Chicken Tajine with Sweet Potato

Goes best with Couscous, but rice and flatbreat fits, too.

Attention! Doing the recipe will take around 2 hours!

Preparation You'll need: A Tajine or cooking brick A medium sized pot with lid A large bowl with lid to marinade the chicken legs A small pan
Ingredients (for 2 persons) 2 chicken legs For the marinade: 180 mL sunflower oil 3-4 garlic cloves 4 Tbsp. coriander leaves 1 Tbsp. sweet paprika 2 Tbsp. turmeric Saffron For the Tajine: 150 g carrots (around 2 medium ones) 500 to 550 g tomatoes (large, they have more juice) 1 small onion 200-250 g sweet potato 1 moroccan salt lemon ca. 1/2 tsp. salt 250 mL chicken broth 1 cinnamon stick Ground pepper 18 black olives Plenty of coriander ChezTeddy Tip: Two things should not be missing with these Tajine dishes: To have the food more spicy, one should always place a tube of Harissa on the table. I would, if available, take 'Le Phare du Cap Bon' Harissa. That one tastes really the best. Also you should always place plucked coriander leaves on the table, so that everyone can serve himself. If you don't have harissa available, try this: Approx. 1 Tbsp tomato puree 4-5 cloves of garlic (chopped) Approx. 2 or 3 Thai Chilis (chopped) 1/2 tsp paprika powder Some salt and pepper
First steps In a medium sized pot bring enough water to boil to cover the tomatoes. When water boils, add the tomatoes, remove them with a ladle after 15 to 25 seconds (depending on ripeness and kind of tomato). Quickly rinse with cold water. Put aside. Then cook the chicken legs in enough water for 15 minutes. Then pour the water away, and let the legs sit aside in cold water for a few minutes. Finally, remove the skin.
Preparation of the marinade Chop 4 cloves of garlic, rinse and pluck some coriander stems (to get 4 Tbsp leaves). Give 180 mL oil, garlic, coriander, 1 Tbsp sweet paprika powder, 2 tsp. turmeric and saffron into a bowl. Mix well, add the chicken legs and rub generously with the marinade. Put bowl for half an hour into the fridge.
Preparation of the Tajine First peel the tomatoes. Now thinly slice carrots, tomatoes and onion. Only the peel is needed of the salt lemon. First quarter it then remove the pulp with a knife. Cut the peel into small pieces. Rougly dice the sweet potato. You'll have to do several layers in the Tajine now: The first layer is the carrots and the sweet potato. Then add the tomatoes, lemon peel and onion rings as the second layer. Season with salt and pepper. Take the legs out of the marinade, lightly wipe the marinade off them (back into the bowl) and place them on the veggie layers. Lastly put the olives on top and pour the marinade and the chicken broth over everything. Add half a cinnamon stick and bake covered in the ofen at 150℃ for 45 minutes. Then go to 200℃, continue for another 20 minutes.
Last steps Rinse and pluck coriander, put leaves in a small bowl on table. Roast 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds in pan on medium to high heat until dark brown. Also place in a small dish on table. Everyone can have them to one's liking.

Chicken Provençal (Updated - v2)

