Ingredients
3 lb chicken, quartered*
2 chicken livers
3/4 cup onion, minced
1/4 tsp saffron threads, pulverized
1 turmeric, to mix w/saffron
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped
1/4 cup ; water
2 to 3 tb. smen
2 tbsp fresh sweet butter
1/2 preserved lemon
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Directions
*See "Basic Method for Preparing Poultry" recipe.
Place prepared chicken in 5 1/2 qt. casserole with the livers and
minced onion. Sprinkle with the spices and 1 tsp. salt. Toss to coat
evenly.
Puree parsley in blender or food processor with 1/4 c water. Add half
the "parsley water" and all of the smen to the casserole. Pour in 1
cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for one
hour, adding more water if necessary. Remove chicken to a colander
when very tender and keep warm while the sauce simmers one full hour.
Heat the 2 tb. sweet butter in a skillet; gently brown the drained
chicken quarters. Transfer to a flameproof serving dish, cover, and
keep warm.
Meanwhile, add the remaining "parsley water" to the sauce in the
casserole and, by boiling rapidly, uncovered, reduce to 1 1/2 cups.
Dump the sauce, livers, and odd bits of skin and bits in the blender.
Whirl until the sauce is smooth. Pour over the chicken and reheat.
Discard the pulp from the preserved lemon and dice the peel. Sprinkle
diced lemon peel over the chicken. Simmer 5 minutes, taste for
seasoning, and add additional salt if necessary. Sprinkle with lemon
juice and serve at once.
This is a classic dish from Fez.
From _Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco_ by Paula Wolfert. New
York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1987. Pp. 205-206. ISBN 0-06-091396-7.
Typed for you by Cathy Harned.
Servings: 4 servings
Chicken Simmered In Smen Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Chicken; Poultry
The History of Recipes
It is quite feasible to prove the history of transcribed cooking instructions way back into ancient history, certainly as far back into history as early Egypt, and potentially, even further back. Interesting though that is, these, ancient recipes were just primitive pictorial recipes for meal preparation.
In fact, the oldest recipe discovered, according to Professor Solomon Katz, are a few clay tablets in the Sumerian language which describe the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made people feel wonderful. Later on, we have a couple of recipe books which appeared in the fourteenth century ; a recipe book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary named `Curye on Inglish`. Despite their titles, these books are not about the curry that is served today, but rather accounts of the types of food eaten by the rich and powerful. Later on in the 1400s, knights returning from the crusades brought us a variety of foods and herbs from the holy land, including spices like parsley and basil. These new culinary innovations prompted a torrent in manuscripts on food, most of which are now in academic collections. For the next few years, the upper classes tried to serve up the most exotic banquets, and because of this the best cooks and their collection of recipes were greatly in demand. Notwithstanding that, it wasn`t until the nineteenth century that formal cookery and recipe books rose to prominence. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, spent years to collating, verifying, and writing down the recipes of their peers. By the advent of the twentieth century, cookbooks were increasing in popularity mostly due to higher levels of literacy, people having more leisure time and having more money. The introduction of the TV gave us celebrity chefs and the accompanying recipe books. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the internet revolution, allowing us all to access massive numbers of recipes like the ones you can find on the site you are now reading. |
We hope you enjoy this Chicken Simmered In Smen recipe.
