Chicken thighs with artichoke&lemon
This is something special...
INGREDIENTS (serves 6)
450g canned artichokes, cut into 4 lengthways
8 chicken thighs, without bone and skin
12 shallots, peeled and halved lengthways (4 white onions – cut into quarters – are good too)
12 large garlic cloves, 2 crushed 10 sliced
1 medium lemon, cut in half lengthways and then into thin slices
1 tsp saffron threads
50ml olive oil
150ml cold water
1 1/2 tbsp pink peppercorns, slightly crushed
10g fresh thyme leaves
40g tarragon leaves, chopped
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
METHOD:
1. Drain the artichokes, cut them into 4 lengthways and set them aside.
2. Place them and all the remaining ingredients, excluding half of the tarragon, in a large mixing bowl (or directly in the baking tray) and use your hands to mix everything together well. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight, or for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Arrange the chicken pieces, in the centre of a roasting tin and spread the remaining ingredients around the chicken. Roast for 30 minutes. Cover the tin with foil and cook for a further 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the reserved tarragon. Stir well, taste and add more salt if needed. Serve at once with Mejadra..:
Mejadra
INGREDIENTS (serves 6)
250g green or brown lentils (it can be canned, pre-cooked too)
4 medium onions (700g before peeling)
3 tbsp plain flour about
250ml sunflower oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
1½ tbsp coriander seeds
300g basmati rice
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1½ tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
approx. 500ml water
salt and black pepper
METHOD:
1. If you choose to cook the lentils by yourself go ahead and place the lentils in a small saucepan, cover with plenty of water, bring to a boil and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the lentils have softened but still have a little bite, then drain.
2. Peel and slice the onions thinly. Sprinkle with the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt and mix well with your hands.
3. Heat up the sunflower oil on a medium-high heat. Make sure the oil is hot by throwing in a small piece of onion; it should sizzle vigorously. Add a third of the sliced onion. Fry for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion takes on a nice golden-brown colour and turns crispy. Transfer into a colander lined with kitchen paper and sprinkle with a little more salt. Do the same with the other two batches of onion; add a little extra oil if needed.
4. Wipe clean the saucepan in which you fried the onion and put in the cumin and coriander seeds. Place on medium heat and toast the seeds for a minute or two. Add the rice, olive oil, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, sugar, ½ a teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper. Stir to coat the rice with oil and then add the cooked lentils and the water (if you use canned lentils, wait about 10 minutes before puring them in). Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and simmer on a very low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes. Finally, add half the fried onion to the rice and lentils and stir gently with a fork. Pile up in a shallow serving bowl and top with the rest of the onion.
