A while ago I posted preserved lemons and I said I’d be back to show you what to do with them. A logical choice for the sweet and salty version is to simply lay a couple of slices on some fish (salmon is nice). Wrap in a pouch of foil and bake for 20 min or so at 350deg. A little rice pilaf and a salad on the side – so very good.
This recipe I pulled from Williams Sonoma and changed a couple of things. It was really tasty, and good for you too.
Braised Chicken with Preserved Lemons
Step 1: gather up..
1 Preserved Lemon*
1-1/2 tsp Coriander Seeds
1-1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 Chicken (about 4# whole or cut up)
1/2 tsp Ground Pepper
2 Tbl Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion, chopped
2 Garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp Tagine spice*
1 can (28oz) Diced Tomatoes, drained
1 cup Chicken Broth
1 can (15oz) Chick Peas (garbanzo beans) drained
•Preserved Lemon; short cut. Slice a lemon very thin and layer in a dish with salt and let sit while the rest of the dish cooks. The lemon is added near the end.
•Tagine Spice; You can buy this at W & S, but that’s a hour away so I made my own of standard pantry spices. I guessed at the amounts using the list from the product description. My Tagine spice Mix: 2 tsp Paprika, 1 tsp Ground Ginger, 1 tsp Tumeric, 1/2 Ground Blk Pepper
Step 2: Take the coriander and cumin seeds, and toast them in a small pan. Careful, just until you can smell them a bit and the cumin seeds turn a darker green. This changes their favor slightly and is way better than the ground versions. Crush them in a mortar pestle or a coffee grinder (whatever you use to grind stuff).
Step 3: Make up your Tagine Mix. Combine with the other spices in a small bowl.
Step 4: Cut up the chicken and remove as much of the fat as you can and leave some of the skin. Heat the oil and brown the chicken in a dutch oven…a large pot, not a new kind of range… so if this is a French made pot, I guess it’s a French oven!? If you bought a whole chicken, cut it up and brown the back pieces as well. But then move them off to be cooked for stock – they don’t make for good eats at dinner. Set the chicken aside and sweat the onion and garlic. Then add the spices and sauté for just a few seconds. This ‘blooming’ step makes the spices come alive.
Step 5: Add in the tomatoes and broth. Scrape the browned bits from the pot and then add the chicken back to the pot. Simmer for about 40 min.
Meanwhile, decide what kind of rice to put on the side. Normally, I use standard yellow rice, but I thought I’d show you a new find. This wild rice combo is great all by itself. The package is pricey, but it goes a long way. This is really good along side grilled meat of most any kind.
Step 6: Cut up the preserved lemon into a fine dice. Oh – the smell! So lemony…summer in a jar. The rind is almost gelatin like, and the salt has removed the bitter edge to the taste. Like nothing I’ve ever had before.
Step 7: After the chicken has simmered, add the lemon and chick peas and cook another 5-10 min.
Finale: Plate it up and dig in. The chicken is healthy after the skin is pulled, and the meat just falls off the bone. This taste of Morocco is a nice diversion from the average weekday meal. And now you know what to do with that jar of preserved lemons you made.
Enjoy.
Michelle @ www.badzoot.com
