Dishes for Your Eid al-Fitr Feast

[elleng]

https://cooking.nytimes.com/68861692-nyt-cooking/1415206-dishes-for-your-eid-al-fitr-feast?

Roast Chicken With Couscous, Dates and Buttered Almonds

Deglet Noors dates shine when they are cooked in chutneys, desserts or North African dishes like this whole roast chicken. The chicken is cooked with fluffy couscous that absorbs the sweetness of dates and the butteriness of toasted almonds. Supermarket Deglet Noors are often dark brown and hard, because they have been kept well past their natural point of ripeness; seek out soft, light-colored ones for the best flavor.

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Fine sea salt
1 large whole chicken, about 4 pounds
2 cups couscous (not instant)
3 tablespoons butter
½ cup sliced almonds
½ cup slivered dates
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons orange blossom water (optional)
2 tablespoons honey
Chopped mint, parsley or cilantro, or a combination, for garnish

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large ovenproof dish or pot with a tight lid, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon juice, the ginger, the pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the chicken and rub it around in the mixture until evenly coated. Turn chicken breast side down and roast, uncovered, for 50 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine couscous, 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside for 5 to 15 minutes to soak.
In a small skillet, melt the butter. Add almonds and cook, stirring constantly, just until toasted and golden; adjust heat so almonds and butter do not scorch. Turn off heat and stir in dates.
Add almond-date mixture to couscous, along with any butter left in pan, and mix, fluffing the grains with a fork. Mix in 2 tablespoons olive oil, the sugar, the cinnamon and the orange blossom water (if using).
Drizzle or paint honey over top of chicken (leave chicken breast-side down in pot). Add couscous mixture to the pot, arranging it around the chicken. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and return to the oven for 30 minutes more.
Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, remove chicken and carve into serving pieces. Stir and fluff couscous, scraping up any chicken skin stuck to bottom of pan, and place chicken pieces back on top of couscous. Sprinkle with chopped herbs and serve immediately.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017467-roast-chicken-with-couscous-dates-and-buttered-almonds?

[JHan]

1. I'm doing curry and sawine tomorrow.. Sawine also known as "Rice Kheer".

Tradition in my family

[elleng]

2. Nice.

My Pakistani friend is threatening to master some Indian recipes, but today he's doing something with a Cornish Game hen, 'chicken soup with potatoes and veggies.'

[irisblue]

4. The recipie I found is a type of raw rice cooked in milk with saffron & caradomon right?

What type of milk? Any extra sweetening?

[JHan]

5. The recipe I use is based on Caribbean (Trinidadian ) Tradition:

Vermicelli is used, also cardamon and saffron, this is standard but I sometimes use variations-

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 package of vermicelli (about 7 oz)
5 cups water
1 stick cinnamon
5-10 cardammon pods, optional(depending on your taste)
3 cloves, optional
1 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 can evaporated milk, 12 oz
1 can condensed milk, 14 oz

Optional(use any combination of the following):
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries
1/2 cup raisins

Variation:-When evaporated or condensed milk are not available or for a less creamy, somewhat lighter dessert, use 6 cups whole organic milk and 1/2 cup sugar instead of the water, evaporated and condensed milk. The result is just as delicious. On the otherhand, for a more creamy dessert, replace the water in the recipe with whole milk.

( I have even used almond milk )

http://www.cookingwithria.com/2011/09/sawine-vermicelli-dessert.html

[irisblue]

6. The site I found was Indian, how neat it is very similar on the othdr side of the world.

Spiceupthecurry.com.
I will have to try both....thank you for your recipe.👍

[JHan]

7. enjoy:)

[cilla4progress]

3. Is this Big Eid?

Thanks

[MFM008]

8. Mmmm

Sounds yummy.
I could never go without water sun up to sundown though...

[elleng]

9. Ditto, can't imagine it.