Goes well with Baguette, Fougasse, or Greek flatbread

Attention! Preparation time around 100 minutes

Preparation You'll only need: A tajine or casserole A large bowl to set the veggies aside A small bowl to set the shallots aside
Ingredients (for 2 persons) 2 large chicken legs (500-600 g) 200 g shallots 1-2 green bell-peppers 1 red pointed pepper 15 dried apricots (if possible it should be the soft ones, not the completely dried ones) 600 g tomatoes 100 g fennel 2 cloves of garlic 20 black olives 1 Tbsp. tomato paste 1 Tbsp. ricard 2-3 stems thyme (if you use dried crushed thyme: 1 Tbsp.) Salt, pepper, mild paprika Ca. 100 mL water If you have one or two potatoes left and want to get rid of them, that's fine too
Preparations Clean the bell pepper, cut into halves, remove all the seeds and the white membranes inside, cut in stripes. Cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters, depending on size. If using fresh thyme, rinse. Finely chop the cloves of garlic. Put everything aside in large bowl. Wash the fennel and cut into small pieces. If you want to add potatoes, peel them and cut into bite-sized pieces. Also put on the side. Peel the shallots and halve if necessary, also set aside. Put 15 apricots and 20 black olives together on the side. Wash the chicken drumsticks, pat dry and rub with salt, pepper and paprika powder. It should take roughly 45 minutes to get here.
Cooking In a frying pan, fry the chicken drumsticks in a little olive oil over a medium heat until they have a nice dark brown colour, remove. Fry the shallots over a high-medium heat until they are medium brown, about 2 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add 1 Tbsp of tomato puree, the fennel pieces (and potatoes if using) and fry for a further 4 to 5 minutes. Add the bowl of vegetables, stir well and season with salt and pepper. Tip everything into the tajine, add 1 Tbsp Ricard, 100 mL water, apricots and olives. Stir well, add the chicken legs, cover, place in the oven (fan oven setting) and cook at 160°C for approx. 40-45 minutes.

 

Sam-poe-ke (Updated - v2)

 

Goes well with rice or wok noodles.

Preparation time: a good hour

Preparation You'll need: A medium pot A wok
Ingredients (for 2 persons) Around 6 Pollo Fino (at least 800 g) Ginger (around 5 to 6 centimetres) 6-7 hot red chilis 4 spring onions (only the leaves are needed) A bunch of Thai basil if you buy stems, around 100 to 150 grams 20 cloves of garlic (2 bulbs) - if possible fresh garlic (see photo). 2 Tbsp. sesame oil 125 mL rice wine 75 mL soy sauce 2 Tbsp. brown raw sugar
First steps Bring enough water to boil, cook the chicken meat until completely white. Remove and set aside. Clean the ginger, don't peel it. Cut in thin slices. Chop the chilis. Wash the stems of the spring onions and cut the leaves into 4 to 5 centimetres long pieces. Wash the Thai basil and pick the leaves. Cut the cloves in thin slices. Measure 125 ml rice wine and 75 ml soy sauce in together.
The Wok I usually take rice that needs to cook for 10 minutes. Now would be a good time to start with it... :) Heat the sesame oil (2 Tbsp.). Fry the ginger until brown. Add garlic and stir. Add meat, chilis and spring onion stems and cook for a short time. Now add the rice wine, soy sauce and 2 Tbsp. sugar, cover and cook over a high heat until the sauce has completely disappeared and the meat is well browned - this also causes the sugar to caramelise.
Last Steps When done, switch off the heat, sprinkle a few drops sesame oil over the meat. Add Thai basil, close lid again. Let it sit for a few seconds (under half a minute) then serve hot.

 

Chicken Tajine with dried plums (Updated - v2)

 

 Goes well with Couscous (100-150 g), but also with rice or flat bread.

Preparation time around 80-90 minutes
About 45 minutes until the tajine can go into the oven and then another 35-45 minutes, depending on the size of the drumsticks.

