I wanted to do something different with our weekly chicken and remembered this recipe from Morocco. I love the flavor profile of this food and this recipe combines tangy Preserved Lemons with artichokes. This is easy to prepare and is now established as one of our favorite chicken recipes.
DJEJ M'KALLI B'L'HAMD MARKAD
TAGINE OF CHICKEN WITH PRESERVED LEMONS AND ARTICHOKE HEARTS
(serves 4 to 6)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sweet hungarian paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 pounds chicken, cut up
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 8 threads Spanish saffron, toasted and crushed
- 10 sprigs fresh cilantro, tied with cotton string
- 10 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, tied with cotton string
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Preserved Lemon pulp
- 12 baby artichokes, trimmed of any tough outer leaves, or 6 medium artichokes, boiled, trimmed of leaves and choke and quartered, or one 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained*
- Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
- Pita Bread for serving
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, paprika, ginger, pepper and chicken. Cook, stirring to coat, for 1 to 2 minutes. (Do not overcook or the spices will turn bitter.) Add the onion, broth, saffron, cilantro and parsley. Cover tightly and bake until the chicken is tender, 50 to 55 minutes.
Remove from the oven. With a slotted spoon,transfer the chicken to an ovenproof dish, leaving the sauce in the pan. Discard the parsley and cilantro. Reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees F and return the chicken to the oven to keep warm. Bring the sauce to a simmer on top of the stove. Add the lemon juice, lemon pulp and artichokes. Stir gently until the artichokes are heated through, 4 to 5 minutes. Gently stir the strips of lemon rind into the sauce.
Mound the reserved chicken in the center of a serving platter and surround it with the artichokes. Spoon the sauce over the dish. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve with warm bread.
*If you used canned artichoke hearts, drain and blanch them in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain before proceeding with the recipe.
You can use Preserved Lemon from the market or you can make your own
PRESERVED LEMONS
(makes 1 quart)
- 12 or more unblemished, organically grown lemons, preferably Myers, scrubbed
- Sea salt
- Fresh lemon juice as needed
Pat the lemons dry. Cut a thin dime-sized piece from both ends of each lemon. Set a lemon on one end and make a vertical cut three quarters of the way through the fruit, so that the two halves remain attached at the base, do not cut it in half. Turn the lemon upside down and make a second vertical cut at a 90-degree angle to the first, again three quarters of the way through the fruit. Fill each cut with as much salt as it will hold. Place the lemon carefully at the bottom of a sterilized wide-mouthed quart glass jar. Proceed in this manner with the remaining lemons, compressing them in the jar until no space is left and the lemon juice rises to the top. Seal and set aside on the kitchen counter.
More lemons may be added in the following days as the lemon rinds begin to soften. Make sure the lemons are covered with juice at all times, adding fresh lemon juice as necessary. The lemons are ready to use when the rinds are tender, in 4 to 6 weeks. Rinse them lightly and discard the seed before using. Refrigerate after opening. Preserved lemons will keep for up to 6 months in the refrigerator.
(recipes from Kitty Morse. Cooking at the Kasbah)
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