Chicken/Lamb Tagine

'Tagine' simply means 'stew' in Morocco....and once you've grasped the idea you'll be hooked - they're easy and delicious - parfumé, as opposed to spicy!

In Morroco, nomads carry these conical vessels around as their mobile ovens along with a mini-barbeque style tin so that they can grill their merguez sausages whenever and wherever they like.
If you don't have a tagine, a large heavy based casserole will do.





For 4/6 people

1 chicken, jointed ( or chicken pieces)
2 onions, sliced
2 tablsp. olive oil
1 preserved lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teasp. ginger
½ teasp. cinnamon
1 tbsp coriander seeds,crushed
1 cinnamon stick
3 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
1 preserved lemon, chopped finely (optional)
Salt and pepper

Other optional extras:
Dried fruit, such as apricots and prunes.
A couple of handfuls of almonds, sesame seeds or pinenuts, toasted.

Heat the olive oil in a ‘tagine’ or a large casserole dish (with a lid)
Add the chicken pieces and onions and brown together.
Sprinkle in the spices and cook for a few minutes.

Add enough water to cover the meat and bring to the boil.
Add the preserved lemon, season well and cover.

Leave to simmer for at least 1 ½ hours. (you may need to add some water from time to time)
About 20 mins. before serving add the dried fruits.

If you like, sprinkle with nuts and herbs and serve with couscous.

Note:
You can replace the chicken with 1.5 kilos of lamb, from the shoulder, chopped into chunks. Just allow for extra simmering time – about 2 ½ hours.

Tagine is perfect cooked the day before eating, giving the flavours time to develop.