05.13.09

Moroccan Sensations – Part 1…

Posted in Chicken, Lemons, Moroccan, Poultry, Recipes, Spices, Tagine at 9:16 pm by cecilia

The aroma that fills the house while I cook this dish always brings me back to the spice shops in the middle of a Moroccan souk* (سوق), and the cozy breakfast nook in my mother-in-law’s kitchen in a small peaceful Moroccan town called Kenitra. To most people, Moroccan food is as exotic as a cobra dance in a Marrakech medina or the intricate designs on a Kilim rug in Fes. To me, the cuisine from this enchanting North African country embodies traces of so many cultures that have left a mark in its history and territories from the Sahara desert to the Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean Sea. The cuisine also reminds me of the affection that I have received from my husband and his family on my first trip to Morocco. That was a spectacular gastronomical journey, to say the least. It certainly set the stage for subsequent visits.

* A souk is a market in Morocco.

So, what better way to experience the Moroccan culture than to go through the process of cooking (and eating) Moroccan food? Leave belly-dancing to the pros.

Let’s start with one of the most common dishes. In Morocco, everybody knows how to make chicken tagine with lemons and olives. Tagines are basically a kind of cooking vessels widely used in Morocco. They are typically made of terra-cotta. The cone-shaped lid returns the condensations back to the base, keeping the meat moist. Since all the tagines that I brought back from Morocco did not survive the abuse in my kitchen, these days I use the one that my friend Rachel gave us as a wedding gift. It’s made by Le Creuset and is very sturdy. After all, the bottom is made of cast iron. I don’t think this tough pan will break any time soon. If you don’t have a tagine, a heavy Dutch oven or braiser will do.

For this dish, I use a preserved lemon that I brought back from Morocco. If you would like to make your own ahead of time, I have a Preserved Lemon recipe towards the end of this post.

If you would like to save some time, fresh Meyer lemons are fine. If they are not in season, regular lemons can be used instead.

The flavors and tastes in authentic Moroccan spices are not easy to replicate. Every time I go back to Morocco, I stock up on spices from the same shop. The shop reminds me of those traditional Chinese herbal clinics. Patrons line up eagerly in front of a counter, waiting for the “spice experts” to bring them the kind of made-on-the-spot spice mix that they desire. Typically, they will ask you what the application is – seafood, beef, lamb, chicken, or vegetables. It seems like everything in the Moroccan cuisine fits into one of these categories. The spice guy will then walk back to the mounds of spices behind the counter and meticulously choose a variety of bulk ingredients, in a very non-scientific way. I don’t recognize most of the twigs and roots that they use. And there is no weighing involved. Perhaps they have done it thousands of times and their hands are as accurate as any scales they could find. They grind the ingredients into a powder, and store them in a plastic bag for you to take home. My usual purchase always includes a bag of meat spices (for beef and lamb), a bag of chicken spices, and a bag of seafood spices. These are my must-have secret ingredients for mouth-watering Moroccan food at home. It smells familiar but yet not exactly like anything else you have tasted. Nonetheless, it smells very appetizing. Without these spices, this dish be a generic braised chicken with lemons and olives without the Moroccan sensations.

RECIPES

Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives

Serves 4 people                  (Printable recipe here)

Ingredients:
1 medium chicken (2-3 lbs) cut into 8 pieces, fat trimmed and skinless if preferred
1 large preserved Meyer lemon or 2 small lemons
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Optional: 2 Tbsp sherry cooking wine
1 cup green olives
1 tsp ground ginger
1 pinch of saffron
2 Tbsp Moroccan spices for chicken
(or substitute with 2 tsp of cumin, 2 tsp of paprika, and 2 tsp of coriander)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp of salt
2 tsp of pepper

1. The night or 2-4 hours before cooking, cut the chicken into serving sizes. Season the chicken with the spices, ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper. Leave it covered in the refrigerator to marinate. Take it out about 30 minutes before cooking.
2. Slice the onion. Cut the preserved lemon into 8 wedges. Keep them aside.
3. Heat up 1 Tbsp of olive oil in the tagine. Add the sliced onion with a small pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the onion until it turns translucent. Remove it from the tagine and set aside.
4. Keep the tagine on medium-high heat. Coat the chicken with 1/2 cup lemon juice and 2 Tbsp of olive oil. A batch at a time without crowding the tagine, sear all sides of the chicken pieces until they all turn golden brown. This should take about 5-7 minutes for each batch. Transfer them to a platter.
5. Reintroduce the soft onions in the tagine over medium heat. Optional: Use the sherry wine to deglaze the pan. Add the chicken and lemon wedges on top.
6. Carefully add the broth to the tagine without overflowing it, the chicken should be partially submerged.
7. Cover the tagine and cook in the lowest heat possible. You want the liquid to be barely bubbling.
8. Check the chicken after 45 minutes. The meat should be very tender and falling off the bone. Add the olives and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
9. There should be plenty of liquid in the tagine when done. Garnish with some parsley. Serve with your favorite country bread or over some kind of grains like rice or couscous.

Preserved Lemons

The first step to making a good preserved lemon is to select good Meyer lemons while they are in season (in the spring). Other lemons might work but make sure the peels are thin. Thick rinds might leave a bitter taste to the final product. Preserved lemons can typically be stored in room temperature for up to 1 week buried in brine and lemon juice. If you want to store them longer than that, keep them in the refrigerator for no more than 2 months. Beyond that, you can individually store them in the freezer inside of an airtight container or sealed bags for a few more months. And you can thaw them out one at a time when you need them. If you do this right, the lemons will last a long time. I have kept mine in the freezer for over a year and they still turn out great in my Moroccan chicken dish.

Ingredients:              (Printable recipe here)

4 large Meyer lemons or 6 medium lemons
Kosher salt (1 cup or more)
Lemon juice (1 cup)
Water (1 cup or more)

1. Find a large enough and heat-proved airtight jar or container. Soak it in boiling water for 10 minutes. Dry it before use.
2. Make a deep cut on the end of the lemons.
3. Coat the bottom of the jar with a layer of salt (1/4″). Add one lemon at a time, coating the lemons with more salt while adding them in.
4. After adding the last lemon, fill up the jar with lemon juice and water. Cover the jar and shake it to dissolve the salt. Add more water if needed. You do not want to leave any air in the jar.
5. Store the jar in room temperature. After a day or so, check the liquid level and shake the jar to dissolve the salt that might have settled in the bottom. If needed, fill it up again with more lemon juice.
6. Repeat last step for 2-3 more days. Then store the entire jar in the refrigerator. The lemons are ready for use in a week.

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