  Type: Main courses
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
Some Basic Tagine flavourings that we have used...
Chermoula – a wet spice mix traditionally used as a marinade for fish; a small bunch of coriander, a small bunch of parsley, 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, peeled. Zest and juice of 1 lemon, 1 red chilli (seeds removed), ¼ cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon ground cumin and salt & pepper to taste. Pound all ingredients together in a mortar & pestle or food processor to form a rough textured paste.
Ras el hanout – a dry complex multiple spices blend. Of all the spice blends in the world ras el hanout is possibly the most complicated and highly regarded. Meaning the "head of the shop", ras el hanout is an exotic blend of numerous spices that when mixed is commonly added to many "warming" dishes; 1 teaspoon each of fennel, cumin and coriander seeds toasted and ground. 1 teaspoon each of ground turmeric and cinnamon, 2 teaspoons each of sweet paprika and ginger, ½ teaspoon each of cayenne, ground nutmeg, cloves, all spice and cardamom, ½ teaspoon each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Combine all spices.
Preserved lemons – lemons preserved in brine can be purchased from Middle Eastern delicatessens or can easily be made at home.
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 sauce with 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 on a 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.
The secret to cooking a perfect TAGINE where the meat is divinely tender, with deep colour and fl avour 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 fl avours will be enhanced as the ingredients will “melt” to a velvety texture.
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