Tajine of chicken, caramelized onions and pears
This is one of the Moroccan tajines in Claudia Roden’s lovely book, Arabesque. I’ve changed it very little. As it’s sweet, I like it served with couscous or rice that has had chopped preserved lemon stirred through it (as well as herbs). It needs something fresh and sharp as a contrast.
Ingrediënten
- 500 g 1lb 2oz shallots or baby onions
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1.7 kg 3lb 12oz chicken, skin-on, jointed into 8
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- good pinch of saffron strands
- 1½ tbsp runny honey
- 15 g ½oz unsalted butter
- 4 small sweet ripe pears peeled, quartered and cored
- flaked almonds or sesame seeds toasted, to serve
Instructies
- To peel the shallots or baby onions, blanch them in boiling water for five minutes, then drain.
- When they’re cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and trim the root ends.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan large enough to hold all the chicken pieces in one layer.
- Season the chicken and brown it all over.
- You aren’t trying to cook it through, just get some good colour.
- Remove to a plate.
- Drain off all but about 1 tbsp of fat from the pan and add the onion.
- Cook over a medium heat until soft and golden.
- Add the ginger and cinnamon and cook for two minutes.
- Pour on about 250ml (9fl oz) of boiling water and add the saffron, stirring to help dissolve the strands.
- Return the chicken to the pan and cook, covered, over a low heat, for about 15 minutes.
- Add the shallots or baby onions and continue to cook, covered, for another 20–25 minutes.
- (The chicken is cooked when it is tender and, when a thick piece is pierced near the bone with the tip of a sharp knife, the juices that run have no trace of pink.
- ) Turn the chicken pieces and stir gently every so often.
- Add a little more water if you need to.
- Lift out the chicken and set aside.
- Stir the honey into the pan.
- Cook, uncovered, until the liquid has really evaporated and the onions are brown and caramelized and so soft that you could crush them, as the Moroccans say, ‘with your tongue’.
- At the same time, melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the pears over a medium heat until they are tender and golden.
- Season.
- Return the chicken to the pan for a final time, spoon the onions on top and heat through.
- Put the pears on top, sprinkle with the almonds or sesame seeds and serve.
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