This past Wednesday we made our drive back home to Missouri. I drove 14 hours and my daughter 2 hours with one dog in the back seat. My husband took our other dog in his car. To say the least I was exhausted all day on Thursday and part of Friday. It’s hard for me to understand why sitting all day long would make me so tired, but it did. At any rate, we’re home and settled in again, like we never left.
Prior to leaving Colorado, I posted a recipe for
Preserved Lemons from Paula Wolfert’s cookbook,
“The Food of Morocco.” Although I’ve never been to Morocco, from what I’ve seen and read I’d love to visit someday. After ordering Paula’s book I became addicted to reading it. There’s a wealth of information about Morocco, the food, their culture, special Moroccan secrets for preparing dishes, plus wonderful photos of it all. Paula Wolfert’s recipes are so well written, revealing even the smallest tidbit of information was so useful, linking one page or item to another page giving greater detail, so your finished dish reaches perfection. Superb!
After posting the recipe last week for Preserved Lemons I realized I made an error saying that the lemons only took 7 days to prepare. You prepare them in one day, placing them in a tight fitting jar, however, you should wait up to 30 days before eating them for superior flavor. I’m sure by now if you’ve had the chance to review the recipe, you noticed the error. I’ve since made the necessary corrections on last weeks post.
If you’ve attempted to make the preserved lemons I hope after the 30 days you’ll try this recipe. My husband who isn’t fond of experimenting with new dishes tried this and finished everything on his plate then went back for more. Both my kids and I enjoyed it too. Everything was gone.
One word of advice though – be sure to rinse the preserved lemons well to remove any remaining salt, otherwise they’ll be too strong.
I would also recommend to
mise en place all ingredients in the recipe before starting to cook for ease of preparation.
Read the ingredient list and directions entirely at least 2 times, plus the asterisks (*) before embarking on this recipe. It’s really quite simple.
Here’s the recipe……
Chicken with Preserved Lemons, Soft Black Olives and Nigella Seeds
One 3-pound chicken, quartered, backbone and wings removed
2 teaspoons coarse salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
**2 tablespoons saffron water
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 small tomatoes, peeled, halved, seeded, and diced
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, divided
Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
12 Kalamata or Gaeta olives, pitted, soaked in water to remove excess salt and vinegar, and drained
1. Rinse the chicken quarters and pat dry; trim away any excess fat. Slide your fingers under the skin to loosen it from the flesh.
2. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic, half the nigella seeds and the salt to a paste. Mix in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Rub this mixture under and over the skin of the chicken.
3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and fry, turning occasionally, until they are golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Push the chicken to one side of the skillet and carefully tilt the skillet to the other side, and use a spoon to remove almost all the fat.
NOTE:
* Nigella Seeds- I had a difficult time finding Nigella Seeds, however they are also found under the name Charnushka (Nigella Sativa) at Penzey’s.
** How to make Saffron Water - Dry 1/2 teaspoon crumbled strands of saffron in a warm (not hot) skillet. Crush again, then soak in 1 cup hot water and store in a small jar in the refrigerator. This will keep for up to a week. For longer storage pour the saffron water into a plastic ice cube tray and freeze into cubes. Once frozen, shake out the cubes and store in a freezer bag. Each cube will be equivalent to 2 tablespoons saffron water or a good pinch of dried saffron threads.
Although there are several steps to making this dish it all comes together quickly. I hope you try this tasty and unique Moroccan dish.
Enjoy!
Vicki Bensinger has been teaching culinary classes throughout Missouri since 1992. However, she saw the need for more specialized classes and in 2004 established “At Home with Vicki Bensinger“, offering personalized private culinary classes for individuals and small groups (ages 7 to adult) in the comfort of their home or organization.
Having an In-Home Culinary Class is the perfect way to get together with friends while you learn to cook, hone your culinary skills or just have a fun time with friends and food.
If you’d like to learn more about her classes please email Vicki at: linking text or [email protected]
Please follow her on Facebook
Member:
“IACP”
“Women Chefs & Restaurateurs”
Please check out Vicki’s blog where she shares recipes, tips, videos, giveaways and everything food related. The recipes Vicki has posted on her blog are recipes she hopes everyone will be able to prepare.
Happy Cooking!
Source:
Please Help Support BeforeitsNews by trying our Natural Health Products below!
Order by Phone at 888-809-8385 or online at https://mitocopper.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomic.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomics.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Humic & Fulvic Trace Minerals Complex - Nature's most important supplement! Vivid Dreams again!
HNEX HydroNano EXtracellular Water - Improve immune system health and reduce inflammation.
Ultimate Clinical Potency Curcumin - Natural pain relief, reduce inflammation and so much more.
MitoCopper - Bioavailable Copper destroys pathogens and gives you more energy. (See Blood Video)
Oxy Powder - Natural Colon Cleanser! Cleans out toxic buildup with oxygen!
Nascent Iodine - Promotes detoxification, mental focus and thyroid health.
Smart Meter Cover - Reduces Smart Meter radiation by 96%! (See Video).
