tél : 01 42 78 35 00 Restaurant Darkoum Moroccan cuisine 44, r Sainte Anne, 75002 Paris Tl : 01 42 96 83 76 Founti Agadir Moroccan restaurant. 117, r Monge 75005 Paris Tél : 01 43 37 85 10 Shanou Algerian restaurant 292, r Lecourbe 75015 Paris Tél : 01 45 57 11 58 v Au Claire de Lune French-Algerian since 1955 27, rue Tiquetonne 75002 Paris Phone : 01 40 26 12 39 01 42 33 59 10 La Tente d'Algerie 01 40 33 45 71 335 rue des Pyrenees - 75020 - Paris I haven't eaten at all of these place, cause my maman makes the best. I don't know how old your sons are, but North African places are pretty welcoming of kids. We took our daughter when she was just a wee babe in arms, great service. The fast food couscous can be okay, but the thing to try at these places is a merguez or kebab sandwich.

I wouldn't add a jus. You could create a jus by adding some water to the pan. Strain the sauce before service. As for some of the meat jus I'm seeing here and there for my tastes they are a little too heavy, sometimes overwhelming. I still like the stock reduction sauces. But for depth of flavor I do a combination of reduction and jus. Strain the sauce for clarity of appearance. The result...refined, earthy, robust and "sublime" (the use of "sublime" is a joke here). If anyone is interested in this meat jus and stock reduction combination I will be posting it as part of the couscous thread in a few weeks.

Non, Wo Hop.

← If it's a toss up between Ducasse and Keller it will probably go to Ducasse. Chef Ducasse has more experience than Chef Keller does with all the OTHER factors that go into gaining Michelin stars. If both chefs dedicate themselves to earning the stars and play their politics right my money is on Ducasse for a strong lead. He just has more experience in the playing that Michelin recognizes.

late breaking news on horsemeat in the States http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor..._us/wild_horses

Pork or any pork product or anything containing pork.

I highly recommend staging in Lyon. You can learn cuisine du terroir and cuisine gastronomique at the same time. The farmer's markets in the region are terrific with some of the best produce in all of France.

There's a huge wholesale seafood market in Seoul. I loved that place. The fresh and funky smell. Not alot of wax paper, gloves yes but not the disposable kind. I recall the vendors had hoses and detergent. They cleaned their boards after each use. Bond girl's experience. Well, I would have been put off by it, not so much for health reasons. It just looks messy. I probably have still bought the fish, I don't think that I'd go back.

A stage lasts about 3 months.

Chances are you won't be paid to stage. You'll be lucky if you get to do it for free. There's a famous American chef who says he spent a year or so in France working at Michelin starred restaurants. My considerable knowledge of the French restaurant industry tells me that he most likely paid for the privilege. As for a well known Chef IN the kitchen these days (I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at the idea, please don't take it the wrong way). Even if the chef is in the kitchen, don't try to stay too close to him, he won't like it. Get on the good side of the sous chef. Watch and learn from everyone. At the level of restaurant you want to work at, you can learn from the entire line. As for accomodations that depends on where in France you will be working. There is an organization that helps students find inexpensive dwellings, I will find their website and post it for you if you are interested. I know you're not a student but I think they might be able to help. I would also recommend working in Lyon at a traditional cuisine du terroir Bouchon. Good luck to you. You will learn alot. Let me know if you have any other questions.

I wonder about the smoked tofu sold by Korean farmers. Smoked todu is not a Korean thing, neither are tomatoes and peppers. But as I always say if it tastes good I don't care where it comes from. Feedback please M. Lucia on these tofu preparations.

You don't need a tagine "pot". A tagine can be cooked in the bottom of a couscousier or even in a stainless steel pot on the stove. It depends on the type of tagine you are cooking. A dutch oven is fine. Tagine has become a catch all phrase for a vast range of North African dishes. By the way, in Algeria the word "tagine" is hardly ever used to describe a dish. Tagine, the cooking vessel, is a nice addition to have though. If you can obtain, by all means I recommend that you get it. If you don't have one, the quality of your food wouldn't be adversely affected by this.

