Chicken Tagine With Green Olives Preserved Lemon Food

TAGINE OF CHICKEN, PRESERVED LEMON, & OLIVES

Steps:

• Mix the garlic, some black pepper, and a spoonful of oil.
• Rub the chicken with the mixture and set aside for a few hours or overnight.
• Heat the oil in a large dutch oven (or tagine cooking pot, if you have one).
• Fry the chicken until all sides begin to brown.
• Add spices.
• (The black pepper, ginger, and saffron are most typical. If you have no saffron, consider one or two of the optional spices, which can be added according to you liking.) Add onions.
• Stir-fry over high heat for a few minutes.
• Add chicken broth, stock, or water.
• Bring to broil.
• Reduce heat.
• Cover, but leave a crack for steam to escape.
• Simmer over low heat for thirty minutes or more.
• Add olives and preserved lemons.
• Add salt and adjust seasoning.
• Continue to simmer.
• Remove chicken and set aside.
• If necessary, bring sauce to boil, stirring continuously, until thickened.

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH OLIVES AND PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Mix garlic, saffron, ginger, paprika, cumin and turmeric together. If not using kosher chicken, add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add pepper to taste. Rub chicken with mixture, cover, refrigerate and marinate 3 to 4 hours.
• Heat oil in heavy skillet. Add chicken, and brown on all sides. Remove to platter. Add onions to skillet, and cook over medium-low heat about 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer to tagine, if you are using one, or leave in skillet. Add cinnamon stick.
• Put chicken on onions. Scatter with olives. Quarter the lemons, remove pulp and cut skin in strips. Scatter over chicken. Mix stock and lemon juice. Pour over chicken.
• Cover tagine or skillet. Place over low heat, and cook about 30 minutes, until chicken is done. Scatter parsley on top, and serve.

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH GREEN OLIVES AND PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• In a skillet over medium heat, toast the cinnamon, peppercorns, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, and cloves until they start to smoke. Remove from the heat and grind in a spice grinder.
• In a bowl large enough to accommodate the chicken, add the oil, spice mix, garlic, ginger, cilantro, bay leaves and saffron. Mix to a paste. Add chicken, rubbing the marinade over all the pieces. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and reserve marinade. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. In a tagine or large casserole over medium high heat add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Put in chicken pieces and lightly brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Rinse preserved lemon well. Scoop out flesh and discard; cut peel into strips and add to pan. Add reserved marinade, olives, and chicken stock. Cover tightly and cook over medium low heat for 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove bay leaf and discard. Taste juices and adjust seasoning. Place chicken on a warm platter. Spoon juices with the preserved lemon, olives, and onions over chicken and serve accompanied by Couscous with Apricots.
• Wash lemons well and dry them. Cut 4 lemons into quarters from the top, being careful not to cut all the way through. Pack salt generously into the cuts and place lemon into a sterilized glass pint jar. Continue procedure, packing the lemons into the jar as tightly as possible. Squeeze juice from remaining lemons. Add another 2 tablespoons of salt to the jar and top off with the lemon juice, make sure the lemons are completely covered. Close the jar with a non-metallic lid and set aside in a cool, dark place or the refrigerator for one month. Preserved lemons will keep for 1 year. Refrigerate after opening.
• Yield: about 4 lemons
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: none
• Inactive Prep Time: 1 month
• Put the couscous in a medium bowl; pour the hot stock over it and stir to combine. Cover and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Add the apricots, scallions, and orange juice; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Garnish with chopped parsley.
• Yield: 4 to 6 servings
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Inactive Prep Time: 15 minutes

