served on a bed of shredded
trid pastry,
msemen, meloui or day old bread. The blend of
Ras El Hanout, fenugreek seeds (helba in
Arabic), saffron and other spices makes a truly
unique and delicious dish, and as such, it's
traditionally served on the third day following
the birth of a child or for special occasions. Of
course, it can be offered at other times as well.
Organic, free range chicken works best due to
the long cooking time. If serving four people,
make one batch of the Msemen Recipe. If
1serving six, make 1/2 batches.
Using leftover bread instead of msemen will
reduce the prep time. If using msemen which
isn't fresh, steam it in a couscoussier prior to
serving.
Serves 4 to 6.
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours
Ingredients:
- 1chicken, quartered or left whole
- 2or 3 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1/3cup olive oil
- 2teaspoons salt
- 2teaspoons pepper
- 1tablespoon ginger
- 2teaspoons Ras El Hanout
- 1teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8easpoon Moroccan yellow colorant
- (optional)
- For the Lentils
- 1/2cup uncooked lentils
- 2tablespoons fenugreek seeds, soaked
- overnight and drained
- 1teaspoon saffron threads, heated gently and
- then crumbled
- 1small handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 3cups water
- 1teaspoon smen (Moroccan preserved butter)
- Msemen or Trid
- to 1 batches of cooked msemen or trid
Preparation:
Ahead of Time
Soak the fenugreek seeds in water for at least
several hours, but overnight if possible. I also
recommend soaking the lentils in water for
several hours.
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, mix the chicken
with the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, ginger,
turmeric and Ras El Hanout spices. Stir to coat
the chicken well, cover, and set aside to
marinate for a few hours, or overnight in the
refrigerator.
Make and shred the msemen into bite-size
pieces ahead of time (up to a day in advance),
following the Msemen Recipe; at serving time,
reheat the shredded msemen by steaming it in
couscoussier.
OR the msemen can be made concurrent with
the cooking of the chicken, in which case it's not
necessary to steam the freshly shredded
msemen. If choosing this method,
plan to fold,
cook, and tear the msemen into bite-sized
pieces while the chicken and lentils are
simmering on the stove.
Cook the Chicken and Lentils
Place the chicken on the stove over medium
heat, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally,
for about 15 to 20 minutes, until a rich sauce
has formed.
If using a free range chicken: Add the drained
fenugreek seeds, saffron, parsley, cilantro and 4
cups of water. Cover, and simmer over medium-
low to medium heat for about one hour. Add the
lentils and continue cooking, covered, for
another hour or longer, until the chicken and
lentils are quite tender. Add water during the
cooking if necessary to ensure that ample broth
is left in the pot.
If using a regular, factory-raised chicken: Add
the drained lentils, drained fenugreek seeds,
saffron, parsley, cilantro and 3 cups of water.
Cover, and simmer over medium-low to medium
heat for about one hour, or until the lentils are
tender and the chicken is well-cooked. There
should be ample broth in the pot. (If there's
not, add a little water, tasting to be sure that
the seasoning is not diluted.)
Taste the broth for salt, and add the teaspoon of smen, swirling the pot to mix it into the broth
. If
desired, remove the chicken from the pot and
place it under a broiler for a few minutes to
brown and crisp the skin.
Serve the Chicken Rfisa
Shred freshly made msemen while they are still
hot (or steam previously shredded msemen for
ten minutes). Mound the msemen on a large
serving dish. Add the chicken to the bed
ofmsemen, and distribute most of the broth and
lentils over both the chicken and the
shreddedmsemen. Reserve a bowlful of broth to
offer on the side.
Moroccan tradition is to gather around this
single large dish, with each person eating from
his own side of the plate either by hand or with
a spoon.
enjoy it
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