Skip to main content

Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives #SpicesoftheSouk #Sponsored

By
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Le Creuset. All opinions are my own.

Last term, I taught a class about rice dishes from around the world and had approached my contact at Le Creuset about getting a tagine for when we, by tabletop, traveled to Morocco. Yes! She said 'yes.' Then the final week of my class was canceled and I never got a chance to use the pot. I was guilt-ridden.

So, I signed up to teach another six-week class and made sure that I used the tagine during the second week of class...just to make sure we didn't have another scheduling snafu. So, I am finally using the tagine as I said I would: to teach kids to cook!


Tagine
A tajine or tagine is a Maghrebi dish named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked. So, it refers to both the cooking vessel and the resulting food; it is also called a maraq/marqa in North Africa and the Middle East.

Mentions of the tagine date back to Harun al-Rashid who was a ruler of the Early Muslim conquests and it appears in the 9th century collection of stories One Thousand and One Nights. At the same time, it was noted during the Islamic reign of the Abbasid Empire that stretched from the Middle East/Asia to North Africa and Andalusia.

The dish was used by nomadic Bedouin people of the Arabian Peninsula, who added dried fruits such as dates, apricots and plums to it. Tagine is traditionally cooked over hot charcoal with the shape of the lid acting as a self-basting tool. The circular base is flat with low sides and the cover is a large cone-shape that sits on the base during cooking. The cover is designed to collect all condensation and re-direct to back to the bottom. 

Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives
Ingredients serves 8
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
  • ¼ t saffron threads, pulverized
  • ½  t ground ginger
  • 1 t smoked paprika
  • ½ t ground cumin
  • ½ t turmeric
  • whole chicken, cut in 8 to 10 pieces, or 8 chicken thighs
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 C olives, pitted and halved
  • 4 to 5 preserved lemon wedges, pulp removed and rind sliced thinly
  • 2 C chicken stock
  • 2 T chopped flat-leaf parsley

Procedure
Blend garlic, saffron, ginger, paprika, cumin, and turmeric together. Rub chicken with mixture, cover, refrigerate and marinate 3 to 4 hours. I did this part ahead of class, so it probably marinated for 8 hours.

Heat half of the oil in heavy skillet. Add chicken and brown on all sides. Heat the remaining oil in the tagine. Add onions and cook over medium-low heat until lightly browned.


Tuck the cinnamon stick into the onions and place the browned chicken on top of that.


Scatter with olives and preserved lemon strips.


Pour stock over chicken. Bring to a boil, then cover. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.


To serve, sprinkle with parsley and divide into individual servings. Serve hot.


The kids loved it and, between mouthfuls, decided that we were going to make biriyani next week. Stay tuned!

You may find Le Creuset...
on the web
on Twitter

*Disclosure: I received this product for free from the sponsor and/or its public relations team in exchange for an honest review. I have received no additional compensation for my post. My opinion is 100% my own and 100% accurate.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

By
If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce
1 comment
Read more

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

By
To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P
9 comments
Read more

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

By
photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an
183 comments
Read more