Having guests? Want to make a delicious meal that’s easy to make and super delicious? Here’s a 3-course menu worth considering:
Appetizer: Cheese, crackers, gourmet olives, and grapes Main Course: Moroccan Chicken Stew Dessert: Strawberry Mousse Appetizer Course Choose your favorite cheese, such as brie, gouda, or whatever fits your budget. It doesn’t have to be expensive to be delicious. In advance, the cheese can be sliced into 1 to 2” squares about ⅛” thick OR leave the cheese in one chunk. Present the cheese on a nice platter with a cheese knife and crackers on the side. A bowl of gourmet olives and a bowl of green and red grapes are a nice complement to the cheese and crackers. Main Course Moroccan Chicken Stew is a nice choice for the main course because it is full of flavor, covers the main food groups, has a wonderful aroma, can be made ahead and served easily when your guests are ready to eat. Here’s the recipe: 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1½ pounds skinless chicken thighs 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 red onions, quartered lengthwise, sliced crosswise 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 16-ounce can tomato puree or diced tomatoes, OR 1 quart canned stewed tomatoes ¼ cup honey 1 teaspoon salt 2 sweet green or red peppers, cut in ½-inch squares ⅓ cup golden raisins OR dried mango OR dried apricots OR some combination of these dried fruits 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 4 cups cooked brown rice (use 2 cups dried brown rice and 4 cups water) OR 12 ounces orzo pasta, cooked ⅓ cup slivered almonds, toasted Toss flour and chicken in bag to coat. Cook chicken in oil in nonstick skillet 6 minutes, until browned, turning once. Transfer to plate. Cook onion in skillet 7 minutes. Add garlic, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, cayenne; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomato, honey and salt. Set aside. Chop chicken into bite-size pieces and transfer to slow cooker. Place raw peppers, dried fruit, chickpeas in slow cooker. Pour onion mixture into slow cooker. Cook about 1 hour on high in slow cooker (or in oven at 350 degrees fahrenheit); stir occasionally. Peppers should be crisp cooked and not mushy. This stew can cook while you enjoy appetizers and conversation with your guests. When you’re ready to serve dinner, transfer the stew into a soup tureen if you have one, or serve directly from your slow cooker. Serve in shallow soup/pasta bowls. Before dishing out the stew, pass around the orzo or brown rice so that the stew can be scooped onto the orzo or rice. Pass the toasted slivered almonds around the table to sprinkle on top. Since this recipe has protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables/fruits, it’s basically a one-dish meal. I typically do not serve anything on the side. Dessert Strawberry Mousse is light, flavorful, and a nice finish to a meal with your guests. Here’s the recipe: Serves 4-6 1 package lemon flavored gelatin mix 1 cup hot water 1 10-ounce package frozen strawberries, partly thawed NOTES: --substitute raspberries (if possible, strain-out seeds) --since the strawberries can get get lost in the lemon flavor, substitute peach jello. 3/4 cup heavy cream (plus more to whip for topping if needed) Put the gelatin in blender and add the hot water. Cover and blend for 15 seconds. Add the strawberries and blend another 5 seconds or so. Set the bowl in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. It should start to thicken. Add the heavy cream and blend for just a few seconds to mix it. Pour into small bowls or cups or fancy glasses and chill for several hours. Garnish with whipped cream, shaved chocolate or strawberry halves. We like to garnish with chocolate-dipped butter crackers (melted choc chips & spread onto butter crackers, whipped cream & sprinkles on top. Beautiful and yummy! When we make this meal with our friends, they enjoy it, and we enjoy sharing it with them. One of the best things about this meal is that we haven’t spent all day preparing such a delicious meal! |