Djaj Mqualli (Moroccan Chicken, Olive, and Lemon Tagine)
olive oil
chicken thighs
sea salt
onion, sliced
ground coriander
ground cayenne
ground fatalii
ground ginger
ground turmeric
crushed saffron threads
ground garlic
chicken stock
green olives, sliced
unsalted butter
chopped parsley
chopped cilantro
lemon, cut into slices
Heat oven to 350°. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper (cayenne guys…. don't get excited!); add to pot and cook, turning, until browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Add onions to pot; cook until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add remaining ground spices; cook for 2 minutes. Return chicken to pot with stock; boil. Bake chicken, covered, until tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Stir olives, butter, parsley, cilantro, and lemons into pot, and cook for 6 minutes. Recipe from www.saveur.com.
Of course, Saveur doesn't use fatalii powder, but it does use preserved lemon instead of fresh lemon. It takes roughly a week to make preserved lemons; I will try this at another time. In addition to green olives, I added a few kalamatas in truffle oil. "Tagine" is the name of an inverted funnel-shaped terra cotta cooking vessel and the name is also given to stews cooked in it. This tagine is one of the most common and basic types made in Morocco. It is most often served with flatbread or rice.
Naan (Indian flatbread)
1/2 cup ice water
1/3 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
3 tbsp + 1 tsp oil
1 large egg yolk
2 cups AP flour
1-1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp instant or fast-acting yeast
1-1/4 tsp salt
Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl. Place dry ingredients except salt into food processor and process 2 seconds. With processor running, slowly add wet ingredients and process about 10 seconds. Let dough rest 10 minutes. Add salt and process 30 to 60 seconds. Turn dough onto lightly-floured surface and knead about 1 minute. Shape into ball and place into lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly and refrigerate 16 to 24 hours.
Transfer dough to lightly-floured surface and separate into 4 pieces; roll each piece into a tight ball. Place on lightly-oiled baking sheet, cover will plastic wrap and let rest 15 to 20 minutes.
Transfer 1 ball to lightly-floured surface and sprinkle with flour. Roll/press to about a 9-inch round. Use fork to poke 20-25 times. Heat 1 tsp oil in 12-in skillet on medium heat until shimmering, then wipe out with paper towel. Lightly mist surface of dough and place, misted side down, into skillet. Mist the top of the dough then tightly cover skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes. Turn, cover, and cook 2-3 minutes more. Serve immediately with the Djaj Mqualli. Recipe from The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook.
This is comfort food at its best - not the prettiest, but almost ridiculously tasty. The spices make this such a fragrant dish you will be tempted to take it out of the oven too soon! While Naan is traditionally cooked in a final stage over an open flame, I have electric so looked for a recipe that did not require flame. The ATK recipe is superb - the naan is very soft yet with a thin, subtle crust. This is definitely the best naan I have ever tried. I thought it was interesting that naan is considered to be "restaurant bread" in the cities in India, as it is traditionally baked in a tandoor oven, which most homes do not have.
The seasonings that went into the pot after the onions were browned:
Djaj Mqalli in the pot, fresh from the oven:
Naan, right after the flip:
You could easily serve this in a bowl and use the naan to sop up the juices
I had to support this well with my fingers to get this nacho-style shot since the naan is so soft.
Don't adjust your yellow filter - between the saffron and the lemons, this really is a very yellow, delicious dish!
Guess I'll double post for this TD. 
