Spices for Tagine Cooking (Charmoula)

Charmoula, a Moroccan marinade of paprika, cumin, cilantro and garlic, is a classic seasoning for fish. "Tagine" refers to slowly simmered meat, fish and vegetable dishes that have both a sweet and savory flavor. Not to be confused, it is also the name of the earthenware dish in which these highly aromatic stews are prepared and served.



Spices:
◦ quarter teaspoon black pepper
◦ quarter teaspoon ground ginger
◦ pinch of saffron
◦ one teaspoon cumin (optional)
◦ one teaspoon turmeric (optional)
◦ one stick of cinnamon or a few pinches of ground cinnamon (optional)
◦ one teaspoon coriander (optional)

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Marcia’s Salsa for canning

        35-40 medium tomatoes

8 medium apples (different varieties for the best flavor)

4 green peppers

2 red peppers

6 cloves of garlic (crushed)

4 medium sweet onions

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup plain salt (no iodine)

1 cup vinegar

2 Tbsp. chili powder

3 tsp. cumin

1 Tbsp. oregano

5-7 chili peppers (use a variety of chilies, Pablano and Anaheim add great flavor)

5-7 jalapeño peppers

If you like hot salsa then do not core any of the chilies and peppers. If you like a milder salsa, remove the core and seeds on all the peppers and chilies...you can also cut the number of chilies and peppers for a milder salsa.

Course grind or fine chop all vegetables and apples. Put in a large stockpot. Add all the other ingredients. Boil for two hours, stirring often. Pour into hot sterile pint jars and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.

Debra’s Salsa

        1 (102 oz) can crushed or diced tomatoes - or combination of two OR

equivalent of fresh tomatoes, chopped*

2 medium onions, chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped (add more if you like the taste)

1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed or bottled)

3 Tbsp. garlic salt

3 small jalapeños, chopped with seeds removed

3/4 cup vinegar

Mix all together in a large bowl. This salsa can be frozen in small portions or canned using a water bath canner.

*When making this with fresh tomatoes, use a variety of kinds. Ex: Roma, grape, yellow pear, etc. Chop 3/4 of the tomatoes and then run the rest through a food processor to make a sauce.

**You may need to add more lemon juice if you use fresh tomatoes to make it a bit more tart.

***Be careful with the jalapeños. Make sure you get all the seeds out. You may want to start with 2 and see if it's hot enough for you and then add more if you want to increase the heat. Note that the salsa tends to get a bit hotter after it sits for 24 hours.

Restaurant Style Salsa

1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice

2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)

1/4 cup Chopped Onion

1 clove Garlic, Minced

1 whole Jalapeño, Quartered And Sliced Thin or chilies, Pablano and   Anaheim add great flavor

1/4 teaspoon Sugar, honey or Agave syrup

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/2 cup Cilantro (more To Taste!)

1/2 whole Lime Juice

Note: this is a very large batch. Recommend using a 12-cup food processor, or you can process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeño, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you'd like---I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.