The end of summer always leaves me a little blue. (And by my reckoning, summer has just ended. With self-serving inconsistency, I begin the season with Memorial Day and end it with the autumn equinox, which was on September 23 this year.) There are many consolations, though: crisp air, golden light, tweed jackets, and deliciously full-flavored dishes of braised meat and poultry for dinner.
Some of my favorites of these dishes are tagines from Morocco, named after the earthenware dishes they’re traditionally cooked in. Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Chicken Tagine with Green Olives and Preserved Lemon are family favorites, and here’s another we’ve been eating lately. Though it’s origin is Moroccan, it isn’t spicy in the way you might expect –a little cinnamon and ginger warm the dish, but there’s no cumin, cayenne, cardamom or other spices we generally associate with Moroccan food. Instead, roasted eggplant and sun-dried tomatoes form the base of a rich, mellow sauce that beautifully complements the tender braised chicken and really needs to be soaked up with a slice or two of bread.
The dish is also quick and straightforward. There’s no marinating or even browning of the chicken and a minimum of prep for the other ingredients. The only slightly fiddly thing about the recipe is the need to slice and salt the eggplant and then cook it separately before adding it to the dish at the very end. It’s a small price to pay, though, for the rich, round flavors it brings to the dish.
Recipe
(Adapted from Tagine of Chicken with Eggplant and Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Cooking at the Kasbah by Kitty Morse. Serves 6.)
Ingredients
2 1/2 – 3 pounds (1 – 1.4 kg) chicken pieces, skinned (bone-in or boneless). I use boneless, skinless thighs because they’re the family favorite chicken part. They also remain moist and tender even if the dish is reheated a couple of times.
2 large globe eggplants
1 small bunch (a dozen or so stems) cilantro, tied with a string
1 small bunch (a dozen or so stems) flat-leaf parsley, tied with a string
2 medium onions, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
a pinch of saffron threads
About 5 tablespoons olive oil
About 1/4 cup (60ml) sun-dried tomatoes (in oil or dry)
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. In a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm about 3 tablespoons of the olive oil for about a minute. Add the onions, ginger, and cinnamon and saute until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the chicken pieces and saute until the chicken and onions are golden, about 5-6 minutes more. (The chicken will not be browned, but it shouldn’t be pink either and should have just started to color in places.)
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the broth and the saffron, and nestle the bundles of cilantro and parsley in the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 45 minutes more.
4. In the meantime, trim off the green end of the eggplants and slice them crosswise about 1/4 inch thick (but no thinner). Brush the slices with the remaining olive oil, sprinkle lightly with salt on both sides and lay them out on a clean kitchen towel. Let them rest for about 20 minutes to release some of their liquid. Preheat the broiler.
5. Put the sun-dried tomatoes in small bowl and cover with hot tap water for a few minutes. When they’re soft and plump, chop them up.
6. Dry the eggplant slices and place them in a single layer on two baking sheets lined with aluminum foil. Broil until light brown, about 5-6 minutes on each side. Set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 200F.
7. Back at the stove, remove the parsley and cilantro from the pot and discard. Remove the chicken pieces from the braising liquid with a slotted spoon and transfer to a baking dish. Place in the oven to keep warm. Keep the sauce simmering on the stove.
7. Reserve about 8 of your best looking eggplant slices to use as garnish and then add the rest to the pot. Add the sun-dried tomatoes as well. Mash both into the sauce with a fork. Stir, taste and season with salt and pepper. If the pot seems dry, add up to 1/2 cup of water. Cook for about 5 minutes more until the flavors marry and the sauce has a thick, chunky consistency.
8. Pour the sauce onto a warm serving dish or platter and place the chicken pieces on top. Top with the reserved eggplant slices and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro or parsley.
Serve with crusty toasted bread to sop up all of that delicious sauce. And it’s even better the next day.
