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.

Comments

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs. Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have. Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade. Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat...

'Back-of-the-bag' King Arthur Oatmeal Bread

This is one of the best loaves of bread I have ever made, based on a famous recipe. Friends swear about King Arthur recipes, and now I do too. I only modified King Arthur's recipe slightly, adding the yolk of the egg I used for the eggwash on the crust. Goes great with a big pot of bean soup. And it toasts up so nicely - aroma therapy for the whole house! 3-1/4 to 3-1/2 cups bread flour 1 cup old fashioned oats 2 tsp active dry yeast 2 Tbsp honey 1-1/2 tsp salt 2 Tbsp butter, finely diced 1 egg yolk 1-1/4 cup lukewarm (about 100F) milk 1 egg white plus 1 Tbsp water about 1/4 cup old fashioned oats for topping Mix ingredients to a firm but still tacky dough. You’ll have to adjust the final amount of dough to the humidity of your kitchen and flour - err on the sticky side for a lighter, moister loaf. Knead dough 5 minutes. Roll dough around in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise an hour. ...

Haddock Roasted with Aioli and Tomatoes

This is a simple yet suculent way to roast fish. Here I use haddock, but you could use most any fish including cod or tilapia, or as I did on the west coast, wild-caught Rockfish (delicious). The tomatoes offer a fresh flavor complement to the fish slathered with a rich aioli topping. This is a quick, easy way to prepare fish on a busy weeknight. 1-1/2 lb haddock fillet (Captain’s cut preferred - thicker), patted dry Aioli: 1/4 cup good real mayonnaise 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp favorite hot sauce 1 pint grape tomatoes 1/2 tsp dried dill weed Fresh parsley, minced, for garnish Lemon wedges for garnish Preheat oven to 375F. Oil a medium baking dish (about 7x10-inch). Lay haddock fillet in dish. Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard and hot sauce in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, cover the fillet evenly with the aioli sauce. Toss the tomatoes with a dash of olive oil and scatter them over the fish. Season with dill and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Bake fish for about 20 mi...

Cuisine Eric

Search This Blog