Chicken tagine with olives, chickpeas and pine nuts

Every traveller to Morocco or diner in a Moroccan restaurant has to try a tagine, usually to tick a box. Most tagines are hastily put together for tourists and lack flavour and depth. However, a really good tajine is complex, with sweet, nutty flavours and spices and herbs. In the hands of a good chef, a tagine is transformed into a subliminal dish that is delicate, finely balanced, and delicious. My interest in this dish was piqued by how the chef subtly transformed it into something unique. Traditional ingredients like paprika, pine nuts, and sweet red peppers are combined with Mexican chipotle chillies, making this tagine a wonderful dish. I painted this with herbed couscous.

Although this recipe calls for chicken, you can easily substitute meat for a vegetarian or vegan version. You can substitute paneer, starch, sweet potatoes, yams, and pumpkins.

This is one of those cookbooks that I looked at for a long time and finally decided to get. It is a wonderful cookbook filled with flavours from across the globe. Each recipe turns out superb but be prepared to get lots of new ingredients on your shelf and spend some time in the kitchen. I highly recommend this book to those who are looking for different flavours.

For more delicious recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

1 dried chipotle chile, halved if desired

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, excess fat removed, cut in 6 pieces

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

2 lemons

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1-inch piece cinnamon stick

2 whole cloves

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 onions, minced fine

4 garlic cloves, smashed

1 tablespoon ginger paste

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 red or green bell peppers, cored, seeds and ribs removed, and diced

2 cups cooked chickpeas or canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 14.5-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, preferably Muir Glen brand, with their juice, or any other canned stewed or diced tomatoes

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/4 cup pitted drained kalamata or Niçoise olives packed in oil preferred, or brined

3 thyme sprigs or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 cup water, or as needed

1 tablespoon mint, minced

Steamed couscous for serving

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil or butter

4 tablespoons mix of mint and cilantro, minced

To prepare the chipotle chile, cut it in half and soak it in hot water for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Remove the chile and remove the seeds, ribs, and stem. Puree the chile in the liquid it was soaked in to make a smooth paste. Set aside.

NOTE: If your fingers are sensitive to chillies, please wear gloves.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Set aside at room temperature.

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the lemons and juice them. Set the zest and juice aside.

In a flameproof tagine, a large stew pot, or a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the cinnamon stick and cloves and cook, stirring, until they are fragrant and little bubbles form around the spices, about 1 minute. Add the cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the paprika and turmeric and cook for 1 minute.

Add the peppers and sauté for another 10 minutes until the peppers are cooked and soft. Add the chile puree and cook until the liquid has dried up and the sauce has thickened, resembling a nice thick pasta sauce.

Add the chicken, chickpeas, tomatoes, raisins, pine nuts, olives, the reserved lemon zest and juice, thyme, and bay leaves, stir, and cook for 5 minutes. Mix the sauce thoroughly to coat the chicken and seal in the flavours.

Add the water, cover, mix well, and cook until the chicken is cooked through, for about 20 minutes. Uncover the pot. The consistency should be that of a thick stew; add up to another 1 cup of water if the mixture is very dry. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove the cinnamon stick, cloves, , thyme sprigs, and bay leaves, if desired, I tend to leave them in. Top with the fresh mint as a garnish for serving.

To make the couscous, steam according to the instructions on the box, usually a 1:1 ratio of couscous and boiling water. Add the salt and olive oil and seal with the lid. After the allotted time, open the couscous, add the minced herbs, and fluff the couscous well to mix them in.

Serve the tagine with the couscous.