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH GREEN OLIVES & PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• In a medium-sized tagine or Dutch oven, arrange chicken thighs in a single layer.
• Sprinkle the onion, cilantro, parsley, garlic, cumin, ginger, paprika, ½ teaspoon of the pepper, and saffron over the chicken.
• Add 2 cups of water and cover.
• If using a tagine, set it on a flame-tamer over medium heat.
• If using a Dutch oven, set it over medium-high heat (you will not need the flame-tamer).
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pit each olive by placing on a cutting board and smashing firmly with the flat side of a heavy knife. Discard pit.
• Add the olives, preserved lemon, and lemon juice to the tagine and cook 20 minutes more, until the chicken meat is falling off the bones.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH GREEN OLIVES AND PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• In a skillet over medium heat, toast the cinnamon, peppercorns, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, and cloves, stirring or swirling in the pan, until they start to smoke. Remove from the heat immediately and grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder.
• In a bowl large enough to accommodate the chicken, add the oil, spice mix, ginger, cilantro, bay leaves and saffron. Mix to a paste. Add chicken, rubbing the marinade over all the pieces. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Remove from the bowl with marinade but do not discard any leftover marinade.
• In a tagine or large Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Put in chicken pieces and lightly brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until just starting to brown about 3 minutes.
• Rinse preserved lemon well. Scoop out the flesh of the preserved lemon and discard; rinse the remaining peel well, cut into strips and add to the pan.
• Add reserved marinade, olives, and chicken stock. Now cover tightly and cook over medium-low heat for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (timing will depend on the size of your thighs).
• Remove bay leaf and discard.
• Taste juices and adjust seasoning.
• Place chicken on a warm platter. Spoon juices with the preserved lemon, olives, and onions over chicken and serve accompanied by Couscous with Apricots.
• Put the couscous in a medium bowl.
• Place apricots and scallions into a saucepan and cover with chicken stock, orange juice, and olive oil.
• Bring to a boil and pour over the couscous and stir to combine.
• Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Uncover, fluff with a fork, and season with salt and pepper.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro.

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH OLIVES AND PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• First rub the rock salt into the chicken pieces and then wash the chicken in the white wine vinegar and water. Leave for 10 minutes. Rinse and dry and place onto a clean plate.
• In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, coriander, cinnamon, saffron, fine salt, 1/2 the onions, garlic, cumin, ginger, paprika, turmeric. Mix all these ingredients into the oil and crush the garlic and add a little water to make a paste.
• Roll the chicken pieces into the marinade and leave for 10 to 15 minutes.
• For cooking, use a tagine (traditional Moroccan dish) or a deep, heavy bottom casserole dish. Heat the dish up and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the hot dish. Drop in the chicken and pour over the excess marinade juices. Add the remaining onions, gizzards, chicken livers, olives, and chopped preserved lemons (no pulp).
• Cook in medium hot oven (350 degrees F) for 45 minutes.
• Serve with fresh bread.

STOVETOP MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH PRESERVED LEMON AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Ahead of time if possible, combine the chicken with the onion, garlic, herbs, and spices, including half of the saffron. (Reserve the rest of the saffron for adding to the sauce at a later time.) If time allows, cover and leave the chicken to marinate in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.
• When ready to cook, transfer the chicken and onions (scrape every last bit out of your bowl) to a heavy-bottomed pot, deep skillet or Dutch oven. Cover and cook the chicken over medium or medium-low heat, gently stirring and turning the chicken every 15 minutes or so, until the chicken is tender enough to pinch off the bones. (This will take approximately one hour, but longer if using a free range chicken). Keep the heat adjusted so that the chicken doesn't scorch, and only add a little water if you feel you must. Typically the chicken will braise in its own juices.
• When the chicken is cooked, carefully transfer it to a plate and cover.
• Continue cooking the onion mixture and sauce over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquids evaporate and the onions can be mashed into a blended mass which separates from the oils. If your onions do not appear to be melding, you can give a few pulses with an immersion blender, but do not overprocess.
• Add the preserved lemon, olives, the rest of the saffron, and a few tablespoons of water, and simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes. Return the chicken to the pot to heat through, or place under the broiler to brown the skin.
• Place the chicken on a serving platter, pour the onion sauce over the top and sides, and garnish the top of the chicken with the quartered lemon and some olives.
• For casual meals, consider garnishing the chicken with a handful or two of french fries (patate frite), which may also be offered as a traditional side.
• Moroccan tradition is to eat by hand, using crusty Moroccan bread for soaking up the sauce.