I leave the quest of tracing influences in the Mediterranean to Ms Wolfert and Clifford Wright to name two writers. I wonder where the oldest standing Olive tree is. My guess is the Middle East or North Africa.

http://www.italianfood.com/en/curiosita/olivetree_00.asp I found this. Alot of what is stated coincides with my understanding of what the general consensus is on the history Olives and Olive oil. But then again, as I've said before I don't claim to be smarter than the average bear when it comes to much of anything, except maybe how to cook.

To quote Ptipois I think this observation is relevant to previous discussions regarding why perhaps French chef's aren't more innovative compared to say American chefs or Spanish chefs (How many famous one's are there by the way? Do a few chefs make the culinary landscape of an entire country great?). France has the longest tradition of codified professional cooking. The French Chef is taught these traditions first. Basic skills must be learned and mastered through years of training. A great French chef absolutely must be a master of technique. Ideally he trains in cuisine du terroir first. He learns about the seasons and the ingredients, flavors and moods that accompany them. Then he moves up to learn cuisine gastronmique techniques where the lessons are about refinement. Clear, clean, components cooked seperately then blended together seamlessly. Chefs from countries with a briefer history of codified standards or countries with no codified standards don't have this weight, "burden" you will of all that came before or a "unified" standard. I offer "new" or "innovative" dishes carefully, methodically and rigoursly. Experimentation for me is not so much a mad science. I have a history of theory regarding what tastes good that informs me. Maybe to some this can be seen as a fetter. I disagree. My training tells me that no matter how much artistry or creativity a dish has it must first and foremost smell, look and taste good. It must satisfy the appetite. It must be food. It must be in someway better or as good as the original dish that spawned it. Being simply different is not what makes food great or a chef great. If I were to prepare and serve a deep fried fish skeleton for instance, I would ask alot of questions about it first. Does it taste good? Does it look like something that stimulates the appetite? Can the fish skeleton stand alone as a course or is it better as a garnish? Does it satisfy the appetite? Is it something to try once or will it be craved again and again? There are more that I would ask. The sense of history that French trained chefs have extends to the next generation. There is an awareness that the torch is passed to them. A legacy must be left, something new to teach them that they further. So the sense of history is not static, it is evolving. The new things that last are not decided by chefs it is decided by the next generation. From this point of view a French chef might question or even resist too much pushing for innovation and creativity in a relatively compressed amount of time. I sometimes see with very young cooks these days a desire to make a mark too quickly. And there is a conviction that this mark will be made with innovation and creativity before considering that they need more time to master techniques. Of course there are examples on the other end of the spectrum as well. Perfectly executed technique with no soul. I'm not trying to offer any answers here, just a little context.

I just emailed L'institut Paul Bocuse regarding Fernand Point and Japan. I will report the response I receive. I would call them, but the time differences and my work schedule make it difficult. Maybe someone local to Lyon with a name that starts with an "L" can give it a stab.

Quoting Pan

I really see Maghreb cuisine slowly building momemtum. A lot of French restaurants in LA have at least one or two (if not more) items on the menu that reflect the influence of North African immigrants in France and of course France's former role as a colonizer. Couscous is very popular in France, a few years ago in a poll citizens named it as their favorite dish. Many of the dishes from the Maghreb can be easily incorporated into existing restaurants, not just French. It would be quite easy for say Italian, Spanish and of course Middle Eastern restaurants to "ride" the trend by adding a few dishes. The flavors are also something that Americans are pretty familiar with and cooking it at home would mean adding just a few more ingredients to the pantry. It's one the great cuisines of the world, the range of dishes is vast. I really think that it has the right combination of familiarity and exoticism to become a permanent part of the American culinary landscape.