Chicken Tagine
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
For the marinade:
· 4 cloves garlic, chopped
· 2 tsp cumin
· 1 tsp smoked pimenton (paprika)
· 1 tsp allspice
· ½ tsp dried ground ginger
· 1 inch fresh ginger, grated on a microplane
· 1 tsp cinnamon
· 2 tbsp lemon preserves pulp
· ¼ cup olive oil
· Salt and pepper
· 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
For the tagine:
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 2 tablespoons tomato paste
· 1 Vidalia onion, chopped
· 1 inch fresh ginger, grated on a microplane
· 4 Roma tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, chopped
· 2 cups chicken stock (home made or boxed, I prefer Pacific organic)
· Pinch saffron
· ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
· 1 ½ cups chick peas (cooked, not dried)
· 3 preserved lemons, chopped
· 1 cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted and sliced in half
· 1 cup prunes or dried apricots, pitted and quartered, or quartered dried or fresh mission figs (optional)
· Salt and pepper
For the cous cous:
· 2 cups cous cous (I prefer whole wheat)
· 2 ½ cups chicken stock
· ¾ cup sliced almonds
· 2 pats butter
· fresh parsley and basil, torn to pieces
Directions:
In a large bowl or large Ziplock bag, mix the chopped garlic, cumin, pimenton, allspice, ground ginger, fresh ginger, cinnamon, lemon preserves, a pinch of salt and a few grates of freshly grund black pepper, and olive oil. Add thighs, toss to cover completely and let marinade overnight or at least 30 minutes.
Open a bottle of wine. In our case it was a nice Barbera D’Alba. Let it breath. Toast your friend in the kitchen.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove thighs from the fridge and give it a stir. In a large non-stick or cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil to medium-high heat and sear the chicken thighs, skin side down until browned and as crispy as you can get them, then turn over and sear the other side. This will not cook them, but crisp up the skin a little bit. Remove the thighs from the skillet and place in a Dutch oven.
Scrape up the browned bits in the skillet and add the tomato paste. Stir the paste into the bits and let toast up a bit. Add the onions, ginger, and tomatoes. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes then add garlic and stir. Cook a few minutes more and add the stock, basil, saffron and chick peas. Let simmer for about 15 minutes or until reduced by about 1/3. It should be thickened to a stew consistency. Pour liquid over the thighs in the Dutch oven, stir to completely coat, cover and pop into the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, stir again and add the lemons, olives and dried fruits. Put back in the oven for 20 more minutes.
In a small saucepan, boil the chicken stock for the cous cous. To a dry sauté pan, add the almonds and toast over high head, making sure to stir frequently. Remove and set aside. When the stock is boiling, add the cous cous and 2 pats of butter and stir to combine. Remove from heat and cover. After 5 minutes, check cous cous to make sure it is done then fluff up with a fork and add more butter if necessary. Add toasted almonds and turn out the cous cous on a platter.
Top the cous cous with the tagine and sprinkle with fresh parsley and basil. Serve immediately with the rest of the wine if there's any left. If not, open another bottle! Va bene!
