MAY IT PLEASE THE PALATE: Chicken Tagine

By Nick Roumel I continue to be delighted by the number of attorneys who would much rather talk food with me than law. Perhaps that's because in eating, there is generally no adversary who is trying every trick in the book to frustrate your goals (unless of course you're feeding a toddler). My esteemed colleague, and medical malpractice swashbuckler Heidi Salter-Ferris, is one such fellow foodie. Every time I refer her a case, she sends me a recipe. The latest is a "Chicken Tagine." A Moroccan dish, it is traditionally cooked in a "tagine" or a clay pot, but a Dutch oven or heavy pot with a lid will do in a pinch. Heidi's version is via novelist Kate Christensen, whose latest book is "Blue Plate Special: An Autobiography of My Appetites." She also writes a food-related blog at katechristensen.wordpress.com. Ms. Christensen's version of the recipe is more story than instruction, and is introduced thusly: "I invented this recipe by describing it on the fly in the first chapter of my novel, 'The Great Man,' in which a 74-year-old woman half-seduces a 40-year-old man with food, and then I made it in order to test my imaginative culinary instincts. There is no modest way to say this: the apricots melt into the broth and sweeten it deeply, the olives give it brine, and the almonds and cilantro and lemon bring it to life. And it contains cinnamon; it is, in a word, delicious." We must also give props to author, cook, and bon-vivant Michael Ruhlman for translating Ms. Christensen's recipe into something we can follow. Ingredients -1/2 stick of butter, completely melted in a measuring cup -4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into about 6 pieces each -Salt as needed -1 medium Spanish onion, medium dice -5 cloves garlic, smashed with a knife and roughly chopped -1 tablespoon grated ginger -2 teaspoons ground coriander -2 teaspoons cumin -½ teaspoon cayenne -¼ teaspoon cinnamon -1 bay leaf -Zest from half a lemon -½ cup chopped olives -½ cups chopped dried apricots -1 carrot, medium dice -one 15-ounce can chickpeas (about 1 1/2 cups if you cook your own) -1 cup diced tomatoes (fresh or canned) -1 cup homemade stock or water (or more as needed, depending how long you cook it) -½ red pepper, medium dice -½ yellow pepper, medium dice -½ cup slivered almonds, toasted -Enough cilantro for garnishing and flavor (for those not averse) -4 lemon wedges Directions 1. Put the tagine or substitute pot over a low flame, then turn it up to medium-high. Pour in enough clear butter fat floating on top to coat the bottom of the tagine, and turn the flame to high. Add the chicken and cook till browned (they need not be cooked through). Remove the chicken to a bowl. 2. Add a little more butter to the tagine if necessary, and add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Reduce the flame to medium. Give them two four-finger pinches of salt, and stir to cook until tender. Push them aside and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, and cinnamon to the tagine and stir to cook them, then stir everything together, adding the bay leaf and lemon zest, and cook it till the onion is completely tender, about 15 minutes (careful not to let anything burn). Lower the heat if it's burning. 3. Add the olives, apricots, carrot, chickpeas, tomatoes, stock or water, and the cooked chicken, and bring it to a simmer, stirring, then cover the tagine and simmer on low for 1 to 4 hours (the longer the better). Add the peppers just before stirring, giving them enough time in the stew to soften, 5 minutes or so. 4. Serve with couscous or basmati rice and garnish with the almonds, cilantro, and a wedge of lemon. Delicious dining, but don't forget to save any leftovers to fling at opposing counsel who are giving you a hard time. -------- Nick Roumel is a principal with Nacht, Roumel, Salvatore, Blanchard, and Walker PC, a firm in Ann Arbor specializing in employment and civil right litigation. He also has many years of varied restaurant and catering experience, has taught Greek cooking classes, and writes a food/restaurant column for "Current" magazine in Ann Arbor. He occasionally updates his blog at http://mayitpleasethepalate.blogspot.com/. Published: Fri, Sep 19, 2014