Chicken Tagine

Now l know this has nothing really to do with Mr Middleton’s gardening advice but this is for anyone interested in cooking chicken, tagine style influenced by Tanya over on chickandaluzia. We drove down to Morocco about 4 years ago in our camper van and spent 10 weeks away. We met up with some amazing people, drove through the Atlas Mountains and into the Sahara desert. It was hell of an experience and one l recommend to anyone with a van.The people were great, if not a bit demanding at times, and the scenery was stunning while driving through the mountains.

It was while we were on these travels that we came across a village where a guy made tagines; tagines of all shapes and sizes along with the base for burning charcoal. The charcoal was available from the guy next door who made his own on the premises. I recorded it all on my Camcorder and when we look back at it now we can hardly believe we did it.

The recipe is made up from a mixture of what we experienced from restaurants and friends along the way so no exact measurements and please feel free to experiment.

Recipe: Chicken Tagine.

• 1 chicken.We always buy Free Range Chicken. Cut into breasts, legs and wings.
• Lge onion, chopped
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, chopped.
• Red pepper, chopped.
• A few new potatoes.
• A few tinned artichoke hearts.
• Carrot, sliced.
• Half an Aubergine, chopped.
• Tomatoes, chopped.
• Some preserved lemon slices.
• Olives.
• Spices. We bought a large bag of special tagine spice while we were there but this has long gone so this is about as close as l can get. Mix of ground coriander, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, paprika, garam masala, cardamom and turmeric.
• Salt & Pepper to taste.

The Burn

So, get your tagine. Sorry, l can’t remember the name of the village in Morocco! I can’t believe ours has survived all these years as we used to take it with us everywhere we went.

Get a good bed of charcoal going, put a good dollop of olive oil in the base and fry the onions and garlic for a few minutes.

Fry the chicken pieces for a while and add the spices frying a few more minutes.

Add all the other ingredients along with a goog glug of veg or chicken stock. Place the lid on with a spoon under it to allow the steam to escape.

Cook slowly

Cook for 30-40 mins or so. Add some chopped coriander and parsley.

Traditionally served with cous cous but rice is nice or just as it is. I’m not a fan of mint tea either so a nice cold beer or glass of red wine goes well.

There is something really nice about cooking outdoors like this. Its not the same as a barbecue. This takes longer, the preparation is all done outside, as is the cooking and the eating. Don’t rush this. It takes time but is well worth it. Do you have a recipe you want to share?

PS. This version was delicious!

Ready to serve

 

March..ing On!

March- 1st Week. Mr Middleton says: Soil is the basis of life. Take care of it.

1. Clear land. Land still occupied by crops should be gradually cleared as they are used. To accelerate the clearing, leeks and celery can be lifted and heeled in together, either in a frame or sheltered corner.

I used the last of my leeks this weekend to make a Chicken and Leek casserole which is not good planning on my part as we  are now ‘leekless’ for some time to come. This year l am planting four different varieties to cover the whole season. The old leek bed is now cleared and l will add some leaf mould to it ready for planting up my squash later in the year.

3. Prepare trenches for Peas and Beans. It is a good idea to take out the trenches for tall peas and runner beans, to throw the soil at the side and leave for some weeks to weather. The trench should be 18-in. deep if manure is available to put in the bottom, 10-12 in. if none is available.

I have dug out my trench and filled it with old chicken bedding that has been rotting down in a corner. This should be great for the beans which are very hungry feeders and it will also retain moisture as they like to have their roots in a moist soil. I will also be growing some of my sweet peas in this trench contrary to all the advice that was given as really there was no room given over to flowers. It was good old veggies and nothing else!  I just hope l can keep my hens away from scratching it all out in search for grubs.

In the greenhouse l have sowed some peas, Kelvedon Marvel, in pots ready to plant out once they have become established. We are having some beautiful sunny weather at the moment but with it is a very strong E to NE wind which is bitterly cold. Winter hasn’t released its grip on us yet. What are you doing in your gardens right now?

Bean bed