Preparation You'll need: A large pan A large pot or Tajine or cooking brick A small pot
Ingredients (for 2 persons) 2 chicken legs (ca. 700 g, at least 600 g!) 450 to 500 g large tomatoes 5 small potatoes, approx. 250-300 g 400 mL chicken broth Ca. 12 dried plums (100-120 g) 25 g raisins 25 g almonds (blanched, whole nuts) 1 table spoon honey 1-2 cm fresh ginger 1 cinnamon stick Saffron, Salt, Pepper 1 bunch coriander leaves Olive oil ChezTeddy Tip: Two things should not be missing with these Tajine dishes: To have the food more spicy, one should always place a tube of Harissa on the table. I would, if available, take 'Le Phare du Cap Bon' Harissa. That one tastes really the best. Also you should always place plucked coriander leaves on the table, so that everyone can serve himself.
Preparation First roast the almonds in the pan until they are medium or dark brown; then put them on their side. You can either put them in a small bowl on the dining table so that everyone can take a few as they like, or you can put them in the tajine at the end as soon as you take them out of the oven again. Fry drumsticks in plain olive oil until nicely browned (about 10-15 minutes), then salt and pepper. Peel and chop the tomatoes. Chop the ginger into small pieces. Peel the potatoes and cut in half if necessary. Put the chicken legs in the tajine and spread the tomatoes on top and pour 400 ml of poultry stock. Add potatoes, 12 plums, 1 Tbsp. honey, ginger, cinnamon stick, 25 g raisins and saffron to the tajine, mix well. Now place the tajine covered in the oven (at 180℃) and cook until the chicken legs are done (about 35-45 minutes). In the meantime, you can pluck the coriander green and place it in a small bowl on the dining table and prepare the couscous just before the end.

 

Chicken Indian Style (Updated - v2)

 

This goes best with Naan, but also with Chapatis.

Preparation time around 90 minutes!

Preparation You'll need: A wok A large pot A pan or a pot to precook the legs A small bag for spices
Ingredients (for 2 persons) 2 or 3 chicken legs (around 900 g, at least 700 g) 2 medium-sized onions Around 350 to 400 g of large tomatoes 3 Tbsp. seed oil (sunflower, walnut) 2 centimetres fresh ginger 4 cloves of garlic 150 to 175 g yoghurt 30 to 50 g Cashew seeds (for want of that take pine nut) 150 g farmer cheese or cream cheese. fresh coriander leaves 2 tsp. coriander seeds 1 tsp. black cumin seeds 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds ½ tsp. mustard seeds 2-3 chillis, red and green 1 bay leaf 4 cloves ½ cinnamon stick 1 tsp. turmeric 1 tsp. ground coriander ½ tsp. chilli flakes 1-2 tsp. Garam Masala ½ tsp. salt
First steps Bring enough water to a boil in a large pot so that the tomatoes (350-400 g) are completely covered. Add them to the water only when the water is boiling. After 15 to 25 seconds (depending on ripeness and kind of tomato) take the tomatoes out and rinse with cold water. Put them on the side. Now cook the chicken legs in enough water for 20-25 minutes. Also rinse with cold water. Remove the skin.
Separating the ingredients on different plates
1st plate: Put all spices here, that are not ground: 1 table spoon fresh coriander leaves, hacked 2 tsp. coriander seeds 1 tsp. black cumin seeds 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds ½ tsp. mustard seeds 2-3 chillis, red and green
2nd plate: Peel the 2 medium-sized onions and dice them.
3rd plate: Cut 3 cm ginger in small cubes. Press 4 cloves of garlic. Now peel 350-400 g tomatoes and dice them roughly.
4th plate: The cooked chicken legs
5th plate: Here go all the ground spices and the salt. ½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. turmeric 1 tsp. ground coriander ½ tsp. chilli flakes 1-2 tsp. Garam Masala You should put these spices in a tea bag or similar: 1 bay leaf 4 cloves 1 small cinnamon stick
6th plate: The yoghurt, the cashew seeds and the farmer cheese go here. Put the coriander leaves here, too. Put the plate back into the fridge until you need it. 150-175 g yoghurt 150 g farmer cheese 30-50 g cashew seeds Coriander leaves
Preparation Now that you have done all the preparations and are starting the actual cooking, it will take another 1 hour. Heat oil in a wok and fry all the spices from plate 1 in it - for about a minute. Then add the onions from plate 2 and fry for approx. 5-10 minutes over a good medium heat., at most until they are lightly browned. Put the tomatoes, the ginger and the garlic of plate 3 into the wok and cook for three minutes, stir frequently. Place the mallets together with the spices (plate 5, loose and in the sachet) in the wok, stir and simmer the dish covered over a low to medium heat for about 35 minutes. In the meantime, you should pluck the coriander leaves, this takes some time (with the amount, that we want, it takes 15 to 20 minutes!). Also stir from time to time (after 20 minutes check how much liquid is there, shouldn't be too much, otherwise just raise the temperature a bit and remove the lid). As soon as the meat is cooked through (it is best to check on several pieces), remove teabag, add the yoghurt (150-175 g), 30-50 g cashew seeds and 150 g cream cheese (plate 6) and stir everything well and let it boil up briefly. To serve, sprinkle with the coriander leaves.

