Chef Monsta: I cook, therefore I blog

My friend Marisa recently went on a trip to Morocco to discover her family roots and brought me back some yummy souvenirs: spices! She brought me back my faves- cumin, spicy paprika, saffron and ras el hanout. The most exotic of these flavors is definitely ras el hanout/ raz al hanout, a blend of spices that is used across North Africa. Ras el hanout, meaning “top of the shop” can include any combination of the following spices; cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ground chili peppers, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, peppercorn, paprika, fennel seeds, anise seeds and turmeric. Since I often cook with most of these spices anyways, the blend kills many birds with one stone. Marisa asked me what sort of recipe I could come up with that features ras el hanout and here’s the dish: Ras El Hanout Chicken with couscous (obviously). Next time she goes to Morocco, she better bring me back this.

Ingredients
1 lb of chicken breasts (or chicken on the bone)
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 whole onion, diced
1/2 cup of green olives
1/4 c olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tbsp ras el hanout
the juice and peel of one lemon
12 oz of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

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I feel like I have already been to at least a dozen barbecues this summer. While I am not complaining, (the opportunity to eat meat on a grill never leaves me dissatisfied) I have noticed some patterns. Coleslaw, macaroni salad, and potato salad keep showing up on my plate- all drenched in mayo. Here’s a version of a lighter non-mayo-ed potato salad with mustard vinaigrette, eggs and haricot vert.

Ingredients:
2 pounds fingerling potatoes
4 eggs, hardboiled and halved
1/2 lb haricot vert
salt and pepper
water, for boiling

Vinaigrette:
2 anchovies
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

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Top Chef’s most recently dumped cheftestant bares a striking resemblance to Rosie O. Separated at birth?

Tracy Bloom:

Rosie O’Donnell:

Have you been watching Season 7 of Top Chef? So far, the contestants haven’t blown me away, but Wednesday night’s challenge was quite clever and entertaining. In the Elimination Challenge, the chefs were asked to take part in Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign to fight childhood obesity. They had to prepare school lunches for 50 students with a budget of $130, keeping it nutritious while tasty. Why didn’t they make gazpacho? That’s what I would have done- all the veggies you could ask for to make sure our fat American kids get their vitamins. Here’s a twist on Ina’s gazpacho recipe for your tomato-loving-pleasure.
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Two celebrity chefs who could be long lost brothers:

Rick Moonen, Top Chef Masters Season 1 & 2

Rick Bayless, Top Chef Master Season 1 Winner