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chicken tagine with vegetables
After I’d graduated from college but before moving to Massachusetts—when I was still living in Irving, Texas—some dear friends of mine, recently married with very little money, bought this cookbook, Mediterranean Hot
I’ve spent many a hot Texas summer night sipping wine and eating spicy food and watching the sun set from my friends’ deck as we talked and laughed and philosophized. Perhaps that’s why I tend to pull out this cook book when it gets hot, to me this food says summer. But most of the dishes would also be perfect for bringing that elusive taste of summer to a frosty evening and warming your bones on cold winter nights.
This chicken tagine is one of my favorite dishes. I present it here in a slightly modified form.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
4 chicken thighs
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
3-6 chopped fresh chilies
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 can artichoke hearts cut into quarters
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups carrots, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups parsley, finely chopped
1-1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (you may substitute table salt or kosher salt)
1/2-1 teaspoon Ras el Hanout spice mix (*see recipe below)
2 cups water
2/3 cup chopped dill
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or more to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
In large saute pan or dutch oven heat olive oil and saute chicken until golden on all sides.
Transfer chicken to plate with slotted spoon and add onions to pan. Saute onions until translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
Add chilies and chicken to pot. Add wine, artichokes, carrots, parsley.
Add salt and Ras el Hanout*, pour in water, and bring to boil.
Lower heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until chicken and vegetables are cooked.
Sprinkle with half the dill. Add the frozen peas and stir them in.
Dilute the cornstarch in the lemon juice and add to pot. Do not stir but shake pan to distribute. Let cook for 5 to 10 more minutes, then taste and adjust seasonings, adding freshly ground pepper or more lemon juice as needed.
Sprinkle with the rest of the dill just before serving.
Serve with couscous and crusty bread.
* Ras el Hanout
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 whole cloves
6 allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Grind all the spices in a clean coffee grinder. (We have one set aside especially for grinding spices.) Store in an airtight jar. Makes about 2 1/2 tablespoons.
This spice mix is really good on grilled chicken and lamb as well as in chicken and meat soups and stews.
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