It’s citrus season. I’ll be visiting my sister this weekend, and while I enjoy spending time with her, I am looking forward to returning home with 5 lbs. of meyer lemons from her bountiful, ever-blooming tree. When I first moved to San Francisco (one year ago!), I was appalled with how the lemons were simply languishing and falling off the tree. One pays through the nose for meyer lemons (if one can find them) in Boston.
First, what is a meyer lemon? It is a cross between the more common Eureka lemon (what you see at grocery stores) and a mandarin orange, it is sweeter, less tart, and has a thin, fragrant, and edible skin. So, what do I do with 5 lbs. of meyer lemons? I slice them thinly, salt them lightly, and add them to my salads. I make vats of lemon curd and use them for cookies and semifreddo (recipe to come). But for the most part, I preserve them with salt and olive oil and use them in North African and Near East dishes.
One of my favorite North African dishes is a tagine of chicken. Tagine is itself the dish and also refers to the conical clay pot in which the chicken is braised. Today, lots of places sell tagines. However, you can simply use a heavy bottomed casserole (my trusty 5.5 qt. Le Creuset dutch oven comes to rescue here). There are many recipes on the internet for this tagine. I learned this one from Fatima, chef extraordinaire and sister of an ex-boyfriend, who are both from Algeria. Most people think of tagines as Moroccan, but it is common across North Africa, including Algeria and Tunisia.
Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8 to 10
Ingredients
1 TBSP kosher salt
1 whole large chicken, cut into 8-10 pieces (you can use boneless breasts, thighs), skin optional
1 cup mixed olives, pitted and roughly chopped (halving each olive is fine)
4-5 small preserved lemons, pulp removed
Spice marinade:
4 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger (or 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger)
1 tsp pimentón (paprika ok but I like the smokiness of the pimentón)
1/2 tsp saffron, crushed
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, finely diced (use 1/2 in marinade, reserve other 1/2 for cooking)
Pinch salt
Cure the chicken: Rub salt into the chicken pieces, let sit 15 minutes, and then rinse in cold water. Pat dry with paper towel and set aside.
In bowl large enough for all the chicken, mix 2 TBSP olive oil, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, ginger, pimentón, saffron, cilantro, garlic, half the onions, and pinch of salt. Mix well to make a paste (add a little more oil or water if needed). Add chicken pieces to bowl, mix well, making sure the pieces are well covered with the marinade. Let sit for 15 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees at this point.
In the tagine or heavy bottomed casserole/pot, heat remaining 2 TBSP olive oil and add chicken pieces. Do not crowd casserole. If needed, cook chicken in batches. Let chicken sear and brown on one side, then turn over. Remove from casserole.
If needed, add oil to casserole and sautee the remaining onion, olives, and preserved lemons. Place chicken back in, adding whatever remains of the marinade.
Cook in oven for 35 minutes. Serve over couscous. Garnish with more cilantro or parsley, if desired.
Variation – what I’ve tried so far:
* Replace olives with artichokes. In general, I find preparing artichokes a drag — so much work for so few and tiny hearts. (Plus, petals fell in garbage disposal once, without my realizing it. Cost me $275 to get the damn thing fixed.) I like to buy those hearts frozen, thaw them out a little and pan-sear them for some color and nuttiness. In the above recipe, cook the thawed hearts in the casserole at step 4. Get that brown sear on it and then add onions and preserved lemons.
