Moroccan Roast Chicken With Saffron Hazelnuts An Food

MOROCCAN SAFFRON CHICKEN

Steps:

• Enjoy!

MOROCCAN ROAST CHICKEN WITH SAFFRON, HAZELNUTS, AND HONEY

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix the chicken pieces with the onions, olive oil, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, lemon juice, water, salt, and pepper. Leave to marinate for at least 2 hours or, preferably, overnight in the fridge.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C Spread the hazelnuts out on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Chop coarsely and set aside.
• Transfer the chicken and marinade to a baking sheet large enough to accommodate everything comfortably. Arrange the chicken pieces skin side up and put the pan in the oven for about 35 minutes.
• While the chicken is roasting, mix the honey, rose water, and nuts together to make a rough paste, the food processor will do this nicely. Remove the chicken from the oven, spoon a generous amount of nut paste onto each piece, and spread it to cover. Return to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the nuts are golden brown.
• Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and garnish with the chopped green onions.

HARVEY'S MOROCCAN ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• For the spice mix: Mix together in a bowl the cloves, pepper, fennel, sesame seeds, coriander, cumin, allspice, nutmeg, ginger and cardamom. Set aside.
• For the spice paste: Place the paprika, lemon juice, the spice mix (from Step 2), salt, chopped mint, black pepper and garlic cloves in a blender. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and blend to until ingredients are mixed, about 6 or 8 pulses. Slowly add the additional olive oil if mixture seems too thick to spread. Blend just until mixture is a smooth paste.
• Spread potatoes and carrots in a roasting pan. Rub about 1/4 of the spice paste inside the cavity of the chicken. Rub the remainder of the paste on the outside of the chicken including the underside. Place the chicken directly on the carrots and potatoes. Pierce the 2 lemons all over with a fork, and place them into the chicken cavity.
• Tent the chicken with aluminum foil. Roast approximately 2 hours until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C) and the juices run clear. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

SAFFRON CHICKEN

Steps:

• Toast the saffron strands in a dry pan over a medium heat for about 1 minute taking care not to burn them.
• Cool, and then crush them with the back of a spoon.
• Dissolve them in 1 tablespoon of very hot water.
• Heat the ghee (or whatever you use), and gently fry the onion, garlic, ginger and chillis until the onion is soft and golden.
• Add garlic.
• Add the dissolved saffron to the pan with the cardomon, then add the chicken.
• Turn the chicken pieces in the mix, coating well.
• Add the salt, cover and cook for 25 minutes until the chicken is tender.
• Uncover the pan and continue cooking, turning often until the liquid is almost gone.

MOROCCAN ROAST CHICKEN WITH APRICOTS

Steps:

• Spatchcock the chickens - see tip, below, or ask your butcher to do it for you. Put the olive oil, coriander, sumac, cumin, fennel, chilli, garlic, lemon zest and juice, pomegranate molasses and some ground black pepper into a food processor or blender, and whizz to a paste. Divide between 2 large food bags, add a chicken to each, then squeeze out the air and seal before giving everything a good squelch to coat thoroughly. Marinate for 24-48 hrs in the fridge, turning and squishing every so often.
• Fire up a barbecue and let the flames die down, or heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Lift the chicken out of the bags and season well with salt. Barbecue or roast the chicken for 25-30 mins on each side until crisp and cooked through. Set aside on a platter, loosely cover with foil, to rest while you do the apricots. If you roasted rather than barbecued, keep the tin juices warm for serving.
• Put the apricots in a small, snug roasting tin. Whisk the preserved lemon, honey, orange blossom and vinegar with some seasoning. Pour over the apricots and roast, or sit on the barbecue, for 20 mins until soft.
• Serve the chicken with any cooking juices, the apricots and saffron yogurt.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH POTATOES AND SPINACH WITH SAFFRON JUS

Steps:

• Finely chop yellow onion in a food processor with ginger and garlic; add all the dry spices and the chopped parsley with salt to the food processor.
• Score the chicken breasts with a sharp knife and apply marinade generously (this can be done the night ahead and allowed to sit in the fridge--it makes the chicken to absorb all the flavours and will make it more juicy when cooked).
• CHICKEN:-.
• In a hot pan or a skillet roast every breast of chicken skin side down to get a golden color and then allow to cook in the oven for about 12-15 minutes.
• SAUCE:-.
• On the side prepare a sauce using the same pan add chopped shallots and deglaze the pan using white wine or lemon juice or just the chicken broth.
• Add the saffron allow to simmer for about 15 minutes and thicken with cornstarch check for seasoning.
• Finish with a 1 tablespoon of frozen butter (keep warm).
• SMASHED POTATOES:-.
• Boil potatoes in a large stock pot with sufficient liquid to cover the cover it completely till completely cooked.
• In a pan heat butter and add ginger, garlic and leeks and sauté till translucent.
• Add the buttermilk and allow to come up to temperature (do not boil as buttermilk will split).
• When potatoes are completely cooked, drain and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
• Add the buttermilk mixture an spinach leaves and mash with a potato masher.
• Season with salt.
• PLATING-.
• Scoop a portion of potatoes with a ice-cream mould or cookie cutter in the center of the plate.
• Place chicken breast on top.
• Drizzle sauce over the chicken breast and all over the plate.
• Could garnish with a fresh sprig of parsley or cilantro.