An improvised casserole, based on what was in the cupboard, with a Moroccan twist. Next time I’d like to try preserved lemons, which seem to be preferred over fresh for Moroccan style cooking. Staying with the MiL at the moment, so I was able to take advantage of her terracotta casserole dish which seemed appropriate (although it was Schlemmertopf, not a tangine.)
Serves 4, preparation time ½-1 hr, cooking time 1 hr, 3/4.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken
- olive oil
- 1 tsp harissa
- 1 tsp black cumin seeds
- 1 lemon
- 6 (ish) cardamon pods
- 3 medium size carrots
- 20-30 pitted green olives
- 1 orange pepper
- 1 small onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 5 stems fresh thyme
- 1½ tsp powdered vegetable stock
- salt & pepper to taste
Preparation
- Set the oven to 190°c.
- Joint the chicken into breasts, thighs & wings, removing skin where possible. (I used the carcass for a stock, with some extra veg, and some fresh and dried herbs.)
- Heat some olive oil in a pan and fry off the chicken to brown it. Then place to one side to cool.
- Chop the garlic.
- Rinse the olives.
- Roast the cumin seeds in a dry pan for about 30 secs to 1 min.
- Grind the spices.
- Smear the chicken with the spices and harissa.
- Squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken. (Could leave this overnight another time.)
- Chop half the lemon shell into quarters.
- Chop the onion into quarter or sixth chunks.
- Chop the carrots into big chunks.
- Chop the pepper into good size (eighth?) chunks.
- Put everything in the casserole dish.
- Sprinkle with stock powder and pour over water to nearly cover.
- Place in the oven for an hour or so.
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