Eat & Drink
Originally published on Tuesday, 26th January 2010
Moroccan Braised Chicken with Pumpkin and Olives
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
4 ripe tomatoes
4 chicken thighs on the bone, skin removed
4 chicken legs on the bone, skin removed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
50 grams of flour
1 large onions, finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
A 2 inch chunk of ginger root, peeled and grated
2 small red chilies, finely chopped
500 mls of chicken stock
a small butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled and cut into a small lemon, mandarin orange or Meyer lemon, cut into quarters
A handful of firm green olives
A small handful of coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
For the spice mixture:
A 2 inch piece of cinnamon bark or cinnamon stick
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
Instructions
To make the spice mixture, place the cinnamon, cumin and coriander seeds in a dry frying pan over low-medium heat. Toast the spices for 3-4 minutes until fragrant then grind them to a fine powder in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
Cut an 'X' on the bottom of each tomato and place in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and set aside for 4 minutes. Drain and cover immediately with cold water to loosen the skins. Gently peel the skin off each tomato and coarsely chop.
Rinse the chicken and pat dry with kitchen roll. Season the chicken generously with the salt and pepper. Place the flour on a large plate and dip the chicken pieces in the flour, tapping them to remove any excess so that each piece has a light dusting of the flour.
Warm the oil in a wide, deep saute pan on medium-high heat and add the chicken pieces, working in batches if they don't all fit snugly. Cook them for 2 minutes per side or until they are lightly golden. Remove them from the pan and lower the heat. Add a little more oil if the pan is dry. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and chilies and saute gently for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft.
Add the tomatoes, spice mixture, and stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, crushing the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon to break them up.
Return the chicken pieces to the pan along with the pumpkin, quartered lemon or mandarin and olives and bring to a gentle simmer. Add a little more stock if necessary to ensure that the chicken pieces are nearly covered in liquid. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and simmer the mixture gently for 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Squash the lemon or mandarin quarters a few times during cooking with the back of a spoon to encourage the juices to release into your stew. Increase the heat and simmer for a further 5-10 minutes or until the sauce is nice and thick. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Scatter with the chopped coriander and serve.
Jennifer Klinec from Eat Drink Talk has kindly agreed to provide Urban Junkies readers with mouthwatering recipes and foodtips.
To learn more, classes at Eat Drink Talk are held in Jennifer's beautiful loft in Clerkenwell, packed with information and useful tips, and you'll get to sample all of the delicious dishes prepared during class.
In collaboration with Eat Drink Talk
