chicken tagine from bon appetit (source)
spice bazaar (source)
moroccan tiles (source)
Yesterday afternoon I met up with a friend at the market with a vague notion of making a chicken tagine for dinner. After filling our basket, picking up a couple of bottles of white, and running into a few friends along the way, we hurried home to feed our crew.
A couple of vodka martinis (us) and a sweet mural of marker sketches (her 4 yr old) later, this is what we came up with after briefly consulting several related recipes:
Chicken Tagine
1 package (6 pieces) boneless skinless chicken thighs
3 shallots, chopped
1/2 large fennel bulb, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup pitted green olives, chopped
3-4 tbsp cilantro
small bunch of basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
served with couscous
(served four and a half people generously*)
The best part about this was that we were able to improvise the dish using what was on hand, cooking first the shallots and fennel, adding the chicken, then the liquid and spices, allowing everything to simmer for about 20-25 minutes before adding the olives and cilantro. 30-40 minutes tops including prep. This was a quick (but really tasty) version of what can be a big production - a traditional tagine is slowly simmered over low temperatures for a few hours. Even her 4 year-old was raving about it, so that says something (although the kid counts olives and couscous amongst her fav foods, so we knew it would get good reviews). Also, you can play around with flavours and spices, depending on mood or availability. Epicurious had some good recipes with spice options.
*four adults and one child
