Recipe File: Chicken Tagine

Ingredients:

1 kilo chicken, cut into serving pieces (use all breast for this)?

1 head garlic (15 cloves)?

1 small red onion, quartered?

1 small can pimientos (2 pcs.), sliced?

10 prunes, cut in half?

1/4 cup dried kumquats (available in Asian specialty stores) or Mylar lemons  ?

Juice of 1 lemon, peel reserved?

1 cup cubed potatoes?

1/4 cup melted butter, plus some for greasing dish?

1 3/4 cup water

?Spice mix:

2 teaspoons turmeric (yellow ginger)?

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger?

1/8 teaspoon cloves?

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon?

1 cinnamon bark?

1 tablespoon local saffron (kasubha), or 1 small pinch real saffron threads?

1 teaspoon anise seeds?

1 teaspoon salt?

1/2 teaspoon pepper?

big pinch of chili flakes?

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a large oven casserole with butter.?

2. Place chicken in dish and rub thoroughly with spice mix.?

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.?

4. Cover tightly with foil (double up the foil to make sure steam does not escape), and bake for at least 2 hours. If you have a real tagine, you can do this over the stove.?

5. Lower the heat to 325F, uncover the dish and bake for 30 minutes.?

Couscous:?

1 1/2 cups water?

1 cup couscous?

1 tsp salt?

1 pinch saffron?

Juice of 1/2 lemon?

1/4 cup chopped pecans?

Dash of cinnamon?

Pinch of pepper?

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Procedure:??

1. Bring water, saffron and salt to a boil.?

2. Add couscous and cover. Let stand for 10 minutes.?

3. Stir in pecans, cinnamon, lemon juice and parsley.?

4. Serve with chicken tagine and tzatziki.??

For the Tzatziki:

1 cup plain yogurt?

1 small cucumber, grated?

salt & pepper to taste?

squeeze of lemon juice?

Procedure:

?1. Combine and put in fridge until ready to serve.