the LRMC/moroccan vegetable tagine/how to cut an onion

i am lucky to be part of a collective known as the Ladies Rhythm and Movement Club. we meet once a month for member-run workshops. everyone has something they're good at, and sharing that knowledge is the name of the game. more info on their awesome (new!) website here. there is a facebook group too, join it to hear about the awesome events and see pictures that are way better than these ones. the next one is a basic bike repair workshop and i can't wait. i'm planning on doing a beadlooming one (hopefully this summer, if i can get my act together), and i have a blog post on "My Favourite Meal" coming up so watch for those.

on sunday i attended "dinner party 101". shannon went over a few basic but REALLY helpful kitchen tips. the one that blew my mind was how to cut an onion more efficiently so that you're not left with some long and some square pieces. so simple, but helps you keep things all together so that your work area is organized.

then she set us to work. we were making a veggie tagine, and she set up a few different stations for different things.

this is the chopping station:



spice roasting station:



couscous salad station:







finished roasted and crushed spices:



the station i chose/was assigned to was the lemon preserve. normally this is something you'd make in advance so that it would be an actual preserve - we were working with an afternoon and so we whipped it up along with the rest of the ingredients.



it was essentially 3 sliced lemons, 3 lemons worth of lemon juice, and four tablespoons of salt. simmer it until the slices are soft, then dice them. they were like little packets of salty/sour that somehow made a lot of sense once they were mixed in.

chopped root veggies:



coolio's cookbook was there too:



i like his measurement style:



"a mix of dipping sauces" you know, just make a mix of them. no quantities necessary. also, "this will serve four motherfuckers".

the finished product was delicious.



i didn't have too much because i had a dinner date for right after. dinner 1, dinner 2.

all in all, i learned a lot (as usual) and had a blast. so many good people! love you ladies.