Moroccan Seitan Tagine Food

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAGINE

Steps:

• Combine the spices in a small bowl and set aside. Zest the lemon. Combine 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest with 1 minced garlic clove; set aside.
• Season both sides of chicken pieces with 2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or pan over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Brown the chicken pieces skin side down in single layer until deep golden, about 5 minutes; using tongs, flip the chicken pieces over and brown the other side, about 4 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a large plate; when cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have browned at the edges but still retain their shape, 5 to 7 minutes (add a few tablespoons of water now and then if the pan gets too dark). Add the remaining minced garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spices and flour and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, honey, remaining lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon salt, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the chicken (with any accumulated juices) back in, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the carrots, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the carrots are tender-crisp, about 10 minutes more.
• Stir in the olives, reserved lemon zest-garlic mixture, cilantro, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice; taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. Serve with couscous.
• Note: Don't fret too much over trimming the chicken thighs. The skin gets removed midway through the cooking process and most of the fat will cook off and get drained. I usually just take kitchen shears and quickly snip off any excess skin or fat. Cracked green olives are olives that have been 'cracked' or split open before curing, allowing the brine or marinade to penetrate. You can find them in your supermarket's olive bar, or substitute any green olive that you like.
• Make-Ahead: After you have completed the step of cooking the carrots, the dish can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. To serve, gently warm on the stove until the chicken is heated through, then proceed to the step where the olives and remaining ingredients are added.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAJINE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix the garlic, cumin, ginger, paprika, salt and pepper, 1/2 cup grated onion, and the oil.
• Rinse the preserved lemons, and remove the pulp. RESERVE the lemon peel for later use.
• Add the lemon pulp to the mixing bowl. Add the chicken. Mix everything together and place in a large plastic bag to marinate overnight in the refrigerator. (Twenty-four hours really gives the chicken the best flavor.)
• In a large Dutch oven or casserole, place the chicken and marinade; add the stems of the parsley and cilantro, the rest of the grated onion, the powdered saffron and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, turn down to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 30 minutes.
• Remove the cover, stir the chicken and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
• Remove the chicken to a serving dish and cover with foil to keep warm. Keep sauce on stove and begin to reduce.
• Slice the preserved lemon peel into thin slices and add to the sauce along with the olives, parsley and cilantro. Reduce until the sauce is just a little thick. This shouldn't take more than 5 minutes at most.
• Uncover the chicken and remove the skin from the chicken. (It doesn't look pretty and who needs the extra fat.) Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

MOROCCAN TAGINE

Steps:

• To make the chermoula, whizz paste ingredients in a blender. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Tip the oil and vegetables into a heatproof casserole and cook on the hob until lightly browned, about 7 mins. You may have to do this in two batches.
• Add the chermoula paste to the casserole, along with the dried fruit. Pour in 400ml water, cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 45 mins. Reduce heat to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and cook for another 45 mins. Sprinkle with the mint. Serve on its own or with couscous or crusty bread.

MOROCCAN TAGINE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Fry the onion in the oil until soft. Add the lamb meat to the pan, and fry until just browned on the outside. Season with cumin, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Pour just enough water into the pot to cover the meat. Cover, and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until meat is tender and the mixture is stew-like. Displace lid a little after an hour if there appears to be too much liquid.
• Add the pears, golden raisins and almonds to the stew, and cook for another 5 minutes or so, until the pears are soft. Serve with rice.

MOROCCAN TAGINE

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium flame, heat oil. Add onion and garlic; cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add carrots, bell pepper, spices and 1/2 cup of water and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add remaining ingredients, cover skillet and simmer over medium-low heat for approximately 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Stir mixture occasionally while cooking.
• Serve this stew over couscous, rice or cooked grains.

MOROCCAN TAGINE OF CHICKEN WITH APRICOTS

Steps:

• In a shallow non-metallic dish, mix the chicken with the crushed garlic, orange juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, cilantro, mint, cumin and nutmeg. Cover, and let marinate overnight (but give it a stir at least once).
• In a large dutch oven, heat 2 TBS oil over med/ high heat. Halve the onion lengthwise and thinly slice it crosswise. Add the onion and the minced garlic to the pot, and stir until softened and cooked, but not browned. Remove from pot and set aside.
• Add 1 more tablespoon of the oil and add the chicken, reserving the marinade. Brown the chicken in the pot and then add the onions, prunes, apricots and their soaking liquid, marinade, chicken stock and salt (tip: "rinse" the marinade dish with the chicken stock to ensure that all of the spices, etc, make it into the pot).
• Bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer for 2-2 1/2hours. Towards the end, remove the lid from the pot to allow the liquid to evaporate a little.
• Serve warm and sprinkled with sesame seeds, if desired.