Taming the tagine

I enjoy a well seasoned lamb tagine. A few years ago I followed a recipe I saw on the internet and made the dish on a cold winter's day. A recent  cold snap led me to make this dish again. After searching for several hours for the recipe I used before without success I opted to follow a lamb tagine recipe I found on allrecipes. I noted that someone had provided commentary on how make the dish more authentic. The  suggestions were: use beef stock,  ground caraway, ground allspice, preserved lemon, and add harissa, a spicy pepper paste/sauce used frequently in North Africa. I went to a nearby supermarket with the list of ingredients in hand.  I asked three different employees where harissa might be located. I was pointed in three different directions in the store. I went home without harissa.  By the time I arrived home with my ingredients the weather had worsened, so I focused on unloading the bags of groceries and starting the lamb tagine.

My tagine included: onion, garlic, potato, rutabaga, raisins, carrots, apple, prunes, Brussels sprouts, lamb and numerous spices. I added the beef stock. I added the ground caraway seed. I added the ground allspice. I added a bit of preserved lemon.  No harissa! I called another nearby supermarket, Giant Food. The man who answered the phone calmly explained that the store was now closed, but I could come to the store in the morning, at 6am.  I laughed when the call ended because I realized he most lilkely received calls from panicked would be customers often.


What could I use as a substitute? I looked at the shelves in desperation. I mixed one tablespoon of tomato paste with the  a dash of scotch bonnet pepper sauce, habanero pepper sauce and Smackason's ghost pepper sauce in my spice cabinet. I thought  this combination should be close enough to
harissa. I added to the other ingredients and let the crockpot do its work.  I  awoke the next morning to a delicious aroma. The crockpot timer went off, signaling the timed cooking was done and the dish would now be kept warm.

I decided to venture to the Giant Food supermarket  to see if harissa was sold in the store. After the unsuccessful attempt at the other supermarket I determined I would have to go to one of the nearby international markets to buy harissa. The produce manager at Giant saw me walking up and down the spice aisle and asked me what I was looking for. When I told him  I was looking for harissa. He  told me that he wasn't familiar with harissa and asked what region it was used. He stopped what he was doing and walked down the international food aisle with me. Several jars and varieties of  Mina harissa were neatly stacked on the store's shelf! I was impressed. I thanked the producer manager several times and made a mental note to check the store in the future for other items.

I finally had a bowl of the much anticipated lamb tagine for dinner. It was smoky and savory. I enjoyed it very much. An hour later and for the remainder of the evening my system was distressed- the pepper sauce combination was too much. I refused to throw away a nearly full crockpot of lamb tagine and remaking the dish was impractical. The tagine would have to be tamed.

A little research yielded three options:

• add sugar to the dish
• add lemon juice to the dish
• add vinegar to the dish

I chose to add lemon juice to individual servings of the tagine. The juice of half a lemon seemed to neutralize the alkaline effects of the pepper sauce.  The tagine was tamed!

Next time I'll just use the harissa (or wait and buy it at the store).  Do you like lamb tagine? What ingredients do you use in your lamb tagine? Share in the comments below.


Be well,

Technicolor girl

image created by Ink+ LLC 

Kapnos

Kapnos' grilled meat

My visit to Kapnos took place because another event scheduled to take place at Kapnos was cancelled.  Mr. Linwood Jones of Kapnos called to tell me the event was cancelled and encouraged me to come have dinner at the restaurant instead.  I debated whether I should wait until the event was rescheduled and voiced my thoughts to a friend. Her reply? "Go now. If you like the place enough then return when the event is rescheduled." I called back and made arrangements to visit.

I arrived early in the evening and was pleasantly surprised to see a group of senior citizens dining and engaged in lively conversation. After giving my name to young lady at the reception desk I glanced around the room. Kapnos was larger inside than I envisioned as I walked up to the entrance. The furniture in the room maximized the restaurant's space. My reverie ended when the young called my name and asked me to follow her. I was seated in front of the prep area at Kapnos's chefs table. I glanced over at the chef and quickly looked away. The chef (Executive Chef Geroge Pagonis) appeared to be a cross between the Colossus at Rhodes and Eric Bana. He was not smiling and looking intensely at the food in front of him . I glanced over at the chef once again  and quickly looked away. If he saw me he didn't say anything.


