Djez Makalli (Moroccan Chicken Braised with Preserved Lemons and Olives) (serves four)
Djez Makalli (Moroccan Chicken Braised with Preserved Lemons and Olives)
(serves four)
5 cloves garlic
2 shallots or 1 onion
large handful flat parsley leaves
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsps salt
1 tbsp ras el hanout
1 tsp lemon-ginger powder
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
dash of brandy
1 large roasting chicken, cut into legs and breasts
2 tbsps sunflower or rapeseed oil
1 tbsp butter
3 large carrots, cut in disks
2 cups tiny new potatoes, scrubbed
2 small or 1 large preserved lemon, finely chopped
1 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted
chicken stock to cover (about 600 ml, or 2 1/2 cups)
4 tbsps flour
Place first nine ingredients in blender or Magimix and whizz until it achieves a rough paste. Place chicken pieces in a large bowl and rub with the paste. Set aside while you melt the butter and oil together in a large, heavy pot with a close-fitting lid. Put chicken pieces and all the paste into the pot and stir over high heat until lightly browned on all sides. Throw in carrots and potatoes, preserved lemon and olives, and pour over stock until everything is covered, give it a good stir. Cover the pot as tightly as you can and turn heat down to a high simmer. Cook for at least 1 1/2 hours, stirring only very occasionally.
At the very end, ladle 1/2 cup or so of the broth into a cup and add the flour. Stir until completely mixed and then add the mixture to the broth in the cooking pot. Stir (with a whisk if necessary to break up any lumps) until the broth achieves a nice gravy-like consistency.
You could serve this dish with couscous, rice, or I suppose noodles. I found the potatoes to be just enough starch.
