Chicken Apricot and Almond Tagine

    

    
I may have mentioned that my favorite spice is cumin and Moroccans do use cumin and coriander in many of their recipes. However, they are famed for their sweet tooth and so many of their chicken recipes will instead use cinnamon and pair it with apricots or raisins, along with saffron and garlic. Either way, it can all go into a tagine, the traditional conical cooking vessel of Morocco which recirculates the cooking steam into the dish as it stews. I own a tagine, although mine is a Le Creuset enameled cast iron. No particular reason for that, I might have even bought it on sale at an outlet store. Even if you don’t own a tagine, you can still make wonderful Moroccan tagines with a Dutch oven or any kind of heavy pot. I make tagines with some frequency because they are easy, fun and quick, often times finishing in the time it takes to cook rice. While I know that the traditional Moroccan pairing is couscous, many times I will make rice instead. That’s just me and the beauty of cooking, make what you like and will enjoy most. The recipe below is from one of my Moroccan cookbooks, Traditional Flavors from Northern Africa: The Moroccan Collection, although all are very similar: start by browning the meat, then soften the onions and vegetables, then add the spices and stock, return the meat and simmer. Ten minutes active time and 30 minutes to a meal. Take that Rachel Ray! Serves 2.
     
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 chicken breasts
1/2 yellow oninon, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 large pinch of saffron threads, crushed
1/3 cup slivered almonds
2/3 cup dried apricots
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
salt/pepper

Directions:
Heat oil in a tagine, Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat.  Add the chicken and brown on both sides.  Turn down the heat to low and transfer the chicken to a plate.  Cut the breasts into bite size pieces.  Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook until softened but not browned.  Stir in the cinnamon for 1 minute.  Add the saffron, almonds, apricots, stock and chicken.  Heat until the stock is just simmering then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Season to taste and serve with couscous or rice.