living in the woods and making stuff

Last summer, when we were in New York at the Fancy Food Show we met the owner of Moulins Mahjoub, a Tunisian producer of olive oil, olives, pepper and tomato pastes, and sweet preserves. We fell in love with the products, and ordered them right away for the store. When they arrived, we weren’t really sure what to do with them. We had a few recipes, and a vague idea about the uses of some of them, but we really wanted to learn more about the food, and food culture. Terry, a customer from Burlington came in one day and was looking at our savory food products, and happened to mention that she had a friend from Tunisia. One thing led to another, and we ended up having Cecile Houle (a pastel artist from France and Tunisia) come and do a cooking demonstration for Art Walk, as well as a cooking class! I really loved the food that she made. So much so, that the next day, on the way home from work, I stopped and gathered all the necessary ingredients to attempt to recreate some of the dishes that she made. This is the Potato Tagine, seasoned with pickled lemons, salted mountain capers, and harissa.

The recipes are simple, but the combination of ingredients are unique, and delicious. One of my favorite combinations is of fresh cilantro and parsley together with onions, garlic, and other spices. The mixture is unique, and smelled so good while it was being prepared!

I ended up with a huge tagine full of potatoes as well as an entire 5.5 liter pot of stew…I had to call in the reinforcements to eat everything, and even then, it lasted several days. I tend to make too much, but it is usually eaten by someone.