Algerian Artichoke Tagine
Spring vegetables with hearts of artichokes and chunks of juicy chicken make this Algerian dish a staple especially for the months February- June
When I used to think of tagine, I always thought of tajine zaytoon (olive and chicken tagine). And when I used to think of artichoke, I always remembered the way my mom used to steam or boil an artichoke and serve it with an olive oil dip. I remember peeling the artichoke petals and dipping the meaty part of the petal into the dip and then scraping what I could off the artichoke. Such a process but so good! I don’t cook full artichokes often (you bet I will after this trip down memory lane) but this artichoke Tajine I make regularly now, especially since it’s one of my husband’s favorite dishes. So now when people mention “tagine”, I say which one?
Pairing
the artichoke bottoms and green peas go so well together. Both are sweet and starchy. Cook it with preserved lemons or serve it with wedges of lemon, the lemon juice will cut through the sweetness and fat of the chicken for a well balanced dish.
Algerian Artichoke Tagine (Qarnoon)
by Sakina | May 2019
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 55 minutes
- Inactive time: 0 minutes
- Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt and more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon Ras El Hanout
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 4 skinless chicken thighs *
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, chopped *
- 1 celery stalk, chopped *
- 4 cloves of garlic *
- ½ cup chopped parsley *
- 1 tomato, peeled and diced*
- 1 ½ cup green peas *
- 1 14 ounce bag of artichoke bottoms or 10 artichoke bottoms (see note)
- Salt and pepper to serve
- Chopped parsley to serve
- Optional: 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
Instructions:
- In a small bowl mix the marinade components: 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, black pepper, Ras El Hanout, and cumin.
- In a bottom heavy medium-sized pot, over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and sauté until wilted, 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken into the pot and sear on both sides. The onion and spices will start browning so scrape them off often.
- Add garlic, parsley, and tomato. Saute, stirring often until the chicken juices start bubbling. Lower the heat and cover, let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add 1 cup of hot water (or chicken stock), bring to a simmer, cover and let it stew until it reduces slightly, 15 minutes.
- Rinse the artichoke bottoms using lemon juice instead of water to avoid darkening the bottoms. Add the artichokes and the green peas to the simmering chicken. See note.
- Cover the pot and cook Tagine for 30 minutes at low heat making sure artichoke bottoms are cooked through. They should be soft with a slight bite, if overcooked they will break apart. See note.
- Serve warm. Enjoy!
Notes:
- We buy our artichoke bottoms from Halal stores (Indian/Pakistani/Arab). If you don't have access to one, you can make your own using the following technique: cut off the stem, remove the green artichoke petals one at a time, cut off the yellow artichoke petals, cut out the hairy choke and prickly leaves inside, and rub the artichoke hearts with lemon juice to delay browning. You can steam the stalk and the petals you removed for a delicious appetizer. Serve with a lemon and olive oil #wastenothing
- If you would like your peas bright green with slight firmness, delay adding them untl 15 minutes later. They turn khaki green when cooked longer than 10 minutes.
- The thickness of artichoke hearts can vary, remove cooked ones to avoid overcooking them.
Denotes items that we prefer to be organic. Read more about it here: Items to buy organic when grocery shopping.
