Tagine in a Tagine!

We picked up a clay pot tagine on our recent travels to Morocco, and I couldn't wait to use it. Tagine refers to both the cooking pot (featured below) and the stew cooked in it. It is a North African speciality. Last night, I made a Chicken Tagine with Olives & Preserved Lemon.

Serves 2

Ingredients

· Chicken thighs - 2 - I used boneless meat because that's what I had at home. The version I had in Morocco was made with bone-in dark meat - tasted better for sure!

· Shallots/ Red Onions - 2 cups - thinly sliced

· Garlic - 2 tsp - finely minced

· Bay leaf - dry - 1

· Cinnamon stick - 1

· Olives - 1/2 cup - I used a combination of Kalamata (Greek Black Olives) and Manzanilla (Spanish Green Olives)

· Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans from a can - 1/2 cup washed

· Bell Peppers - Tri colored frozen from Trader Joes - 1/2 cup

· Harissa - 2 tbs - I used a brand called Korba (Tunisian) which is available locally in Fresh Farms. Spice levels differ by brand, so taste first before using!

· Preserved Lemon - 1/4th thinly sliced. I smuggled my preserved lemons in from Morocco, but have a batch of lemons ready to preserve using the technique in the link. Traditionally, you use only the rind discarding the pulp and any seeds. I used the rind & the pulp.

· Chicken Stock - 2 cups

· Salt to taste

· EVOO - 1 tbs 

Line the bottom & the sides of the tagine with EVOO (I had to cure my tagine before first use).

Add all the ingredients together, and mix well. Ensure that the chicken has been coated very well with the ingredients (especially the harissa).
Cook in the oven at 350F for about 2 hours.

Serve hot with Couscous and enjoy the unbelievably moist chicken, and the explosion of flavors in your mouth!

 Notes-

• You can make this dish in a covered oven safe dish or in a slow cooker too
• Although I didn't feel the need for additional spices, you can add cumin/coriander powder to this dish.
• Also, I have seen recipes where the chicken is marinated in garlic, oil and harissa. I didn't have the time/patience to marinate.
• Substitute for Preserved Lemon - If you don't have preserved lemons readily available, you can quickly make an acceptable substitute by thinly slicing a fresh lemon and sautéing it slowly in olive oil, a little sugar and salt until very tender. Chop into small pieces and use the same as preserved lemons. If you are interested in making Moroccan food often, I would highly recommend making a batch though.They keep indefinitely in the refrigerator.

Chicken with wild mushrooms

I often come back to this recipe especially since morels always seem to within reach here in Seattle :) and it makes a impressive dinner party dish.

Serves 4

2 legs, skin on
2 thighs, skin on
Salt and ground pepper
4 tbsps butter
1.5 cups of morel mushrooms (I have used dried porcini and morel mix as well, just soak in warm water for 30mins)
1/2 cup dry sherry
3/4 cup heavy cream

• Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
• Use a non-stick skillet that is large enough to contain all 4 pieces in a single layer. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces, skin side down and cook until the skin turns light brown (about 5-7 mins on each side). Transfer the chicken out of the skillet and discard the butter-fat mix.

• Add the chicken back into the pan along with the sherry, mushrooms and salt to taste. Cover and simmer gently for about 20 mins. Don't overcook the chicken and check a couple of times to make sure that the liquid hasn't evaporated. Add water as needed.
• Transfer the chicken into a platter and cover with a foil tent.
• Add cream to the mushrooms-sherry mix and simmer for 5 mins.

• Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve with crusty bread.

Chicken soup

I have a mild ear ache, nagging headache and I feel like I am breathing in through only one of my nostrils. sigh..and its cold and gray outside. Chicken soup makes it all a little better.

Serves 6

6 chicken drumsticks, skinned

5 cups of water

Bouquet garni - small bunch of parsley, 5-6 sprigs of thyme and 2 sprigs of rosemary

4 cloves of garlic, peeled

8-9 shallots sliced

3 bay leaves

5-6 whole peppercorns

1 tbsp of flour

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Season the chicken legs with salt and pepper. Heat a couple of tbsps of oil in a soup pot and add the chicken. Let the chicken brown until it comes off the pot easily and let it brown on the other side as well. Set aside.
2. Add shallots to the oil and cook until wilted and translucent. Add some salt to help with the wilting.
3. Add garlic cloves and flour. Stir quickly for less than a minute and add 1/2 of water. Scrape the bottom the pot with a wooden spoon to remove brown bits.
4. Now add the rest of the water, bouquet garni, bayleaves and peppercorns.
5. Allow the water to come to a quick simmer. Add chicken legs. Bring to a boil, add salt, lower the heat, cover and cook for 35 mins until the chicken is done.
6. When done, remove the bouquet garni and bay leaves. Squeeze some lemon juice into it before serving.

Chicken Liver Mousse

Ingredients:

1) Chicken Livers (1 lb )

2) Shallots

3) Garlic

4) Thyme & Rosemary

5) Port

Procedure:

Whoa, flashed back to chem lab in high-school, my nasty chem teacher wouldn't let me in, if the notes weren't done in a particular format. Hah...this'll show her!!!! I can make chicken liver pate and blog about it now....hah!! who had the last laugh Mrs B!

Anyways, coming back to the livers, first pat down the livers with a kitchen towel and salt & pepper them, add plenty of red chilli flakes (if you want some kick). Heat a heavy bottomed pan, use some high heat oil and make sure the pan is really hot, brown the livers on both sides about 3 to 4 minutes a side, the livers are done when they are slightly firm to the touch. To be sure, check the livers to see if they are slightly pink on the inside, that's done.

Get rid of the burnt oil, fry the chopped shallots and garlic with the herbs, just for a few minutes. Then add some port, reduce it down to a couple of tablespoons. Almost forgot, keep salting at each stage.

You're almost done!!, now combine everything in a food processor and blend!! Since this is not a Pate (i don't have the patience to put in the accent, so just imagine it's there) but a Mousse, sieve the blended product to smoothen it out and then fold in some heavy cream. Oh also, before you begin blending add in half a stick of butter...(haha, serves you right for not reading all the way to the end before starting.). All done now.

Chicken tagine

Source: The America's Test Kitchen Family cookbook

Serves 8

12 thigh and leg pieces, bone-in, skinned and cleaned

Salt and pepper
1 1/2 large onions chopped
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
3 cardamom pods
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup dried apricots and figs, cut in half
1 cinnamon stick
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro and mint
2 tbsps fresh lemon juice
1 cup pitted kalamata olives

Heat oil and brown chicken seasoned with salt and pepper on both sides (about 10 mins). Remove chicken and add a bit more oil to the pan. Saute onions, paprika, cardamom and a bit of salt. Cook onions until softened, about 5 mins. Stir in garlic and cook for a few more seconds. Add 3 cups of broth, apricots, figs and cinnamon stick, scraping up brown bits. Bring to a simmer and pour into the slow cooker following the chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. Stir in chickpeas and cook further for a hour longer until the chicken is tender. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and tent loosely with foil. Discard the cinnamon stick. Set the cooker to high. Whisk the flour with 1/2 cup of broth until smooth, then stir into the slow cooker along with the olives. Cover and continue to cook until the sauce thickens. About 30 mins. Stir in cilantro, mint and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.