Chicken With Preserved Lemon, Soft Black Olives, And Nigella Seeds

This past Wednesday we made our drive back home to Missouri.  I drove 14 hours and my daughter 2 hours with one dog in the back seat.  My husband took our other dog in his car.  To say the least I was exhausted all day on Thursday and part of Friday.  It's hard for me to understand why sitting all day long would make me so tired, but it did.  At any rate, we're home and settled in again, like we never left.

Prior to leaving Colorado, I posted a recipe for Preserved Lemons from Paula Wolfert's cookbook, "The Food of Morocco."  Although I've never been to Morocco, from what I've seen and read I'd love to visit someday.  After ordering Paula's book I became addicted to reading it. There's a wealth of  information about Morocco, the food, their culture, special Moroccan secrets for preparing dishes, plus wonderful photos of it all.  Paula Wolfert's recipes are so well written, revealing even the smallest tidbit of information was so useful, linking one page or item to another page giving greater detail, so your finished dish reaches perfection. Superb!

After posting the recipe last week for Preserved Lemons I realized I made an error saying that the lemons only took 7 days to prepare.  You prepare them in one day, placing them in a tight fitting jar, however, you should wait up to 30 days before eating them for superior flavor.  I'm sure by now if you've had the chance to review the recipe, you noticed the error.  I've since made the necessary corrections on last weeks post.

If you've attempted to make the preserved lemons I hope after the 30 days you'll try this recipe.  My husband who isn't fond of experimenting with new dishes tried this and finished everything on his plate then went back for more.  Both my kids and I enjoyed it too.  Everything was gone.

One word of advice though - be sure to rinse the preserved lemons well to remove any remaining salt, otherwise they'll be too strong.

I would also recommend to mise en place all ingredients in the recipe before starting to cook for ease of preparation.

Read the ingredient list and directions entirely at least 2 times, plus the asterisks (*) before embarking on this recipe.  It's really quite simple.

Here's the recipe......   

Chicken with Preserved Lemons, Soft Black Olives and Nigella Seeds

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

One 3-pound chicken, quartered, backbone and wings removed

1 small garlic clove

*2 teaspoons nigella seeds, toasted and divided

2 teaspoons coarse salt

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

**2 tablespoons saffron water

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 small tomatoes, peeled, halved, seeded, and diced

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, divided

Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste

12 Kalamata or Gaeta olives, pitted, soaked in water to remove excess salt and vinegar, and drained

1 preserved lemon, pulp removed, rind rinsed and quartered

DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse the chicken quarters and pat dry; trim away any excess fat. Slide your fingers under the skin to loosen it from the flesh.

2. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic, half the nigella seeds and the salt to a paste. Mix in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Rub this mixture under and over the skin of the chicken.

3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and fry, turning occasionally, until they are golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Push the chicken to one side of the skillet and carefully tilt the skillet to the other side, and use a spoon to remove almost all the fat.

4. Spread out the chicken pieces, flesh side down, add the onion, cover, and steam for 5 minutes.  Add 1 scant cup hot water, the saffron water, ginger, and pepper and bring to a boil   Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes.  Remove the chicken breasts to a side dish.  Cover to keep moist.  

5. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, the remaining nigella seeds, and half the cilantro to the sauce in the pan.  Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes and chicken legs are fully cooked.

6. Return the chicken breasts to the skillet and reheat.  Correct the seasoning with the lemon juice, and baste the chicken with the sauce.  Decorate the dish with the olives, the preserved lemon wedges, and the remaining cilantro.

NOTE:

* Nigella Seeds - I had a difficult time finding Nigella Seeds, however they are also found under the name Charnushka (Nigella Sativa) at Penzey's.

** How to make Saffron Water - Dry 1/2 teaspoon crumbled strands of saffron in a warm (not hot) skillet.  Crush again, then soak in 1 cup hot water and store in a small jar in the refrigerator.  This will keep for up to a week.  For longer storage pour the saffron water into a plastic ice cube tray and freeze into cubes.  Once frozen, shake out the cubes and store in a freezer bag.  Each cube will be equivalent to 2 tablespoons saffron water or a good pinch of dried saffron threads.

Although there are several steps to making this dish it all comes together quickly.  I hope you try this tasty and unique Moroccan dish.

Enjoy!

How to Make "Preserved Lemons" for Moroccan Cuisine

Moroccan cuisine is the culinary star of North Africa. At the crossroads of many civilizations, the cuisine of
Morocco is a mélange of Arab, Berber, Moorish, French, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean African, Iberian, and Jewish influences. 

Moroccan cooking is enhanced with such fruits as, dried and fresh -- apricots, dates, figs, and raisins. Lemons preserved in a salt-lemon juice mixture are unique to many Moroccan dishes. Nuts are prominent; pine nuts, almonds, and pistachios.  Moroccan Sweets are rich and dense confections of cinnamon, almond, and fruit perfumes that are rolled in filo dough, soaked in honey, and stirred into puddings.  

