Tagine with chicken, vegetables and lemon

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 kg chicken pieces
• 1 zucchini (approx. 250 g)
• 1 eggplant(s) (approx. 250 g)
• 1 can chickpeas (400 g)
• ½ organic lemon(s), untreated or pickled Moroccan lemons
• 1 handful of green, pitted olives
• 1 handful of raisins
• ½ bunch parsley
• 2 large onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 8 tsp olive oil
• 1 pinch of saffron threads
• 1 tsp Ras el Hanout or cumin, turmeric, coriander and cinnamon
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• n. B. salt and pepper, don’t overdo it

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 45 minutes

braised in its own juice

First, soak the tagine in water, ideally overnight, but for at least 30 minutes to prevent the clay from drying out. Cut the zucchini and eggplant into strips, drain the chickpeas (freshly cooked ones are fine too, of course). Cut the lemon into wedges and roughly chop the parsley. Dice the onion and garlic and fry them in a pan. Add to the tagine and fry the chicken pieces (e.g., one thigh per person) in the pan with olive oil and the ras el hanout or your own blend of spices (cumin, turmeric, ground coriander, cinnamon) for about two minutes per side. Add a few strands of saffron to the fried onions and garlic in the bottom of the tagine and mix. Then place the chickpeas, a few olives, and the raisins on top. Arrange the lemons in a circle and pile up the zucchini and eggplant. Place the chicken pieces on top and sprinkle with the remaining olives. Put the lid on, don’t forget to pour water into the well at the top, and put it in the oven. Bake for about 60 to 75 minutes at 160 to 200 degrees. This varies, of course, depending on the size, thickness, and contents of the tagine. Add more water every now and then. It’s best eaten with homemade flatbread, as this will serve many more people! Place the tagine in the middle of the table and eat with the flatbread and your hands instead of cutlery. If you have a gas grill or a fire pit, you can also use the bottom of the tagine as a pan; that’s how it’s done. The onions, garlic, and chicken pieces are fried with the spices in it; the rest stays the same, except that the tagine is left standing on the flame instead of in the oven. The only difference in taste I could detect was a slight burn on the bottom. We deliberately don’t put any water in the tagine; it’s already saturated and therefore doesn’t absorb the liquid from the ingredients, which can then simmer in their own juices. A dream!