APRICOT CHICKEN TAGINE

SERVES 4 PREP 15 MINS COOK 45 MINS

2 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp ground cumin seeds

1 tsp ground cinnamon

⅓ cup olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and quartered

3 garlic cloves, peeled

5cm knob ginger, peeled and cut into 1cm pieces

4 chicken marylands, cut into drumsticks and thigh cutlets

½ cup chicken stock 1 cup apricot nectar

12 dried Turkish apricots, chopped 1 cup pearl (Israeli) couscous

½ bunch parsley, roughly chopped

¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted

crusty bread, green salad, to serve

1 Place salt, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, 3 tbsp oil, onion, garlic and ginger into a food processor and blitz until a smooth thick paste is achieved. Place in a large snap-lock bag with chicken and massage to ensure all chicken is coated.

2 Place remaining olive oil in tagine base over mediumhigh heat. Add chicken pieces, skin-side down. Cook 3 minutes without turning or until they are a lovely caramel brown. Turn chicken over and pour in chicken stock and apricot nectar. Scatter chopped apricots around tagine. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to low. Place tagine on a heat diffuser if you have one, to ensure a very low heat. (Alternatively place tagine in an oven preheated to 160°C.) Cook 40 minutes.

3 Remove tagine lid and carefully lift chicken pieces one by one and scatter couscous around and under them. Turn off heat. After 5 minutes couscous will swell and be ready to eat. Scatter parsley and almonds over tagine and serve to the table with crusty bread and salad.