Tagine Of Knuckle Of Veal With Eggplant Recipes

Steps:

• On a plate, blend the cumin and paprika together. Dip the chicken pieces in spices to coat both sides. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and brown chicken on both sides. Remove.
• Add the onions to the skillet and sear on cut sides until browned. Remove. Lower heat to medium and add remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Lightly brown eggplant on cut sides. Remove. Add garlic and olives, cook until the garlic has softened, then add the stock and vinegar. Bring to a simmer, deglazing the pan, then turn off the heat.
• Coarsely chop the browned onions. Scatter them in a terra-cotta tagine or in a sauté pan with a cover, then lay the chicken pieces on top. Chop the eggplant in 1-inch chunks and distribute them over the chicken. Pour stock mixture, with olives and garlic, on top. Season with salt and pepper and scatter chopped tarragon on top. Cover the tagine or pan and cook on medium-low heat for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest 10 minutes. Garnish with tarragon sprigs and serve with rice or couscous.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If using eggplant, cut off ends and slice off two long strips of skin, one on each side. With 1 skin side up, so that each slice will have skin on both sides, slice eggplant lengthwise, 1/4inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dredge lightly in flour. If using zucchini, slice on diagonal, 1/4 inch thick.
• In a 6- to 8-inch ovenproof skillet (see Note), heat 1 tablespoon oil. Brown vegetable slices lightly on both sides, working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding pan. Add more oil as needed to keep pan lightly oiled. Remove and drain on paper towels.
• Sprinkle veal or chicken with salt and pepper, and dredge lightly in flour. Melt butter in same pan until it bubbles, then brown meat lightly on both sides. Remove and drain on paper towels. Add shallot to pan and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Pour in wine and simmer until syrupy.
• Turn off heat and place pieces of meat in skillet. Lay basil leaves or parsley over them, then arrange vegetable slices on top. Spoon tomato sauce over, sprinkle cheese on top, and pour about 2 tablespoons water (more or less, depending on thickness of tomato sauce) around edges of pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until meat is cooked through and liquid in bottom of pan is thickened. Sprinkle with torn basil or chopped parsley; serve with crusty bread.

Steps:

• Bulb fennel has an attractive intense aniseed flavor. Follow the above recipe for Tagine of Knuckle of Veal (page 103) but, instead of artichokes and peas, use 4 medium-size fennel bulbs. Trim the base, cut away the hard ends of the round stalks, and remove the outer layer if it is stringy or bruised. Cut in half or quarters, lengthwise. Add to the meat and cook for 30 minutes, or until very soft.