Chicken, lemon & olive tagine

INGREDIENTS

• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp cumin, ground
• Large pinch black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 6 chicken thighs, skin removed with bone in
• 100g onion, finely chopped
• 1g saffron, steeped in 10ml water
• 12 green olives, pitted
• Juice from ½ a lemon
• ½ a preserved lemon, pith and pulp removed, rinsed and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp honey
• 250ml homemade or free-range chicken stock
• 4 sprigs coriander leaves

METHOD

Combine the garlic, paprika, cumin, pepper, 15ml olive oil, and the chicken and marinate for at least 1 hour, but ideally overnight.

Heat the remaining oil in a casserole and brown the chicken on all sides. Then remove and set aside.

In the same pot, sauté the onions until golden then add the saffron and olives. Cook for 2 minutes.

Return the chicken to the casserole and add the lemon juice, preserved lemon, honey and cup of chicken stock.

Bring to the boil then cover with a lid and simmer for approximately 15 minutes, basting regularly. After 15 minutes remove lid and if necessary reduce the liquid to a thick sauce.

Garnish with coriander and serve with wholewheat couscous.

To make your own preserved lemons

Choose a jar into which you can preserve the lemons. It should not be too big as they should squash a bit. Place a 1cm layer of coarse sea salt at the bottom of the jar.

Cut the lemons into quarters, but don’t cut through the bottom. Take a tablespoon coarse salt and rub it inside. Place the lemon in the bottle and repeat with the rest. Squeeze a bit of juice out as you force them into the jar. You want the lemons to be covered completely in a salty lemon juice. Add dried spices for extra flavour. Seal the jar, store in a warm dark place and leave the jar for at least 3 weeks.

The lemon rinds should now be soft and ready to use.

Serves: n/a, Preparation time: 20min, Cooking time: 1hr

INGREDIENTS READY TO GO

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