Chicken Tagine (M'Chermel)

Tom and Shumon stopped by for dinner. We made a new recipe Chicken M’Chermel. It is from Paula Wolfert's new and probably last cookbook. She has been an inspiration to us. We have many of her cookbooks. She is suffering from the beginning stages of dementia. We served the Tagine with Couscous. It was excellent.

Chicken M’Chermel

Paula Wolfert

Unforgettable

Gingery, lemony, peppery, sweet yet savory—this tagine is one of Paula’s favorite examples of the classic Moroccan combination of chicken with preserved lemons and olives. It is also a beautiful example of the subtlety and intensity of the best Moroccan tagines, which is why she included a version of it in the proposal for her first Moroccan cookbook.

This recipe will work equally well in either a traditional Moroccan clay tagine on the stove top or, because a clay tagine acts like stove-top oven, in a metal casserole (stainless steel or enameled cast iron will work) in the oven. In addition to a generous heaping of green olives and plenty of onion (here blitzed in a food processor), the dish has a secret enriching ingredient, chicken livers. “They’re used the way French cooks use foie gras, as a thickener for the sauce,” Paula says. Tagines are traditionally eaten with the first three fingers of the right hand, sometimes with flatbread to help grab onto the meat, though silverware can be used.

Serves 6 to 8

The chicken marinates overnight.

¼      cup extra-virgin olive oil

2       garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1       teaspoon ground ginger

1       teaspoon sweet smoked paprika (pimenton de la Vera dulce)

¼      teaspoon ground toasted cumin, preferably Moroccan

¼      teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Flaky sea salt

6 or 8 skin-on, bone-in whole chicken legs (4 pounds), preferably organic and air-chilled, cut into thighs and drumsticks

1 to 2 chicken livers (2 ounces total)

3       large red onions (1-1/2 pounds total)

½      cup chicken stock

¼      cup chopped fresh cilantro

¼      cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

2       tablespoons saffron water

¼      teaspoon ground turmeric

1-1/2 cups pitted Picholine olives, rinsed and at room temperature

2       preserved lemons quartered and rinsed of excess salt

¼      cup lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)

6 to 8 flatbreads, such as pita or naan, warmed, for serving (optional)

The day before serving, in a large bowl, stir together the olive oil, garlic, ginger, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Slide your fingers under the skin to loosen it from the flesh, taking care not to tear the skin or to remove it entirely. Add the chicken pieces and livers to the marinade and rub them all over, working the mixture under and over the chicken skin. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, if you are using a metal casserole, preheat the oven 325°F. If you are using a tagine, you will not need the oven. Cut the onion into 1-inch chunks and pulse in batches in the processor to finely chop (avoid a pureed texture). Set a large sieve in the sink and line a large bowl with a kitchen towel. Transfer the onions to the sieve and rinse under cool running water. Transfer the rinsed onions to the prepared bowl and squeeze dry with the towel.

In a tagine 12 inches wide and 2-1/2 inches deep, or a 6-to8-quart heavy stainless-steel or enameled cast- iron casserole, combine the water, cilantro, parsley, saffron water, turmeric, and and about 1/5^th of the onion. Add the chicken livers and marinade stir to coat.

If using a tagine, cover and set it on a heat diffuser over medium-low heat. If using a casserole, place a piece of crumpled parchment on top of the chicken, cover with a lid, then transfer to the oven. Whether in the tagine on the stove top or in the casserole in the oven, cook the chicken for 50 minutes. As the chicken pieces cook, gently turn them and the livers often in the sauce, being careful not to tear the chicken skin or let the sauce rise above a simmer.

Use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer the livers to a small bowl or mini food processor. Mash or process them to a course paste, then return to the tagine or casserole with the remaining onions. Return the-covered tagine to a simmer on to the stove top or the covered casserole to the oven and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is very tender and the flesh falls easily from the bone, or an instant-read thermometer inserted near (but not touching) the bone registers between 185° and 195°, 1-1/2 to 2 hours longer on the stove top or about 1 hour longer in the oven. The thighs may cook more quickly than the legs; if that happens, submerge the legs in the sauce and stack the thighs on top to keep them warm in the steam.

Transfer the chicken pieces to a sheet pan and cover to keep warm. The sauce should measure about 1-1/2 cups and be thick enough that a wooden spoon pulled across the bottom of the cooking vessel leaves a trail. If the sauce is too thin, simmer over medium heat until reduced to about 1-1/2 cups. Stir in the chicken, olives, preserved      lemons, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice if needed.

Position an oven rack 7 to 8 inches from the heating element end preheat the boiler. Place the tagine or casserole under the broiler and broil until the chicken and sauce are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Serve the chicken in the tagine or casserole or individual plates. Garnish with fresh parsley and accompany with flatbread, it desired.

Note: The preserved lemon quarters can be served whole or coarsely chopped, with or without their pulp. The pulp will impart a more intense flavor to the sauce. It is more traditional to serve the lemon quarters whole and let guests pull them apart into smaller pieces using their fingers or flatbread.