Tagine of Chicken and Olives

  The secret to cooking a perfect Tagine where the meat is divinely tender, with deep colour and flavour is to brown the meat to caramelise the natural sugars, then to slow simmer. 

  Timing is not important, the Tagine will come to no harm if cooking is prolonged, in fact the flavours will be enhanced as the ingredients will “melt” to a velvety texture.

. 8-10 pieces of chicken on the bone, legs or thighs

. with skin removed

. 2 large onions sliced

. 4-6 cloves garlic, crushed

. 2 t ground cumin

. 1 t chilli powder

. 1 t turmeric

. 1 t ground ginger

. 2 T olive oil

. 1½-cup chicken stock

. 4 preserved lemons, rinsed & finely chopped

. 1 cup mixed green & black olives

. 1 bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped

. 1 bunch of fresh parsley finely chopped

. Seasonings to taste

  Warm the SCANPAN TAGINE on a medium heat, add chicken pieces and lightly brown both sides, add onions, garlic, cumin, chilli powder, turmeric, ginger and olive oil, cook all until onions softened but not browned.

 
  Add chicken stock and cover with Tagine lid, bring to the boil, turn down heat and simmer for 45 minutes turning the chicken pieces once or twice
until the chicken tests cooked and the liquid is much reduced. 

 
  Adjust seasoning of saucewith salt and pepper to taste and skim off any excess fat from the surface. 


  Stir through the preserved lemons, olives, coriander and parsley and cook for a further 15 minutes.


  Serve ona bed of couscous. Alternatively, this dish could be cooked in an oven heated to 160°C.


  To cook the couscous, add 1 cup of water to a saucepan with 1-2 T of olive oil, bring to the boil, then remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of couscous. 


  Cover and allow to stand for 5 minutes while it swells. 


  Stir with a fork to separate the grains and add half a cup of
sliced almonds. 


  This makes a lovely fluffy base upon which to serve your Tagine.