Name: Chicken and lemon tagine with cracked green olives
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 chicken (about 1.6 kg), jointed; 1 onion, coarsely grated; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 tsp each ground ginger and finely ground black pepper; ½ tsp each ground cumin and sweet paprika; ¼ tsp saffron threads, ground with a mortar and pestle; 900 gm green olives, pitted; 120 ml lemon juice, plus extra to taste; 400 gm (2 cups) couscous; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock; 1 cup each flat-leaf parsley and coriander, coarsely chopped, plus extra to serve (firmly packed); To serve: toasted slivered almonds and thinly sliced preserved lemon rind

“The tagine at Pata Negra is among the best I’ve had outside Morocco. Would you ask chef Kurt Sampson for the recipe?”

Julia North, Applecross, WA

To request a recipe, write to Fare Exchange, , GPO Box 4088, Sydney, NSW 2001, or email us. All requests should include the restaurant’s name and address or business card, as well as your name and address.

Ingredients

1 chicken (about 1.6 kg), jointed

1 onion, coarsely grated

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp each ground ginger and finely ground black pepper

½ tsp each ground cumin and sweet paprika

¼ tsp saffron threads, ground with a mortar and pestle

900 gm green olives, pitted

120 ml lemon juice, plus extra to taste

400 gm (2 cups) couscous

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock

1 cup each flat-leaf parsley and coriander, coarsely chopped, plus extra to serve (firmly packed)

To serve: toasted slivered almonds and thinly sliced preserved lemon rind

Method

Main

1.Combine chicken, onion, garlic, spices and 1 litre water in a large casserole, bring to the boil over medium heat, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer, turning chicken occasionally, until almost cooked through (15-20 minutes). Add olives and lemon juice and cook until chicken is tender (10-15 minutes).

2. Meanwhile, preheat griller to high. Place couscous in a heatproof bowl, drizzle with olive oil and massage through the grains. Bring chicken stock to the boil, pour over couscous, stir, cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, stand for 10 minutes. Remove plastic wrap, season generously to taste and fluff grains with a fork.

3.Remove chicken from casserole, place on oven tray lined with foil, grill, skin side up, until brown (3-5 minutes), set aside, keep warm.

4.Meanwhile, reduce cooking liquid over medium-high heat until thick (7-10 minutes), season to taste with extra lemon juice, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Return chicken to casserole, stir through herbs and serve with couscous, scattered with extra herbs, slivered almonds and preserved lemon rind.

This recipe is from the November 2009 issue of .
Notes

Kurt Sampson

Styling by Geraldine Muñoz

Ingredients

Method

Main

Related stories