Art Chick Shtick

Maria Muldaur--"must-know" info

My sister, Amy, told me I was wrong about the Maria Muldaur post and that I should mention that I was not the only one involved with tantalizing the school with our dance routine.  I was actually in 6th grade--noted because one of my dance partners, Rosemarie Bommarito, had real boobs.

Maria Muldaur, along with Rhoda Morgenstern, had a serious impact on my personal development.  My father still considers it somewhat a personal miracle that I didn't try to catch a Yugoslavian freighter to Morocco when I was in high school.

I still think I look like her--if you kinda squint and don't think about it too much.

Here's the lyrics to Midnight at the Oasis:

Midnight at the oasis
Send your camel to bed
Shadows paintin' our faces
Traces of romance in our heads
Heaven's holdin' a half-moon
Shinin' just for us
Let's slip off to a sand dune, real soon
And kick up a little dust
Come on, Cactus is our friend
He'll point out the way
Come on, till the evenin' ends
Till the evenin' ends
You don't have to answer
There's no need to speak
I'll be your belly dancer, prancer
And you can be my sheik
------ guitar solo ------
I know your Daddy's a sultan
A nomad known to all
With fifty girls to attend him, they all send him
Jump at his beck and call
But you won't need no harem, honey
When I'm by your side
And you won't need no camel, no no
When I take you for a ride
Come on, Cactus is our friend
He'll point out the way
Come on, till the evenin' ends
Till the evenin' ends
Midnight at the oasis
Send your camel to bed
Got shadows paintin' our faces
And traces of romance in our heads

Tagine cooking: Roasted winter vegetables & Fried lemons (recipe)

I'm in love with a material object and it's not what you think-it's my tagine.  A Le Creuset Kiwi Tagine--it's terrifically lovely and a classic design albeit not terrifically authentic but I don't care.  It's just beautiful and I feel like Maria Muldaur when I use it. 

(She's the chick who recorded "Midnight at the Oasis" when I was in 5th grade.)

(and PS I can still do the dance routine I performed at our school's talent show...circa 1974.  True story.)

Let's get cooking...

1/2 c olive oil

8 cloves garlic kinda smashed

8 shallots cut in half

3 bulbs fennel quartered

1 smallish pumpkin--cleaned and cut into large-bite-sized chunks

2 eggplants--also cleaned and cut into large-bite-sized chunks

1 T chili pepper flakes

1 handful dried apricots

1 handful golden raisins

1 can organic chick peas

a good pinch of saffron

2 T cumin

2 T paprika

2 cans or 1 box chicken stock

1 large handful parsley &/or cilantro--chopped

course sea salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 375.  Sprinkle the pumpkin, fennel, shallots, garlic and eggplant with olive oil.  Put the fennel in the oven first and roast for 10 minutes.  Add the pumpkin and eggplant and roast for an additional 10 minutes.  Next add the shallots and garlic and roast for another 10 minutes.

Heat a large saucepan and add olive oil and spices to make a paste. 

Add the stock slowly to the paste to make a sauce and cook down until it thickens.

Next add the chickpeas, apricots and raisins to the sauce.

Put the roasted vegetables in the tagine and pour the spicy chickpea sauce over it.

Cook over a slow heat for 10 -15 minutes

Adjust the salt and pepper. Add the chopped parsley and coriander just before serving.

Serve with chermoula and fried lemons.

Fried Lemons:  Slice lemons into 1/4 inch slices and dust with cornstarch and flour (mixed 1:1).  Pan fry in olive oil.  Throw some fine salt and chopped parsley on top.  Yum.

On my list of not-quite-must-haves:  an aqua tagine