Easy Crock Pot Moroccan Chicken Chickpea And Apricot Tagine Food

EASY CROCK POT MOROCCAN CHICKEN, CHICKPEA AND APRICOT TAGINE

Steps:

• PLEASE NOTE: This recipe lists canned chickpeas in the ingredients, NOT dried! If you use dried chickpeas, you MUST soak them and cook them first!
• Heat up olive oil in a frying pan/skillet & saute chopped onions & garlic for 5-10 minutes.
• Add chicken stock & gradually mix in flour or cornflour until well mixed & not lumpy.Add honey & tomato paste & mix well.
• Add herbs,spices & finely chopped ginger with salt & pepper to taste.
• Finally add tinned tomatoes & mix well.
• Pour the above tomato,onion & spice mix into slow cooker or tagine.
• Add chicken & chickpeas & mix well.
• Add dried apricots making sure they are covered by juice. (Add the carrots if using.).
• Give it a gentle but good stir to mix everything together well.
• Crock Pot or Slow Cooker - Cook on high for about 3 to 4 hours OR automatic with keep warm facility for up to 8 hours. (Please note that the cooking times depend on your crockpot, the cooking times I have suggested work fine with mine which is a Morphy Richards Slow Cooker.).
• If cooking in a Traditional Tagine, do as above & cook SLOWLY over gas or barbeque for about 2-3 hours.
• Electric Tagine cooking - same as the slowcooker. If you need to thicken it up towards the end of the cooking time, add cornflour which has been mixed with a little water & add to the tagine - mix well.
• Serve with freshly chopped Coriander/Cilantro sprinked on top & either with couscous, rice, fresh flat bread, pitta bread or salads. It is also good (if not traditional) served with fluffy pureed or mashed potatoes & pasta.
• Note: You can use chicken pieces or whole chicken which has been cut up into portions, but you will then need to brown them in a frying pan or skillet beforehand. Preserved lemons make a great addition, add them when you add the apricots and carrots.

MOROCCAN CHICKPEA AND SPINACH STEW

Steps:

• Place chickpeas and cumin in large saucepan.
• Add enough water to barely cover chickpeas. Set aside.
• Saute garlic in olive oil in small pan over medium to low heat.
• Remove garlic when browned, about 3 minutes.
• Set aside.
• Toast bread until golden in same pan about one minute per side.
• Remove bread and turn off heat.
• Add paprika and saffron, followed immediately by vinegar to keep paprika from burning.
• Pound garlic and browned bread in a mortar or glass bowl to make a thick paste.
• Bring chickpeas to a low boil, then add spinach, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add paprika-saffron mixture and garlic bread paste to create a thick stew.
• Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

VEGETARIAN CROCKPOT MOROCCAN TAGINE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and cook, stirring once or twice, until it browns, about 5 minutes. Add the ras el hanout, tomato paste, and ¼ cup of water to the pot and let it cook for 2 minutes, or until the tomato paste starts to caramelize. Pour everything into your crock pot..
• Add the sweet potatoes, chickpeas (see notes), apricots, dates, ginger, garlic, cinnamon sticks, and 4 cups of water to your crock pot and stir well. Set your crock pot for 8 hours on low.
• Serve the Vegetarian Crock Pot Moroccan Tagine over some steamed couscous with some chopped almonds, cilantro, mint, olives, and a squeeze of lemon over top.

CHICKEN, DATE AND APRICOT TAGINE

Steps:

• Skin and cut chicken into 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 breast halves and 2 wings. Reserve chicken wings for another use.
• Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken, cook 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Add onion and the next 6 ingredients (onion through garlic) and cook 4 minutes; stirring occasionally. Add broth, dates, apricots, rind, and salt. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Remove from heat; stir in the parsley, lemon sections and cilantro. Serve over couscous.

TAGINE OF MONKFISH

Steps:

• Pound 2 garlic cloves and salt into a smooth paste with a mortar and pestle. Add the cumin, paprika, juice from the lemon, and chopped cilantro and mix until slightly emulsified. This is the chermoula.
• Reserve a little of the chermoula for cooking and rub the rest of it over the monkfish. Cover and leave to marinate in a cool place for 1 hour.
• Par-boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes and then cut them in-half. Thinly slice the remaining garlic cloves. Heat 3-4 tbsp of the olive oil in a heavy pan and stir in the garlic. When the garlic just begins to color, add the tomatoes and cook until just softened.
• Add the peppers to the tomatoes and garlic, together with the remaining chermoula, and add salt and pepper to taste.
• Spread the potatoes over the base of a shallow pan or deep, ridged frying pan. Spoon 3/4 of the tomato and pepper mixture over and place the marinated fish chunks on top with the chermoula you reserved in step #2.
• Spoon the rest of the tomato and pepper mixture over the fish and add the olives. Drizzle a little extra olive oil over the dish and pour in the water.
• Heat until simmering. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.
• Serve with fresh, warm, crusty bread.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN AND APRICOT TAGINE

Steps:

• Gather the chicken ingredients.
• Combine the spices in a bowl large enough to hold the chicken.
• Add the chicken and toss to evenly coat the pieces with the spices.
• Gather the remaining tagine ingredients.
• Over medium-low heat, melt the butter in the base of a large tagine or Dutch oven.
• Add the olive oil, onions, garlic, and cinnamon stick .
• Add the seasoned chicken, meat-side down, in a single layer on top of the onions.
• Place the cilantro bouquet on top. Add the broth to the tagine.
• In the bowl used to season the chicken, swirl the water to cleanse it of the spices.
• Add the water to the tagine.
• Cover and leave the liquids to reach a simmer over medium-low heat.
• Once simmering , cook the chicken, undisturbed, for 1 hour.
• Remove 1/2 cup of the cooking liquids and set aside.
• Carefully turn over the chicken pieces so that they are meat-side up.
• Cover the pan and continue simmering for another 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the chicken is done and the liquids are thick and reduced.
• While the chicken is cooking, put the apricots in a small pot and cover with water.
• Simmer the apricots over medium heat, partially covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender enough to pinch in half with your fingers.
• Drain the apricots and return to the pot.
• Add the sugar (or honey), ground cinnamon, and the 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid.
• Simmer the apricots gently for 5 to 10 minutes, or until they are sitting in a thick syrup.
• Discard the cilantro bouquet and cinnamon stick from the tagine.
• Arrange the chicken on a large serving platter (or simply leave in the base of the tagine). Spoon the apricots and syrup on and around the chicken. If desired, garnish with fried almonds or sesame seeds.

SPICY CROCK POT CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• In a skillet over medium heat, cook onions, stirring, just until they begin to brown; then add garlic and all spices and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
• Add vinegar and tomatoes and bring to a boil, then place mixture in your slow cooker; add chickpeas and combine well.
• Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours, or until the mixture is hot and bubbling.
• Serve with hot naan or pita bread.