Energetic time:50 minutes
Complete time:1 hour 35 minutes
Servings:6 to eight
We smelled our tagines earlier than we noticed them, the heady aroma asserting their arrival. The stews, perfumed with saffron, ginger and coriander, amongst different spices, have been as scrumptious as they have been fragrant. Alongside couscous, it was an unforgettable meal, one I’ve considered ever since.
And but, for no different motive than intimidation, till lately I had by no means tried to make a tagine at residence. I’m now right here to let you know: Don’t be like me; make a tagine at residence.
Most related to Morocco, tagine is the title of a dish in addition to the vessel through which it’s cooked. The latter has a round base with low sides and a hatlike dome lid through which elements are slow-cooked or braised. The lid’s conical form permits moisture to condense and return to the pot, holding the dish moist.
Historically, tagines have been made out of clay to prepare dinner gently over a dying fireplace. Generally, a kanoun (brazier) is used to softly diffuse the warmth. (I used it within the recipe under and advocate it heartily.) Nowadays, modern tagines by manufacturers corresponding to Le Creuset are made with a cast-iron base and designed to be used in residence ovens.
Tagines could be made with greens, poultry, meat or seafood, and they’re sometimes served alongside couscous. The recipe under, tailored from San Francisco-based Moroccan chef Mourad Lahlou’s cookbook, “Mourad,” makes use of rooster, in addition to olives and preserved lemon. (A fast apart: Some recipes will let you know that plain lemons are a positive substitute for preserved. Don’t imagine them. In a pinch, a lemon will add brightness and acid, however the salty, briny notes imparted by preserved lemons can’t be replicated. Search them out at both well-stocked supermarkets or Center Jap markets, or comply with this recipe for making your individual.)
The model under is exquisitely fragranced. The phrase m’qualli, based on cookbook writer Claudia Roden in her guide “Arabesque,” denotes tagines “cooked in oil the place there may be saffron and ginger and the sauce is yellow.”
You’ll discover that Lahlou’s model finishes the dish with butter. That is the place the chef flexes his culinary coaching by using just a few French strategies, however the recipe stays easy and achieves deeper taste with just some minutes of additional effort.
He first instructs you to sear the rooster on either side in somewhat olive oil (or rendered rooster fats, if in case you have it). This step produces some splatters, so put on an apron, and if in case you have a splatter guard, use it. (The outcomes are so implausible, nevertheless, that I, an inveterate splatter hater, don’t thoughts the mess.) As soon as the rooster is generously browned, set it apart, pour off a lot of the fats, and prepare dinner what seems to be an ungodly quantity of onions till they’re the colour of an Irish setter and are tender, yielding and on the point of caramelization.
Now the aromatics are available: Into this heap of schmaltzy onions you stir a mixture of coriander, white pepper, ginger, saffron and turmeric. The aroma alone will render you weak-kneed, however you’re not carried out simply but. Return the rooster to the tagine, nestling it into the onions, add the broth and produce all of it to a simmer. Then the domelike lid goes on prime and the vessel strikes to the oven to braise.
When the rooster is cooked, you end the dish on the stovetop by enriching the sauce with the olives and preserved lemon, whereas Lahlou’s nontraditional addition of butter rounds out the sauce, giving it dimension and complexity.
What in case your kitchen, like many, lacks a tagine? Don’t fret. Any heavy-bottomed pot of comparable quantity — a Dutch oven, as an example — will ably do the job. Actually, if you happen to’re planning to make this braise for a crowd, you’ll want to search for one thing that may match extra meals, as the previous is supposed for smaller yields. I think that on the night time of my first tagine tasting, a bigger batch was cooked in an enormous pot to serve a number of clients, which might technically have made the dish qdra (named for the large pots used for bigger events), after which parceled out right into a tagine for an exquisite presentation.
No matter your vessel, the wealthy mix of spices, olives and preserved lemons will end in a scrumptious braise that simply may grow to be a beloved recipe in your house, too.
Djaj M’qualli (Rooster, Olive and Lemon Tagine)
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Storage: Refrigerate for as much as 4 days.
The place to Purchase: Preserved lemons could be discovered at well-stocked supermarkets or Center Jap shops.
- 8 bone-in, skin-on rooster thighs (about 3 kilos complete), patted dry
- High-quality salt
- Freshly floor black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra as wanted
- 1 1/2 kilos yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons floor coriander
- 2 teaspoons floor white pepper
- 2 teaspoons floor ginger
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads
- 1/2 teaspoon floor turmeric
- 1 1/4 cups unsalted rooster broth
- Rind of 1 preserved lemon, chopped
- 1/2 cup inexperienced olives, pitted and cracked (about 10 olives)
- 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped or complete leaves of recent flat-leaf parsley (non-compulsory)
- 1 tablespoon chopped or complete leaves of recent cilantro (non-compulsory)
- Cooked couscous, for serving (non-compulsory)
Generously season the rooster on all sides with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, or refrigerate in a single day.
When able to prepare dinner, in a tagine or Dutch oven over medium-high warmth, warmth 1 tablespoon of oil till shimmering. Working in batches, if crucial, add the rooster, pores and skin facet down, and prepare dinner, turning as soon as, till effectively browned, 3 to five minutes per facet. Switch to a platter and repeat with the remaining rooster, if wanted. This may be messy; if in case you have a splatter guard, use it.
Place a rack on the underside of the oven (take away the opposite racks so the tagine or Dutch oven can match) and preheat to 350 levels.
Scale back the warmth to medium and pour off all however about 2 tablespoons of the fats within the pan (if the fats burned, discard it and add 2 tablespoons of oil). Add the onions and prepare dinner, stirring usually and adjusting the warmth as crucial so the onions don’t burn, till wealthy golden brown, 12 to fifteen minutes.
Season the onions with the coriander, white pepper, ginger, saffron and turmeric, add a pinch of salt, and prepare dinner, stirring, till the spices are barely toasted, about 90 seconds. Return the rooster to the tagine or Dutch oven, pour within the rooster broth and produce to a vigorous simmer.
Cowl the tagine or Dutch oven, switch to the oven and braise for 40 minutes, or till the rooster is tender and begins to fall off the bone. Utilizing a slotted spoon or tongs, switch the rooster to a platter, cowl to maintain heat and return the tagine or Dutch oven to the stovetop. Flip the warmth to low and simmer the sauce till it’s barely decreased and coats the again of a spoon, about 6 minutes. Add the preserved lemons and olives and prepare dinner till warmed by. Whisk within the butter and herbs till the butter melts. Style, and season with extra salt, if desired. Take away from the warmth, cowl and let sit for five minutes.
Spoon the sauce, lemons and olives over the rooster, garnish with extra parsley and/or cilantro, if utilizing, and serve with the couscous.
Per serving (1 rooster thigh), based mostly on 8
Energy: 344; Complete Fats: 26 g; Saturated Fats: 8 g; Ldl cholesterol: 121 mg; Sodium: 245 mg; Carbohydrates: 2 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Sugar: 1 g; Protein: 24 g
This evaluation is an estimate based mostly on out there elements and this preparation. It mustn’t substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s recommendation.
Tailored from “Mourad: New Moroccan” by Mourad Lahlou (Artisan, 2011).
Examined by Olga Massov; e-mail inquiries to voraciously@washpost.com.
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