Chicken Tajine with Potatoes and Green Olives

Tajine refers to the infamous north african earthenware pot designed especially to allow the evaporating liquids to cool as they come up and thus drip back down into the dish being cooked. Many types of stews and dishes exist in the various countries in which this method of preparation is common, and often times the stews are served alongside a serving of couscous. This special method of slow cooking allows the meats and vegetables that make up the various stews to become very tender and aromatic, giving Tajine dishes a unique taste that leaves you wanting more!

This particular tajine recipe has moroccan influence in it's creation, but simply came to be on one chilly autumn night from ingredients that I had laying around the house. So I don't have any famous or official dish names for this one, but it turned out to be absolutely delicious so I had to share the creation! 

INGREDIENTS

1.5lb chicken thighs

2 medium potatoes

1 large onion

1 large carrot

1 large apple

½ can pitted green olives

4 garlic cloves

2 tsp chopped ginger

2 tsp shawarma spice

2 tsp moroccan paprika (1 tsp for milder spiciness)

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp cardamom

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp black pepper

5 tsp chicken soup powder

1 tsp turmeric

Ghee/Coconut oil/Butter

Olive oil

2 cups Couscous
3 cups water
1-2 tbsp salt

METHOD

1.    Chop the onion and fry in ghee until transparent (personally I use a combination of coconut oil and olive oil, but you can use butter with olive oil instead).

2.    Add chopped garlic, chopped ginger, shawarma spice, paprika, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, chicken soup powder, and turmeric. Alternatively, if you don't have chicken soup powder simply use chicken broth instead of the water in the following steps.

3.    Cut chicken into stewing size cubes, add to tajine and brown lightly.

4.    Add enough water (or chicken broth) to cover the chicken.

5.    Cube the potatoes and apple, coarsely grate the carrot, and add to tajine along with the green olives. Make sure the liquid covers most of the content of the pot, but don't overfill. 

6.    Cover and cook on low for 1hour until all ingredients are soft.

7.   Couscous preparation: boil 3 cups water, add 1-2tbsp salt (to taste) and place couscous in the water, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand for 5minutes and fluff with fork. Transfer the couscous to a large container where the couscous can breathe and be properly fluffed.

8.   Serve all together!

Shakshuka (Runny Eggs with Dip Dish)

A hearty and delicious breakfast that I'd be willing to have any day, this north African dish has it all - tomatoes, eggs, and bread! Shakshuka consists of a tomato sauce with soft eggs on top, served either on top of bread or with bread for dipping.

INGREDIENTS

1 medium can diced tomatoes

4 eggs

2 tbsp tomato paste

Harissa sauce

Salt

Pepper

Paprika

Chopped garlic

Bread for serving

METHOD

1.    Place 1 can of diced tomatoes in pan, add chopped garlic and the above spices to taste. Cover and cook for about 10 min.

2.    Add 2 tbsp tomato paste and cook for another 3-5mins.

3.    Break 4 eggs on top of the tomatoes and continue cooking until the desired consistency of the yolk – preferably soft yolk.

 4.  Remove and serve each yolk with the sauce on a piece of bread. 

Traditional Couscous Soup

Couscous, to those unfamiliar with it, is a traditional Moroccan dish that is made of semolina wheat. It is typically eaten with this vegetable soup or other types of stew-like sauces. Today couscous has become quite popular around the world and in most supermarkets you can buy a box of instant couscous without a problem, all it takes is covering it with boiling water and waiting a few minutes. The lengthier part is this soup, but couscous can be eaten simply with salt as a side dish next to just about anything, so if you've never tried couscous before you can start out light!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup chickpeas soaked in cold water overnight and rinsed

4 carrots cut into 2-3 pieces

4 medium potatoes, quartered

1 large onion, quartered

Salt

Pepper

Small pinch of saffron or 1.5 tsp turmeric

200g pumpkin into 4-5 chunks

½ of a green cabbage, quartered

4-5 stalks celery, peeled and cut coarsely, save the leaves

½ kg couscous

METHOD

1.   Put the chickpeas in a large saucepan, cover with water and cook for 30min until tender.

2.  Add the carrots, potatoes, onion, salt, pepper, saffron or turmeric, and cook for 45min until vegetables are tender.

3.   Add remaining vegetables, except celery leaves, cook 15mins, until tender.

4.   Taste and adjust seasoning, add the celery leaves and cook 15mins.

5.  Prepare couscous and serve soup on top of cous cous.