Colossus at Rhodes courtesy of the internet

I studied the menu and debated where I should ask if I could move to a table when a server approached me and asked if I had any questions.  Instead of asking to be moved to another table I asked if I could be move two seats down from my current position. The woman smiled and encouraged me to move my seat.  I opted for the four course dinner.

course 1

taramosalata  carp roe, caviar, cauliflower

tyrokafteri  feta, smoked manori, grains of paradise  

melitzanosalata  smoky eggplant, roasted peppers, walnuts, feta

all spreads come with flatbread

prosecco “on tap,” montelvini, Italy, nv

All three spreads were tasty, but melitzanosalata was a standout. The smoky eggplant was heavenly.

course 2

bronzino  cucumber, lemon, dill, crackling

rokka salata  manouri, butternut, walnuts

pinot noir, lucien albrecht, brut rose, cremant d’alsace, mv

The bronzino (a fish)  was light, freshing.  The cooked scales  were an interesting garnish. The salad was confusing combination of flavors. They cancelled each other out. The pomegranate seed was a very nice touch if color but was subsumed by the vinaigrette. Were the seeds fresh? I'd pass on it in the a la carte menu. The pinot noir cremant was light, some effervescence - good choice.

course 3

charred octopus  green harissa, eggplant

fava  yellow lentils, squash, spinach, pearl onions 

assyrtico/athiri, sigalas, santorini, 2012

The charred octupus was fantastic! The octopus had crisp exterior, tender interior. Made want to say, octopus: the other white meat.. The interplay of sweet octopus,green harissa abit of serrano pepper to added a bit of heat The Yellow lentils with pearl onions, spinach, carrots red pepper  dish was  equally good and something I intend to try to make at home.   The Greek white wine blend was just right- for this flavorful course.

course 4 

spiced baby goat

boniusfourno patates  lemon, feta, pastirma, scallion

gamay, domaine du pavilion de Chavannes, cote de brouilly, beaujolais  Domaine Sigalis

Just when I thought my tastebuds could not be happier, the spiced baby goat was presented .Colorful, savory and tender I forgot to take a photo of the accompanying potatoes I was so taken with this dish.

course 5

karithopita walnuts, pistachios, tangerines, metaxa syrup 

dessert wine

The dessert was dense walnut laden cake with with a sorbet and toasted coconut recommended by the young lady serving me. She also suggested a d'Asti that had subtle orange blossom nose.

I noticed that Exective Chef George Pagonis is super intense a serious about plating and presentation. He helped the entire team at various times in the evening. As the rush period ended  Chef asked how I liked the food and hoped I didn't mind him cussing. I replied, 'sometimes it's the only way to get the point across.' He grinned. I wished I could say it's my saying, and I shuddered when I realized I sounded like my mother.

I also observed a teachable moment while dining at Kapnos: pals of a kitchen staff member wanted to sit at the chef's bar. Chef George  wasn't too pleased about the idea and then called the  staff person over and spoke to him advising him, "I don't care how busy you are, the quality of the food doesn't change".

 Kapnos' bathroom was clean and tidy. There is also a wheelchair ramp leading to the bathroom.

Kapnos is child-friendly although I would recommend bringing the little ones earlier in the evening as the evening continues the restaurant definitely caters to a more adult crowd.

Kapnos is within walking distance from the  U Street/ Cardozo matro stop. Metered street parking is available as well.  At the time of this visit reservations for Kapnos were made via City Eats. Kapnos has since begun using OpenTable.

Thanks to the Kapnos for an enjoyable and for Mr. Linwood Jones for encouraging me to visit. I look forward to my next visit.


Be well,

Technicolor girl