Moroccan Chicken Tagine

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Every now and then I go through periods in my life where I want every single thing I put in my mouth to be sweet. I even want the savoury to be sweet. This, my friends, is a fine remedy for what I call the "swavoury" tooth. I have always been a fan of apricot chicken curries, sweet sauces and soups, and find that chicken is the perfect addition to this orchard of fruity delights. The cinnamon will coat your halls in a spicy allure, pied piper-ing hungry bellies straight into your hands. However this is not to be confused with a Christmas pudding, the tumeric and black pepper are your passport to exploring the breadth and depth of these beautiful fruit flavours. The chicken is moist and juicy, providing the perfect springboard for the acrobatic accolades of these nourishing ingredients.

Now that I have woven my rich tapestry of tagine tooting, I would like to give a deep bow to the lima bean for gracing humanity with a taste not too dissimilar to that of butter. So much so, that in some countries they have been dubbed the butter bean. Process the hell out of these bad boys and you will get a mash creamier than if Hilda were churning butter through lace in the clouds. I have fed this mash to an array of family and friends not on the SCD, gluten-free or dairy-free diet, and there is a general consensus of its superiority over the good-for-nothing (excepting vodka) potato.

Serves 4

Olive oil 240 g (2 cups) onions - chopped 1.5 kg (3 lb) chicken thighs – cut into large chunks 2 cinnamon sticks ½ tsp turmeric 1 tsp black pepper 500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock 100 g  (⅔ cup) dried apricots 100 g (⅔ cup) dried prunes 85 g (¼ cup) honey 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 ½ Tbs almond flour 50 g (½ cup) slivered almonds

  1. In a saucepan, heat a small amount of oil and sauté the onions until soft and then add into a large pot.
  2. Add the chicken with the cinnamon sticks, turmeric, and black pepper and pour in chicken stock.
  3. Cover with the lid and cook for 2½ hours on low-medium.
  4. Add the dried apricots, prunes, honey, cinnamon, and almond flour and stir until well combined. Cover with the lid and cook for another hour.
  5. In a dry pan, toast the slivered almonds. Serve the Tagine decorated with the toasted almonds.
  6. This dish can be served with our lima bean mash, cauliflower rice or pumpkin and cauliflower mash. A little bit of scd yogurt on the side is also delicious.