Chicken* tajine & quinces

For ➍

1 kg chicken in pieces*

2 quinces

2 yellow or white onions

2 tbs sunflower oil

for the charmoula marinade:

2 tbs olive oil

1 ts turmeric powder

1 ts ginger powder

½ ts cumin powder

¼ ts cardamom powder

½ ts pepper

1 ts paprika powder

1½ ts salt zest of ½ preserved lemon

juice of ½ preserved lemon

pinch of saffron, toasted

1 tbs chopped parsley

1 tbs chopped coriander

5 cl of water

Make the charmoula: chop the zest of your pickled lemon very finely. Squeeze out the pulp with your hands. Saffron threads are crushed into small pieces. Mix with the other herbs, spices and olive oil in a bowl. Heat your tajine** until hot.

Cut onions in half and then into slices. Cut quinces into 6-8 wedges. Pour the sunflower oil into your tajine****. Add the onion slices and make sure they are evenly distributed over the tajine.

Then divide the quince wedges over it. Sprinkle the rest of the charmoula over the tajine with a spoon.

Put the tajine** on a low heat. Let it stew for at least 1 h.

Check after 30 m whether there is still enough moisture in the tajine, as the onions release moisture. If necessary, add a little water.

Serve the tajine warm and traditionally with bread.***

*Cook the recipe with pieces of rabbit. You might to adjust the cooking time.

**For those who don't have a tajine: you can follow the steps above in a sturdy casserole.

Or bake in the oven:: bake the chicken golden brown in a pan and then mix it with half of the charmoula. Take a casserole and place half of your onions in it, then place the chicken, the rest of your onions, the quinces, the rest of your charmoula and the water. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30-45 m.

***Or serve with couscous, rice, bulgur or other grains. In the latter case  pay close attention to the moisture level, you will probably have to add the entire 5 cl of water or even more.

Chicken in milk & lemon

For ➍
1.5 kg chicken***
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
olive oil*
½ stick cinnamon
1 good handful fresh sage, leaves picked
zest of 2 lemons**
10 cloves garlic, skin left on
50 cl milk

Preheat the oven to 190°C.***
In a fitting pot for the chicken, season it generously all over, and fry it in a little olive oil, turning the chicken to get an even colour all over, until golden.
Remove from the heat, put the chicken on a plate, and throw away the oil left in the pot. This will leave you with tasty sticky goodness at the bottom of the pan which will give you a lovely caramel flavour later on.
Put the chicken back in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and cook, lid on, in the preheated oven for 1½ hours. Baste with the cooking juice when you remember. The lemon zest will sort of split the milk.
To serve, pull the meat off the bones and divide it onto your plates. Spoon over plenty of juice and the little curds.
Serve with wilted spinach or greens and some mashed potato.
Squeeze the cloves of garlic onto the chicken (or on slices of thick country bread).

*Use butter for better resistance to high temperature.
**Use 1-2 chopped preserved lemons (citrons confits) instead (cut down on the salt, as the lemons are pickled). Wash them with cold water to remove some salt, remove seeds as well.
***Smaller quantities, like 4-600 g chicken thigh fillets without bone, can be prepared at stove-top. Adapt quantities of other ingredients. Brown the chicken, add the other ingredients, cover and cook on medium fire for about 30 m.

Tajine de poulet aux olives et pommes de terre (Moroccan chicken stew with olives & potatoes)

For ➏
1 large chicken
1 kg new potatoes, peeled & cut into pieces
4 medium onions
1 box of 400 gr of green olives (canned)
1 bunch fresh coriander
1 bunch of parsley
1 preserved lemon
cubes chicken stock
ras-el-hanout, saffron, salt & pepper
olive oil

Cut chicken into 8-10 pieces, remove the skin and fat.
Slice the onions, make lightly in a little olive oil in a casserole. Chop the coriander and parsley, add the onions. Mix well.
Brown the chicken pieces in the mixture, salt and pepper.
Crumble the bouillon cubes in the pan, cover with boiling water to cover. Add 2 ts ras-el-hanout and a pinch of saffron.
Simmer for 20 m, then add olives and preserved lemon cut into quarters. Adjust the seasoning.
Continue cooking 20 m, and add the potatoes.
Cook for 20 m more.
Serve with flat bread.

Cauliflower couscous

For ➍
½ cauliflower
1 broccoli
1 onion , finely chopped
2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
4 tbs pistachios , finely chopped
2 ts Ras el hanout
salt & pepper
4 tbs raisins
zest of 1 lemon or preserved lemon, in fine strips
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
olive oil

Chop the cauliflower, broccoli, onion and garlic in a food processor. Season with Ras el hanout, salt and pepper. Toast the pistachios in a non-stick pan . Mix the broccoli cauliflower couscous, raisins, pistachios , lemon zest and parsley in a bowl.
Finish with a dash of olive oil.

*Or toast the couscous briefly in a pan with a little olive oil.
Serve as a side-dish with lamb or pork tenderloin.

Spring pea purée with preserved lemon

For ➍
1 kg shelled peas (or frozen)
1 garlic clove
4 tbs parsley leaves
olive oil
salt
10 cl water
1 tbs of preserved lemon peel, chopped*
lemon juice
crushed red pepper flakes
6-8 slices of sourdough bread

Put the water in a pot. Add the peas, 1 tbs of olive oil, garlic, parsley and salt. Simmer 5 m for fresh peas, 2 m for frozen.
Drain and save the cooking liquid.
Place the peas in a food processor and process until smooth.
Scrape that puree into a bowl.
Add a tbs of chopped preserved lemon peel (you can use some of the flesh as well), a squeeze of lemon juice, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and more olive oil. Mix it.
Add some of the cooking liquid to lighten it up.
Grill thick slices of sourdough bread in a very hot cast iron skillet on high heat. Use no or very little oil. Press the bread down in the skillet. Flip once.
Rub the bread with garlic and brush it with olive oil.
Top with the spring pea puree and sprinkle everything with more pepper flakes.

*You can make the same without preserved lemons and serve it on regular toast.

tip: using preserved lemons

Bottled preserved lemons can be kept in the refrigerator for several months, as long as there is enough pickle to surround them. When using them, rinse the skin thoroughly to remove some of the salt. Chop the lemons, discard the seeds. They will add a salty lemony flavour. Use them in dishes or meals where some lemon would be appropriate.

Add little nubs to grain salads s.a. farro salad or barley pilaf.

Add to salad dressings and sauces. Chopped pieces of preserved lemon can make a salad stand out. or better, mix them through the dressing. Experiment by mixing them in a grilled fish sauce.

Pasta dishes get a boost with the lemons, along with some olive oil and garlic. Top it with seared chicken breast or fish for a full meal.

Tagines and other stews: from the famous chicken tajine to chickpea stews and anything with lamb.