Eggplant fritters, Ensalada a la almoraina, Ensalada piparrada, Chicken Tagine with Eggplant, Olives and Raisins

Today's dinner was a birthday party for a family friend. Unique challenge is that she doesn't eat beef or pork! I've been feeling like making a return to Mediterranean/North African cuisine so I collected a few recipes out of a Spanish cookbook (Food and Wines of Spain by Penelope Casas) and looked up some Moroccan recipes online.

Eggplant fritters
Ensalada a la almoraina
Chicken tagine with eggplant, olives and raisins
Couscous with sliced almonds
Ensalada piparrada

 Eggplant fritters

1 medium eggplant, peeled and sliced across thinly
Flour for dredging
1 egg beaten, milk added
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
Honey and dates for dressing

First arrange the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for at least 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. Mix the flour and salt and pepper together. Dip the sliced eggplant in the egg and milk mixture, then lightly dredge in seasoned flour. Fry in hot oil until crispy brown. Remove from oil and place over paper towels to drain. Dress with honey and dates.

Ensalada a la almoraina

1 head of escarole
3 roma tomatoes, cleaned and diced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted (dry pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes)
Oil cured black olives
Soft-boiled eggs, 1 per person

Blend the tomatoes, garlic and half of the olive oil in a food processor until smooth. Add the rest of the oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper to mixture and blend again. Arrange the leaves of escarole on each dish and speckle with olives. Spoon dressing over the leaves and sprinkle toasted cumin seeds. Top with the soft-boiled egg and serve.

Chicken tagine

3 pounds chicken quarters, skin removed
2 large eggplants, cut in to 1" cubes
2 red onions, sliced thinly
1.5 cup Spanish olives with pimento
1 cup raisins
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water
2 tbsp Spanish paprika
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp cloves
1/2 tbsp black pepper
1/2 tbsp salt
bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped finely
bunch of fresh flat leaf (Italian) parsley. chopped finely
Butter for frying

Place the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with salt, let sit for at least 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry with paper towel. Preheat oven to 300 (I like making stews in the oven rather than stove top). Take half of the spice mix and rub over chicken quarters. Heat butter in a dutch oven. Brown all sides of the chicken over medium-high heat then remove and set aside. Add onions and fry for 5-10 minutes. Add minced garlic and continue to fry for additional 5 minutes. Add eggplant, olives and raisins and continue to cook. Add water and bring to boil. Add remaining spices, cilantro and parsley, stir well, then add chicken. Cover and place in oven, cook for 30 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered or until the liquid has taken a thicker consistency.

Couscous
2 cups broken wheat (I prefer the texture of broken wheat to couscous)
4 cups water
dash of salt
1/2 cup of sliced almonds
2 tbsp butter

Add the water, wheat and salt to pot and bring to boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat and cover. After all the liquid has been absorbed and wheat is al dente, add butter and almonds and mix well. Let stand partially covered for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Ensalada piparrada
1 English cucumber, diced
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 large green bell pepper, cut to 1/2" pieces
1 red onion, diced
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together well and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.