Chicken tagine with prunes and almonds and black labrador narration
Hello! It’s Hugo writing today’s recipe. I have a feeling the bossy, yellow-haired one often refers to me as the ‘neurotic canine’ or some such. She’s a fine one to talk — you should have seen the state she was in when I was ill recently *evil cackle*. I’m not going to say anything bitchy about her though because she takes me for a nice long walk everyday, if I do abandon her the second we set out, only coming back to shake my dripping, muddy self all over her. This tagine was paw-licking-good, although I might suggest that next time she remove the prune stones. I don’t mind crunching on bones, but stones are for girls. In fact, I spat them out and left them for the hens!
Ingredients (serves 4)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
8 chicken thighs
Juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bay leaf
Two generous tablespoons of orange marmalade (or apricot jam)
400g dried prunes
200g almonds, roughly chopped
500ml chicken stock
Fresh coriander to serve
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Gently brown the onions, garlic and chicken in the olive oil in a medium-sized casserole dish. Once golden brown (after about eight minutes), add the lemon juice, seasoning and spices and continue to brown for a further five minutes. Add the marmalade (or jam), prunes, almonds and chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook in the oven for about an hour and a half or until the sauce is beginning to caramelise slightly.
I served this with spicy cauliflower.
19 Comments
apuginthekitchen
Hi Hugo!! Lovely narration, you are quite prolific!!! Love the tagine and I am with you on the pits in the prunes. LOL!! This was so cute, seriously it’s a great recipe.
The Healthy Epicurean
Hi Mrs Apug! 🙂 I’m very envious because apparently your dogs are allowed in the kitchen and I’ve been banned from ours 🙁 Can I come and live with you?
apuginthekitchen
LOL! Izzy and Nando here, sure come on over our other canine friends love to come here because we have our human wrapped around our little paws!!
The Healthy Epicurean
I’m on my way!
apuginthekitchen
LOL!! I think Izzy and Nando and Hugo should start their own blog.
The Healthy Epicurean
Excellent idea. Especially if it keeps Hugo off MY blog 😆
apuginthekitchen
Yes, actually it would be really cute!!
apuginthekitchen
It would certainly cement the fact that i am that crazy pug lady!!
The Healthy Epicurean
You and me both 😉
apuginthekitchen
I’m in good company!!
The Healthy Epicurean
Woof !
Chez Foti
Sounds wonderful, we’re drooling and dribbling just thinking about it. Wish our two legged cook/walker would make it for us too (without the stones), sending lots of doggie love, Dotty & Freddy (aged 1 and 12)
The Healthy Epicurean
Bonjour Dotty et Freddy 🙂 I hear that you, Dotty suffered from the same thing as me recently, Piroplasmosis 🙁 That wasn’t much fun was it? Still, at least I got some sympathy home-cooked red meat out of it 🙂
Chez Foti
Oh i was very poorly Hugo and not my normal crazy collie self for a few days. It’s my first birthday today by the way (bones and shoes to chew very welcome) and I see that my other non-cook man owner (the cook one has gone away) has taken delivery of half a muntjac deer….presumably for me? At least that’s what I thought when trying to wrestle it off the kitchen table earlier 🙂
The Healthy Epicurean
Well of course you would have thought it’s for you. Especially if it’s your birthday! How can half a muntjac deer on the kitchen table NOT be for you? I’ve been banned from the kitchen for the foreseeable because I jumped up onto the table and stole a custard tart yesterday. The bossy, yellow-haired one was NOT a happy bunny. She said some very strange words 🙁
Dana Artinyan, RD
Such a cute format! And more importantly, a delicious-sounding recipe! I’ve been jonesing to make a tagine and will have to use this recipe! Thanks, Hugo! 🙂
The Healthy Epicurean
You’re welcome Dana 🙂
Jason Rice MD
I loved this post! Sounds delicious, and your writing is really entertaining and creative. Will definitely be checking out more of your stuff!
The Healthy Epicurean
Thank you for the lovely compliment Jason – I hope you continue to enjoy it 🙂