Spices are used extensively in Moroccan food. Common spices include karfa (cinnamon), kamoun (cumin), kharkoum (turmeric), skingbir (ginger), libzar (pepper) , tahmira (paprika), anis seed, sesame seed, kasbour (coriander), maadnous (parsley), zaafrane beldi (saffron) and mint. Spices are the defining point to any authentic Moroccan meal and are also known to be used for their medicinal value. It's the special blend of spices that makes Moroccan cuisine taste so good. One special blend is the Ras El Hanout.

The ten spices considered the most important to Moroccan cuisine are:
Cayenne (felfla), cinnamon (karfa), turmeric (quekoum), ginger (skinjbir), black pepper (elbezar), aniseed (nafaa), sesame seeds (jinjelan), cumin (kamoon), paprika (felfla hlouwa), and saffron (zafrane).

A trip to a Souk will find you the essentials needed for your kitchen and home.

A Souk is a market, which may be held in a designated commercial quarter, or in an open-air location. Souks are an important part of life in the Middle East and their merchants carry a wide assortment of products from rugs to vegetables, just the place to find ingredients for your Moroccan recipes.

Moroccan dishes are fragrant and full of flavor.  Many include preserved lemons which can be purchased, but difficult to find in the U.S. However, making them is easy.

Preserved Lemons can take up to 30 days to prepare and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 year.  A quick preserving method can be used but they will only last 2 days.

I'm going to share how to make Preserved Lemons using the 30 day method from Paula Wolferts cookbook, "The Food of Morocco."  Then, next Monday I will share with you a wonderful recipe using these Preserved Lemons, so when yours are ready you'll have a luscious recipe to use them in.

Here's the recipe:

Quartered Lemons, Juice, Salt and Jar with Tight Fitting Lid

Quartered Lemons placed in Jar with Salt and Juice Sealed Tightly

       

Taken Directly from The Food of Morocco

Don't forget to try this simple recipe for Preserved Lemons and meet me back here next week, for another recipe to use them in.  Until then......

HAPPY COOKING!

Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds

My son was invited to a friends for dinner the other night and had mentioned that the meal tasted great.  When asked what was made he mentioned a Moroccan dish.  I enjoy Moroccan food so asked if he'd get the recipe for me to try. 

Moroccan cooking uses fresh spices extensively, fruits and vegetables and often foods are slow cooked in a vessel called a Tagine.  I don't have a Tagine, so I used a Dutch Oven which worked well however, Tagine's will self baste producing a superior dish.

This recipe uses cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, black pepper and salt for spices among other unusual ingredients and fruit not used in traditional American dishes. 

The results were succulent pieces of chicken enrobed with a delicate yet flavorful sauce.  I used bone-in chicken with skin for the fullest flavor however, you can substitute boneless, skinless chicken pieces as well. I also served this with tri-colored couscous drizzled with the luscious sauce covering the chicken and a fresh salad.

The dish was wonderful!  I hope you'll enjoy it as well.

 Here's the recipe:

Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds
Serves 4
Gourmet | May 2006

Adapted from Baija Lafridi

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup olive oil 1 (3-lb) chicken, cut into 6 pieces, wings and backbone discarded (I used chicken breasts and thighs) 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 medium red onion, halved, then sliced 1/4 inch thick 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 5 fresh cilantro 5 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 1/2 cups water 2 tablespoons mild honey 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick 1/2 cup dried Turkish apricots, separated into halves 1/3 cup whole blanched almonds * Special equipment: a 10- to 12-inch tagine or heavy skillet; kitchen string Directions: Stir together ground cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl or zip lock bag. Add chicken and turn to coat well. Heat butter and 1 tablespoon oil in base of tagine (or in skillet), uncovered, over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then brown half of chicken, skin sides down, turning over once, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Brown remaining chicken in same manner, adding any spice mixture left in bowl. Add onion and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to tagine and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Tie cilantro and parsley into a bundle with kitchen string and add to tagine along with 1/2 cup water, chicken, and any juices accumulated on plate. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. While chicken cooks, bring honey, remaining cup water, cinnamon stick, and apricots to a boil in a 1- to 2-quart heavy saucepan, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until apricots are very tender (add more water if necessary). Once apricots are tender, simmer until liquid is reduced to a glaze, 10 to 15 minutes. While apricots cook, heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in a small skillet over moderate heat and cook almonds, stirring occasionally, until just golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Ten minutes before chicken is done, add apricot mixture to tagine. Discard herbs and cinnamon stick, then serve chicken sprinkled with almonds on top.

*Note:  This recipe calls for blanched almonds which I totally forgot to do.  However I still cooked the almonds and they were delicious.  Blanching will remove their skin making them easier to eat in foods.

How to Blanch Almonds

1. Place almonds in a pot covered with cold water.
2. Bring water to boil.
3. Immediately remove from heat and strain almonds.
4. Rinse with cold water.
5. Allow to dry on paper towels.
6. To remove skins, place an almond between thumb and pointer finger, apply pressure on almond with fingers and the skin should come off with easily!

Blanched almonds are very slippery and can go flying when you are trying to remove the skins so use caution when removing them.

ENJOY!!!