Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Olives

[Includes vegetarian option]

Serves 2 (can be easily doubled)

INGREDIENTS

(amounts are estimates...very flexible recipe)

1 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves minced

1 piece candied ginger chopped [Whole Foods bulk], (or 1/2 tablespoon minced peeled fresh gingerroot)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cumin (freshly ground seeds best...use mortar and pestle)

3 tablespoons minced fresh coriander (cilantro) plus additional for garnish if desired

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves (flat-leaf Italian parsley has more flavor than the more popular curly kind, which is best for decoration...sometimes the flat leaf is only found in organic section)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

a pinch of saffron threads, crumbled. crumbled (you can us a little turmeric for color instead, or skip it all together) If you want to buy saffron, it's cheapest at Middle-Eastern markets.

1/4 cup olive oil

3/4 cup water

4 chicken thighs (I used with skin, gives more flavor and body) I think you can use more. Or use breasts, legs etc. I just happen to prefer thighs. ( Vegetarian option: replace with 1 bag of frozen Qworn Tenders or chunks of other chicken substitute)

About 10 Nisoise or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and chopped (I use the oil-cured, black wrinkly olives with rosemary found at the Whole Foods olive bar)

1/2 preserved lemon rind, chopped finely (see recipe below)

Couscous (use 1 cups couscous to 1-1/2 cups water - boil water. Remove from heat and stir in couscous. Let sit 7-10 minutes. Fluff with fork). Can use rice pilaf if you prefer.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a large ovenproof pot (if using Qworn, it does'nt have to be ovenproof) stir together the onion, the garlic, the gingerroot, the cinnamon, cumin, the coriander, the parsley, the lemon juice, the saffron, the oil, and water, put the chicken on top of the mixture, and season it with salt and pepper. (If using Qworn, don't add it yet, just add the salt and pepper)

Bake the chicken, covered, in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plastic container and lightly cover. (If using the Qworn, don't add it to the sauce yet, just simmer the sauce on top of stove for 20-30 minutes. If you'd like, you can saute the Qworn, in a large skillet, with some olive oil to brown it for looks)

To the onion mixture add the olives and the preserved lemon, bring the sauce to a boil on top of the stove, then reduce heat and simmer it, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it is thickened. Return the chicken ( or Qworn ) to the pot and simmer the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the chicken is just heated through. Serve the chicken with the couscous or rice pilaf, sprinkled with the additional coriander/cliantro.

PRESERVED LEMONS

It's best to use a large glass jar (mine's about 1 quart), the type with the metal clamp-down lid and rubber gasket. But, I think you could also use the larger size Ball jar with the wide mouth for making just 2-3 lemons.

Use 2-3 lemons for small jar, and up to about 8 lemons for a large jar. You will also need extra lemons for juice...maybe 2 for every 2-3 lemons? Also, when you choose lemons, choose soft ones. The skin is thinner (thus more fruit and juice) and they juice much more easily. Another way to make them juice well, is to roll them on your cutting board/counter, putting pressure on them to break up the inner cells. This also makes your cutting board smell nice.

Rinse the lemons and pat dry. Cut the lemon into quarters, lengthwise, without cutting through the stem end (in other words, set the lemon on one end and cut a cross down into it, not cutting through the bottom end so the four quarters can stay attached)

Spread the lemon open and fill it with as much salt as it would hold. Place the lemon in the jar. Proceed like this with all the lemons, pressing as many as you can fit into the jar. They will exude juice and some salt will fall off.

Press the lemons down, cover them with juice from the other lemons. Pour in more salt (about 1 Tb juice to 1 Tsp salt). I have also just measured out the juice before pouring in, then adding the same amount of salt. Stir, turn upside down, and push lemons down once or twice a day, especially at the beginning.

Let sit for 3-4 weeks (I have used them after a week, but they are softest and best at about a month) I don't refrigerate them during the first several days to a week. If the juice doesn't cover the lemons completely, you may get some mold. If so, I just get rid of the mold, and the bad part of the lemon, then cover with more juice and salt. After a while, I refrigerate them.

IMPORTANT: When you use them, only use the rind and discard the insides. The rind is the part used in cooking.

They don't taste good on their own (taste a little like turpentine), but are great chopped finely in Moroccan style or Middle-Easter recipes. Try some in taboulli recipes, or on fish or chicken seasoned with some ground cumin, coriander and a hint of cinnamon mixed with some honey (put this on toward the end of grilling/cooking or the honey will burn)