On The Road to Morocco

One of my pleasures have been the cooking classes that I've taught the last two years at a favorite store, Life + Style. On Thursday, the class was on Moroccan food. It was a great class -- I demonstrated Moroccan couscous, a Moroccan chicken tajine dish, and preserved lemons.

Set up for the class, with handouts, the gift box of couscous for attendees, and preserved lemons to be used in the chicken dish.

The chicken dish -- a tajine of chicken. lemon and olives. Made with chicken thighs and lots of Moroccan spices. The smell at the class was absolutely overwhelming!

And each attendee got a bowl with couscous and a chicken thigh and sauce from the tajine.

But Friend and Owner Cynthia thought that the preserved lemon might taste good in a martini . . .

And so after class, as is our custom, we went to Buffalo Grill for a drink and dinner. We thought, perhaps, that the preserved lemon might be good in a martini . . . and we agreed that the two of us should be the taste testers!

One gin and one vodka each with a preserved lemon quarter. It was good -- a bit salty, a bit lemony. The gin (and it's aromatics) won over the more austere vodka.

If you have preserved lemons in the fridge and are rather tired of Moroccan food, we both heartily recommend that the lemons are very good in martinis!!!!

It's Friday and time to join Michael at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN

2 t. paprika

1 t. ground cumin

1 t. ground ginger

1 t. turmeric

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. freshly ground pepper

2 T. olive oil

1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces (or 3 to 4 pounds of chicken thighs and legs)

salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

the peel from 1 preserved lemon, rinsed in cold water, pulp discarded, peel cut into thin strips

1 c. green olives pitted

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Combine all the spices in a large bowl. Pat dry the chicken pieces and put in the bowl, coat well with the spice mixture. Let the chicken stand for one hour in the spices.

In a large heavy bottom skillet, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces, sprinkle lightly with salt and brown, skin side down for 5 minutes.

Lower the heat to medium-low, add the garlic and onions. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes.

Turn the chicken pieces over. Add the lemon slices, olives, raisins and 1/2 cup water. ring to a simmer on medium heat, then lower the heat to low, cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and quite tender.

Mix in fresh parsley and cilantro right before serving. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Serve with rice, couscous or rice pilaf.