Chicken Tagine With Eggplant And Olives Recipes

Steps:

• In a skillet over medium heat, toast the cinnamon, peppercorns, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, and cloves until they start to smoke. Remove from the heat and grind in a spice grinder.
• In a bowl large enough to accommodate the chicken, add the oil, spice mix, garlic, ginger, cilantro, bay leaves and saffron. Mix to a paste. Add chicken, rubbing the marinade over all the pieces. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and reserve marinade. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. In a tagine or large casserole over medium high heat add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Put in chicken pieces and lightly brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Rinse preserved lemon well. Scoop out flesh and discard; cut peel into strips and add to pan. Add reserved marinade, olives, and chicken stock. Cover tightly and cook over medium low heat for 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove bay leaf and discard. Taste juices and adjust seasoning. Place chicken on a warm platter. Spoon juices with the preserved lemon, olives, and onions over chicken and serve accompanied by Couscous with Apricots.
• Wash lemons well and dry them. Cut 4 lemons into quarters from the top, being careful not to cut all the way through. Pack salt generously into the cuts and place lemon into a sterilized glass pint jar. Continue procedure, packing the lemons into the jar as tightly as possible. Squeeze juice from remaining lemons. Add another 2 tablespoons of salt to the jar and top off with the lemon juice, make sure the lemons are completely covered. Close the jar with a non-metallic lid and set aside in a cool, dark place or the refrigerator for one month. Preserved lemons will keep for 1 year. Refrigerate after opening.
• Yield: about 4 lemons
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: none
• Inactive Prep Time: 1 month
• Put the couscous in a medium bowl; pour the hot stock over it and stir to combine. Cover and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Add the apricots, scallions, and orange juice; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Garnish with chopped parsley.
• Yield: 4 to 6 servings
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Inactive Prep Time: 15 minutes

Steps:

• Mix garlic, saffron, ginger, paprika, cumin and turmeric together. If not using kosher chicken, add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add pepper to taste. Rub chicken with mixture, cover, refrigerate and marinate 3 to 4 hours.
• Heat oil in heavy skillet. Add chicken, and brown on all sides. Remove to platter. Add onions to skillet, and cook over medium-low heat about 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer to tagine, if you are using one, or leave in skillet. Add cinnamon stick.
• Put chicken on onions. Scatter with olives. Quarter the lemons, remove pulp and cut skin in strips. Scatter over chicken. Mix stock and lemon juice. Pour over chicken.
• Cover tagine or skillet. Place over low heat, and cook about 30 minutes, until chicken is done. Scatter parsley on top, and serve.

Steps:

• Sprinkle the chicken all over with 2 teaspoons salt. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
• Meanwhile, thinly slice 1 lemon; spread out the slices and sprinkle generously with salt on both sides. Stack the slices on a plate and let stand at room temperature, at least 20 minutes and up to 3 hours.
• Pat the chicken dry. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add half of the chicken, skin-side down; cover and cook until the skin is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Discard the excess oil.
• Add the butter, onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, saffron and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes; stir in the cilantro and parsley. Push the onion mixture to one side, then add the chicken to the pot, skin-side up. Spoon some of the onion mixture over the chicken and add 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low; cover and gently simmer, 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the apricots, 1 cup water and the honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cover and cook until the apricots are plump, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook until the liquid is syrupy, about 15 more minutes; set aside. Cook the almonds in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Set aside on paper towels.
• Chop the salted lemon slices into small pieces; add to the pot with the chicken along with the olives and the juice of the remaining lemon. Cover and continue cooking until the chicken is tender, about 20 more minutes. Arrange the chicken on a platter. Top with the olive sauce, apricot mixture and almonds. Serve with couscous.

Steps:

• On a plate, blend the cumin and paprika together. Dip the chicken pieces in spices to coat both sides. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and brown chicken on both sides. Remove.
• Add the onions to the skillet and sear on cut sides until browned. Remove. Lower heat to medium and add remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Lightly brown eggplant on cut sides. Remove. Add garlic and olives, cook until the garlic has softened, then add the stock and vinegar. Bring to a simmer, deglazing the pan, then turn off the heat.
• Coarsely chop the browned onions. Scatter them in a terra-cotta tagine or in a sauté pan with a cover, then lay the chicken pieces on top. Chop the eggplant in 1-inch chunks and distribute them over the chicken. Pour stock mixture, with olives and garlic, on top. Season with salt and pepper and scatter chopped tarragon on top. Cover the tagine or pan and cook on medium-low heat for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest 10 minutes. Garnish with tarragon sprigs and serve with rice or couscous.