The perks of having a friend from Paris, France.
She teaches me French, she makes me French food, She translates recipes for me,
She brings me chocolate and tells me what the
Best Wine is to buy.
( I am not sharing that secret. She told her French class at Emory and now they are buying it all up at the Farmer's Market.)
The list goes on but I will stop and just share my favorite recipe from Beatrice.
Chicken Tagine with Green Olives and Preserved Lemon.
So I suggest you all run out and get you a friend from France.
It will make your world a bigger better place ;)
French cooking ala Beatrice:
You could buy preserved lemons for $20 somewhere and maybe use one and then the rest get lost in the back of your fridge but where is the fun in that ??
To Start: 2 months in advance
Here is how to make preserved lemons:
Big jar
8 organic lemons
More lemons for juice
Coarse salt
Soak the lemons in fresh water for 24 hours (change the water a few times).
Starting at the stem, cut each lemon in quarters (do not cut fully so that they do not detach)
Fill the lemons with coarse salt and close the lemons
Pack the lemons tightly in the jar (don't hesitate to push down so they release their juice)
Top with lemon juice so that all the lemons are covered.
Put in the fridge for two months.
Every two weeks, turn the jar up side down to move the juice around.
Add more lemon juice if necessary.
Tada !!
The Recipe:
Chicken Tagine with green
olives & preserved lemon
Ingredients
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole black
peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon sweet or hot
paprika
1 teaspoon red pepper
flakes
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil, plus more for frying
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh
ginger
1 handful fresh cilantro
leaves, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 (3
1/2 to 4 pound) free-range chicken, cut into 10 pieces
1 medium onion, coarsely
chopped
1 preserved lemon, recipe
follows
1/2 cup cracked green
olives
1 cup chicken stock
Directions
In a skillet over medium
heat, toast the cinnamon, peppercorns, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, and
cloves until they start to smoke. Remove from the heat and grind in a spice
grinder.
In a bowl large enough to
accommodate the chicken, add the oil, spice mix, garlic, ginger, cilantro, bay
leaves and saffron. Mix to a paste. Add chicken, rubbing the marinade over all
the pieces. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
Rinse preserved lemon
well. Scoop out flesh and discard. Put in boiling water for two minutes. Cool
down and cut in strips.
Remove the chicken from
the marinade and reserve marinade. Scrape the marinade off the chicken and pat
chicken dry. In a tagine or dutch oven add 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium
high heat. Put in chicken pieces and lightly brown on both sides, about 5
minutes. Add onions and cook until just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Increase
heat and deglaze with chicken broth, stirring, and allowing it to bubble.
Add reserved marinade,
olives, and preserved lemons. Cover tightly and cook over medium low heat for
30 to 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove bay leaf and
discard. Taste juices and adjust seasoning. Place chicken on a warm platter.
Spoon juices with the preserved lemon, olives, and onions over chicken and
serve accompanied by Couscous.
Could try this recipe with
1 1/2 cups thickly sliced carrots & 1 1/2 cups thickly sliced celery.
*****************
A few tips and photos from my kitchen.
I did not use onion or cilantro. But did add whole organic baby carrots- Yum
 |
I only had spices that were already ground
so I heated them up in a pan. |
 |
I did not have paprika but I noticed my Emerils Original Essence
consists of mostly paprika |
 |
| Grate Ginger for Marinade |
 |
| Olive Oil, Garlic and Grated Ginger |
 |
| Finished Marinade |
Marinate overnight
Preserved Lemons
Brown in Olive Oil
Cover and cook for 45 minutes
 |
| Enjoy and Serve over Cous Cous |
Marinate overnight
