Dipping into Delicious

With the start of fall and the weather getting just a little cooler but not really cold, it’s time to say goodbye to the light summer dishes. But I’m not ready to embrace hearty, cold-weather fare. I decided that two dips were exactly what I wanted for the week. Dips are great because not only do they make a terrific snack or even light meal with pita chips and a side salad, they are fantastic sandwich spreads. I decided on a roasted eggplant and red pepper dip from the Barefoot Contessa that a friend had sent me years ago and a black olive tapenade from a great sandwich cookbook.

Both of these dips are wonderful just with pita chips or crackers but can they also transform a sandwich into something sublime. Spread the olive tapenade on ciabatta bread and top with prosciutto, fresh basil leaves, tomato slices, and fresh mozzarella. Or spread the roasted eggplant and red pepper dip on French baguette and top with smoked turkey and gouda. You’ll never want to use mayonnaise again.

Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip

• 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste

1. Preheat the oven to 450°.
2. Toss the eggplant, peppers, and onions in a large bowl with the garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes, tossing once. Cool slightly.
3. Place the vegetables in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, add the tomato pasted, and pulse to blend.

Black Olive Tapenade

• 1 cup niçoise or kalamata olives, pitted
• 2 anchovy fillets
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 tbsp. capers, drained
• 1 tbsp. herbes de Provence
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. In a food processor, combine the olives, anchovies, garlic, capers, herbes de Provence, and basil. Process until the mixture is very finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
2. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil in a thin, steady stream until the mixture is very smooth, like a thick paste. Stir in the lemon juices and season to taste with pepper.

Pita Chips

• Pita bread (I like to use whole wheat pita)\
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
2. Brush the pita with olive oil on both sides. Stack the pita and cut into wedges.
3. Place the pita wedges on a baking sheet in an even layer and sprinkle with kosher salt.
4. Bake for 6-7 minutes, turn the chips, and bake for another 6-7 minutes.

Isn’t that Niçoise?

This is my absolute favorite dish for hot summer days. I make it at least once every summer and I always make sure I have the ingredients on hand. It’s from an intriguing little cookbook called Cool Food. It’s very fast and the only real cooking is the boiling of the pasta. I often – as I did this time – use angel hair which cooks up even faster than spaghetti.. This dish is best served at room temperature.
Spaghetti Niçoise (6 to 8 servings)

• 1 lb. spaghetti or angel hair, cooked and drained.
• 3 cans good-quality tuna in olive oil
• ½ cup Kalamata or Niçoise olives, pitted and halved
• 2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 4 anchovy fillets, chopped into small pieces
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 3 tbsp. baby capers, drained
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped

1. Empty the tuna and its oil into a large bowl. Add the olives, tomato halves, anchovies, lemon zest and juice, capers, and parsley.Add the pasta and toss.

Mediterranean Chicken Salad Two Ways

I’m always looking for different ways to make chicken salad (like this and this) and made two variations using Mediterranean influences: Tuscan and Greek. Both use a vinaigrette rather than a mayonnaise-based dressing which make them excellent dishes for picnics and other hot, sit-out-all-day events. Both use lemons and olives for a salty, fresh flavor. The Tuscan version includes beans and fresh basil while the Greek version uses oregano and feta cheese. Both are delicious and work well on their own or as a sandwich.

Tuscan Chicken Salad (6 servings)

• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 or 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup black olives, pitted and halved
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil.
2. Add the chicken, beans, olives, and basil. Toss gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.

Greek Chicken Salad (6 servings)

• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. lemon zest
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 or 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• ½ cup black olives, halved
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• ½ cup feta cheese

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the oregano, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest, and olive oil.
2. Add the chicken, onion, olives, tomato, cucumber, and feta cheese. Toss gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.

The Real Tagine

I got a tagine for my birthday along with a nice assortment of Moroccan spices! Something magical happens when you cook in a clay pot. I seasoned my new tagine by putting in ¼ cup olive oil, a chopped onion, a couple of chopped carrots, two cloves of garlic, and two bay leaves, filling with water, and baking it in the oven for 45 minutes. You’d think it would just smell like a simple soup base but the scent that wafted into my kitchen was indescribably heavenly.

For my first real meal, I made a dish from Made in Morocco that I’ve had my eye on for quite awhile: tagine of chicken with lemons and olives. The lemons in this recipe are preserved lemons. I considered making my own preserved lemons as it is rather easy, but it does take a month and I didn’t want to wait that long, so I ordered some from Zamouri Spices. The preserved lemons are very salty (even after washing off the excess salt) and very lemony but the sourness is replaced with an exotic perfuminess.

I used two teaspoons of my new La Kama spice mix instead of the one teaspoon each of turmeric and ginger the original recipe calls for. According to the Zamouri Spices website, La Kama is a warm and aromatic spice blend created especially for chicken tagine dishes and contains black pepper, cilantro, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, ginger, mustard, nutmeg, salt, turmeric.
The chicken is so tender it falls off the bone and the warm spices combined with the salty lemons and olives are just lovely together. You could make this dish in a regular Dutch oven and use either just the turmeric and ginger or create your own spice mix based on the ingredients of La Kama. I wouldn’t substitute regular lemons but you could omit the preserved lemons and still have a very tasty dish.
Tagine of Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Olives (4 to 6 servings)

• 3 onions, peeled and sliced
• 4 chicken legs, cut into separate drumsticks and thighs
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. La Kama spice mix
• 1 ½ cups chicken stock
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 preserved lemons, quartered and rinsed
• 1 cup kalamata olives
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Place onions in the base of a tagine or Dutch oven. Arrange chicken portions on the bed of onions, drizzle with olive oil and dust with spices. Pour over stock and season well with salt and pepper.
2. Cover the pan and bring the liquid to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer 1 ½ hours until the chicken is cooked.
3. Add the preserved lemons, olives, and parsley and cook for 10 minutes more. Skim any excess fat from the surface before serving.