"Introduction and Recipe for a Moroccan Tagine" by Outman Maghnaoui and Najiba Lkhlfil
When visiting a Moroccan house, it is unlikely that you will not find a tagine, which is a cooking vessel made of ceramic or unglazed clay with a round base and low sides.
The pot is used to cook different kinds of dishes, like slow-cooked stews of meat, fish, and chicken, cooked with vegetables, aromatic spices, dried fruit, and nuts (or you can use it to serve couscous). This traditional cookware is used to prepare lunch or dinner, and it is easy to use. The secret behind its delicious taste is the whole combination being cooked on clay and not metal.
Here is a delicious lemon chicken recipe for the tagine from one of our Amideast/Morocco host mothers, Najiba Lkhlfi!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of olive oil
4 pounds of chicken, broken down
3 red onions, sliced in rings/circles
1-2 cups of green olives, pitted
1 preserved lemon (available at Arab/Middle Eastern grocery stores)
2-3 cloves of garlic
A pinch of saffron threads, soaked in a tablespoon of warm water
½ teaspoon of salt, extra to taste
2-3 pinches of black pepper
2-3 pinches (1/2 teaspoon) each of ginger, paprika, cumin, and turmeric
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Step 1:
Mix crushed or minced garlic, saffron, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper, ginger, paprika, cumin and turmeric together.
Step 2:
Heat oil in a tagine. Line the bottom of the tagine with onion circles and let cook down. Add chicken and the spices you already mixed. Cook everything over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
Step 3:
Add remaining onions on the top and olives and lemons. After this, cover the tagine and place over low heat and cook for about 30-40 minutes until chicken is cooked through. When you feel the chicken is done, scatter parsley on top and serve.
It’s easy enough to find tagine cookware for purchase online in order to try your hand at this recipe at home. Of course, you can always come study with us in Morocco and pick out one to bring home with you!
Forward by Outman Maghnaoui, Senior Program Coordinator at Amideast Education Abroad Morocco. Recipe contributed by Amideast host mother Najiba Lkhlfi.
