Last week, on the first really sunny day that hinted Spring will soon be here, a Tagine seemed to be the order of the day.
A tagine is a North African stew, but also the name of the cooking pot with a conical lid in which it is traditionally cooked. Tagines are full flavored dishes, incorporating ingredients that take well to long, slow braising at low temperatures and are generously seasoned with spices and fragrant ingredients such as saffron, raisins, cinnamon, various nuts, citrus fruits, olives, paprika, turmeric, cumin, and coriander. Brightly colored ingredients and clean flavors that seemed to go with the sunshine.
Traditional tagine cooking vessels are made out of earthenware and cannot withstand high heat so when they are being used, the meat is not browned at the beginning of the braise. After the ingredients are assembled in the tagine pot, the dish is generally placed over a brazier filled with coals where it slowly simmers for several hours allowing the flavors of the spices and other ingredients to fully develop and penetrate the meat. More conventional cooking methods using “untraditional” Dutch ovens and other cooking pots will cook the stew faster. I go ahead and brown the meat first to give the dish added flavor and place it over the lowest possible heat for a gentle braise.
Preserved lemons are fresh lemons that have been pickled with salt and their own juice. They are a staple of Morocco cooking and can be found in market stalls specializing in spices, nuts and dried fruit or in the Arab specialty stores.
Special thanks to Carol Gillott of the blog Parisbreakfasts for the great cooking class and market photographs!
Ingredients
Serves 6
- 1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces or 8 chicken thighs skin-on, bone-in
- Large pinch of saffron
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 onions thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoons minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tomato, diced or 1 can chopped tomatoes
- ½ bunch fresh parsley, chopped, plus extra for garnish
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
- 3 cups/600 ml water, more or less as needed
- 1 cup of Moroccan cracked purple olives or good quality salt or brine cured olives
- 1 preserved lemon, diced
- Squeeze of lemon juice from a fresh lemon
Instructions
- Place the saffron strands in 3 tbsp of warm water and set aside to soak while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Pat the chicken pieces with paper towel to dry the skin, then season with salt and pepper. Add the the oil and butter to a tagine or Dutch oven and heat over a medium high flame until butter has melted and begins to sizzle. Add the chicken pieces, skin side down. Cook until the skin is crisp and brown. Turn over and lightly sear on the meat side. Remove the chicken and set aside.
- In the same pot, add the onion and minced ginger and cook until the onion is soft, . Stir in the garlic, cumin and paprika. Cook for several minutes then add the diced tomato, half the chopped herbs and browned chicken pieces - along with any accumulated juices. Pour in the saffron and the soaking water, then top off with enough fresh water to almost cover the pieces. Increase the heat and bring to a boil; cover and reduce to a simmer. Let cook 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.
- About halfway through the cooking time, remove a ladle of braising liquid to a small pot. Add cracked olives and preserved lemon and let it slowly reduce.
- When the chicken is done, transfer to a serving dish with a slotted spoon, cover and keep warm. Return the braising liquid to a low simmer and stir in the olive and lemon mixture. Taste for seasoning. If the flavors need to be more concentrated bring to a boil and reduce. Before serving, add the rest of the herbs and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with parsley.
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https://www.charlottepuckette.com/recipes/main-dish-meatpoultry/chicken-tagine-with-preserved-lemon-and-purple-olives/
