Chicken Tagine

In Southern Spain, the original Spanish diet has been adapted to accommodate and absorb food and traditions from North Africa, where the moors ruled for eight centuries from 711 to 1492.  One of the most popular dishes which carries many elements from North Africa is the Tagine, which is actually the name of the clay pot in which the food is cooked.

“This is one of my favourite Tagines, I hope you enjoy it.” Explains Rodriguez

• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ¼ teaspoon saffron threads, pulverized
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 chicken, cut in 8 to 10 pieces leave skin on
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 medium onions, sliced thinly
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 8 calamata olives, pitted and halved
• 8 cracked green olives, pitted and halved
• 1 large or 3 small, preserved lemons (sold in specialty food shops)
• 250 mls chicken stock.
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Potato and fruit mixture:

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed about 1.5 lbs/680 grams total
• 1 onion, roughly chopped or sliced
• 4 cloves garlic peeled and cut in half
• 12 prunes, cut in half (or 15 if small)
• 1 apple, cored and cubed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and black pepper

Preparation

1. Step 1

Mix garlic, saffron, ginger, paprika, cumin and saffron together and ½ teaspoon salt. Add pepper to taste. Leaving the skin on, rub chicken with mixture, cover, refrigerate and marinate 3 to 4 hours.

2. Step 2

Heat oil in heavy skillet or tagine. Add chicken, and brown on all sides. Remove the skin and discard.  Continue to cook the chicken gently until coloured brown, then remove to platter. Add onions to dish and cook over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned.   Add the cinnamon stick and leave it in for flavour.

3. Step 3

Place the chicken on onions. Scatter with olives. Quarter the preserved lemons and cut skin in strips. Leaving the pulp in the lemons, scatter the pieces over chicken. Mix the stock and lemon juice then pour over the chicken.  Move the ingredients towards the sides of the pan and add the sweet potato and fruit mixture into the centre, ensuring there is sufficient stock to cook the sweet potato without sticking.  Cover the tagine or if using a skillet simply cover with foil and cook on low setting for 20 minutes, then remove the cover.

Scatter parsley on top of everything in the tagine /skillet and transfer it to the table, for direct serving.

“If your tagine or skillet will not accommodate the sweet potato mix, cook it in a separate frying pan. Initially fry in a little olive oil, then add chicken stock and cook until ready.

Tip: sweet potatoes cook quicker than ordinary potatoes, so keep a watch on them and try with fork. Serve them at the table in a bowl.

“Personally, I also like to serve fresh bread on the table to soak up the cooking juices.

Enjoy, with a robust red wine.”  Rodriguez

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