Going exotic : Annalena takes a Frenchman's take on Moroccan: chicken tagine

Many European cuisines have a whole family of dishes built on some kind of earthenware pot or pan of some kind.  The pot becomes the name of the dish: paella, for example, and so with this dish:  a tagine (or tajine, or tajin).  You can buy such pots or pans, but you don't need to.  And we won't be using one today, ragazzi, as we make:

Does that look like something you want to make and eat?  It's got chicken thighs, cauliflower, olives tomatoes, and tons of aromatic spices in it.  Still with Annalena?  Unlike many of her recipes, this one is gonna involve some work, starting with the spice mix, which you're going to make yourself.  It looks like this when it's done:

To make it , Annalena reckons you're gonna have to do some shopping, because there is quite a list.  Check your spice cabinet, to see if you have: sweet paprika,  cinnamon, coriander, tumeric, ginger, cardamom, and allspice.  You're going to need ALL of them.  You will NOT need the garlic powder that the original recipe calls for.  Garlic powder?  In Annalena's house?  REALLY?

Ok, so  you have the list of spices, and here's the quantities.  And there's a lot.  You need 3.5 tablespoons of sweet paprika, to begin.   Here, ragazzi, is one of Annalena's digressions.  To speak of "paprika" is to say something like "bread."  Ultimately, paprika is dried, powdered, red pepper.  There are as many paprikas as there are peppers, and they are hot, sweet, mixed, blended, etc.  When Annalena shopped at the much missed H. Roth emporium, there was a paprika wall:  you told the clerk what you were cooking, and he or she told you which one to get.  Today, you have to just wing it, or find someone who knows their peppers.  If all else fails, for this one, either get "sweet Hungarian" paprika, or "pimenton dulce" if you are fortunate enough to have a supply of good Spanish spices.   The amount - 3.5 tablespoons - is just under 1/4 cup.  So, if you have a dry measuring cup of the appropriate size, use that.  Otherwise, spoon it out into a bowl.    You add 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon,  3 TABLESPOONS of the coriander, 4 teaspoons, or a tablespoon and a teaspoon, of tumeric one tablespoon of ginger, half a tablespoon (1.5 teaspoons), of cardamom, and 2.5 teaspoons (you can cheat and go up to a tablespoon) of allspice.  All of these, ground.  Mix them together, and toss them in a small frying pan, and toast them for two minutes.  Stir them every 30 seconds or so, and then pour them back into the bowl.  Your kitchen is going to start smelling really, really good.

Next you need chicken thighs, on the bone and with the skin.  You need 3 pounds, which is about 8. On this point, please do not be compulsive about the NUMBER of thighs.  If you have a knife, you can work with them to make them about the same size.  This is important for when you shop, because ultimately, if you have to decide between 8 and 3 pounds, go with the three pounds.  Chickens come in different sizes, and some are like Twiggy, and others are "THUNDER THIGHs."  It  may take some looking to get the thighs with bones and skin, which is a shame.  Welcome to today, kids.

Anyway, get the chicken thighs, and mix them with some salt and pepper, two tablespoons of the spice mix, and two tablespoons of olive oil.  Coat them well.  You get something that looks like:

So now, you're saying "WAIT. I just shopped, mixed spices and I'm using TWO FREAKING TABLESPOONS?"  Well, in a way, yes, ragazzi.  Here's what we're going to do.  We're going to add some more of this down the line, but this is optional.  Once you taste it, however, Annalena thinks this may become one of your "go to" blends with stews, ragus, goulashes, etc.  

Put a quarter cup of olive oil into a big pan, and warm it up.  Add the chicken, skin side down, and brown it, on the skin, and non-skin sides.  This is hard to tell, because of the color from the paprika, but here's a shot:  

Cooking them all the way through, is not all that important, because there's another 40 minutes of cooking ahead of us.    Put them aside, and turn off the heat because...

Now we're going to make the vegetables.  Yup, the vegetables.  Cauliflower.  A whole head.  Break it into florets, and get the florets into some boiling salted water.  Let them cook for three minutes, and have some ice water ready.  After three minutes, get them into the ice water.  Undercooking is better than overcooking, because this, too, is going to cook for a while,  but raw will not work.  We have some spices that need to get into the veggies, remember.

After you've done the cauliflower, get a cup of cherry tomatoes.  (the original recipe called for plum tomatoes. Getting a good plum tomato this time of year is impossible. Cherry tomatoes are easier).  Drop those cherry tomatoes into that hot pot of water for half a minute, and get them into the ice water.  Separate the veggies, and let them dry.

We'll come back to the tomatoes, but now, we're gonna cook the cauliflower.  If you have some oil left in the pan, heat it up, and toss in the cauliflower.  If you don't, add a few tablespoons.  Brown them, and then take the chicken and the cauliflower, and get it into a big, oven safe pot:

NEXT STEP ( she told you we were going to work).  Chop up a large onion, and three cloves of garlic.  You also need to grate about a tablespoon of fresh ginger, and get a pinch of saffron (Annalena forgot to put this on your spice list).  Put all of this into that hot pan, again augmenting with oil if you need to.  Keep it moving for about five minutes.  Then, add a tablespoon of tomato paste, and two cups of chicken stock.  Raise the heat to high, and reduce this by about a third.   When you've done that, put that in the pot with the chicken and cauliflower .  Here's a peak at what the onion mix looks like when it's ready:

You feel like we're working yet?  Annalena bets you do, but it's not hard work, it's just a lot of it.  Bear with her.  You can't get food like this outside.  Unless you have a Moroccan friend who is a good cook.  

Put the pot into the oven, covered, and cook for twenty minutes.  After you've done that, take it out of the oven, and add a cup of green olives (with or without the pits, up to you.   Think of who's gonna eat it),  the tomatoes you cooked before (we didn't forget them), and the chopped rinds of two preserved, salted lemons.  You'll have to put those on your shopping list too, unless you have some, because while they are easy to make, they're not  ready to use for 3 months.   If anyone has gotten this far and wants to know how to make them, ask Annalena.   You need salt and lemons.   The tagine, after twenty minutes, and after the introduction of the olives et al, looks like:

Another twenty minutes later, and  - Allah be praised - you are DONE:

Doesn't look much different, but the tomatoes have shrunk the chicken is much softer, and it really, REALLY produces an amazing liquid.  At this point, add some more of the spices if you like.  In fact, early on, if you wanted to, you could add some when you cooked the cauliflower, and/or the onions. Annalena did so, and suggests you do that instead of adding it at the end. 

Save the rest of the spices for the next time you make this, or have a recipe  that calls for "za'atar." This is not za'atar, but it will suffice.  And make this dish, ragazzi.  Yes, you have to shop, and yes, you have to work, but be nice.  How many easy ones do you have from Annalena?  Get into the habit of something fancy, and expand your horizons, too.