 

Paella (Updated - v2)

 

Preparation time approx. 1.5 hours

Preparation You'll need: Tefal Astucio, if you have one ;-) - The cooking settings (level 2, 3) are for the Astucio! Alternative: A large frying pan or better a wok, with lid Another large pan (for frying chicken, chorizo and shrimps)
Ingredients (for 2 persons) 2 chicken legs 100 g Chorizo [tʃoˈɾiθo] 4 cloves of garlic 6 to 12 large prawns, depending on size, preferably with shell 2 half bell peppers, red and yellow 125 g plain rice 1 medium sized onion 2 medium tomatoes 100 g peas 250 g seafood (Shrimps, clams, calamaris) A pinch of genuine Saffron Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, olive oil 200 mL water
First steps If the seafood and/or the Gambas are deep-frozen, take them out of the packages and let them each thaw in sparate plates. Also, if necessary, let the peas thaw in a not too small bowl (you can add the tomatoes a bit later). Fry the chicken legs in regular olive oil on medium to high heat in a large pan until they are nicely brown. This will take some time - in the meantime... Clean the bell-peppers and cut them into not too small pieces. Roughly dice the onion, chop the cloves of garlic. Put everything, together with the rice, into a bowl, set aside. Remove the skin of the Chorizo and cut into not too thin slices (4 to 5 mm). Dice the tomatoes, add to the peas. When the legs are done, set aside in a plate and render the fat from the sausage on medium heat, until the pieces just start to get brown. Add the sausages to the chicken legs, pour the fat away.
Preparation Heat up 3 Tbsp. olive oil (regular) in the Astucio on position 2 (medium heat). Add chicken legs and sausage, then the plate with bell-pepper, rice, onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper, mix well. Let it cook on 3 until the rice starts to get translucent, that doesn't take too much time. Add the tomatoes and peas, the saffron and a good deal of cayenne pepper, plus 200 mL water. Bring to boil on position 3, then cover it, let it cook on position 2 to 2.5. It has to stew for around 30 minutes, with adding the seafood after 10 minutes (at the same time you can stir and season to taste with salt, pepper and more cayenne pepper). Fry the gambas with shell on both sides in the used pan with some oil to activate their taste. 5 Minutes before the half hour of cooking is over, add the fried gambas (you can leave the shell on the large Gambas, but remove the head) - stir again at the same time. This would also be a good time to check, if a little bit more water might be needed. Finally, cover the paella and let it stand for 10 minutes. Tastes better this way :-)

Green Chicken Curry (Updated - v2)

 

 This is a hot Thai meal!

Preparation You'll need: One medium sized pot
Ingredients (for 2 to 3 persons) 350 to 450 g (max) Pollo Fino (3-4 pieces) 150-200 g mangetout 400 mL coconut milk (1 can) 2 red chillis 100 g green curry paste (kaeng khiao wan) 3 Tbsp. thai fish sauce 1 Tbsp. sugar 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Preparing the ingredients Cut the meat in thin long stripes, half the pea pods, cut the chillis small.
Cooking everything Take half of the can of coconut milk and bring it to boil in the pot. Add the curry paste, stir and let it cook for a minute. Then add all the rest and let it cook at small to medium heat for 10 minutes, that's it.

Best with rice.

You can also do it with big shrimps: