Apricot Chicken Tagine

It's fascinating to me that hot spicy foods seem to come from hotter regions. It's said that hot spicy foods cause you to perspire, which in turn cools you down. They sure do start my sweat glands, but I'm not sure the cooling is always commensurate with the heating...

But do your own sense-making and determine for yourself, with this delicious Morroccan prep - along, maybe with a cool beverage. It's spiced up with Morroccan Harissa chili paste and Mediterranean herbs, all of which are softened by sweet apricots. This symphony of spicy and sweet is harmonized with the tang of lemon and the briny qualities of delicious olives.

Serve on a neutral canvas of couscous or rice, and as Joni Mitchell would say "keep cool."

5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in half

Marinade:

2 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves

2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves

6-8 fresh mint leaves

2 cloves garlic

3/4-inch fresh ginger, peeled and quartered

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 carrot, sliced

2 shallots, sliced

2 Tbsp Harissa paste (I used Cavo brand)

2 dozen dried apricots

1 cup mixed olives (I used Trader Joe’s marinated olives)

1/2 cup water

Toss together the oregano, thyme, mint, garlic and ginger in a small food processor. Pulse to mince well.

Turn mixture into a medium bowl.

Add the lemon juice and olive oil and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and toss to mix well. Allow to marinate at least an hour, or even better, overnight in the refrigerator.

Heat a dash of olive oil in a tagging base or medium Dutch oven. Brown both sides of the chicken - about 3-5 minutes per side.

Remove the chicken to a bowl and add the carrots and shallot to the pot.

Brown for about 5 minutes. Now add the harissa to the carrots and mix well. Cook 1-2 minutes.

Return the chicken to the pot along with all its juices and tid bits. Add the apricots, olives and water, and mix well.

Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook about 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked through.

Serve with lemon, mint and couscous, if desired.

Serves 4.

Cook’s note: You don’t need an actual tagine to cook this - it will do just fine in most any pot, especially a Dutch oven. But the tagine is a wonderful device for continually circulating the water evaporated from the dish, back into the dish, keeping the dish very moist, with the minimal of added water to the dish. So your star performers are not swimming in excess liquid.

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