Mothering Sunday was this last Sunday in the UK - it falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent. I asked my Mummy to come over for lunch a while ago and was excited to cook for her. Food is a big thing in our family. And that's GOOD food. We talk about it constantly and love cooking for each other. But not just any old thing. I think we all like to impress the others and enjoy looking at satisfied faces at the end of a meal. My boyfriend and I are obsessed with food. We don't eat out that often simply because we think (quite big-headed of us!) that we can cook it better than your average restaurant. Usually I do the baking, he does the main courses. Team work but it also means we can't interfere with what's being prepared. At the moment said boy is away - STILL - so the main course was down to me for Mothering Sunday. Quite by accident the entire meal had a Middle Eastern feel - we had nibbles first which included my Courgette and Avocado Houmous, then this deliciously wonderful casserole and finished with my Pistachio, Almond and Carrot cake. Yum yum yum. Packed full of flavours and warmth, which was just as well because it was freezing on Sunday. So much for Spring. I promptly lit the fire and soon the house was cosy and the dogs were happy. Thank goodness for that!
This dish is definitely better if you can marinade the chicken AT LEAST 6 hours beforehand. I marinaded mine the night before and popped it in the fridge for the flavours to develop. I serve it with cauliflower purée with masses of olive oil, cumin and coriander whizzed up with it. Serves 3-6 depending on how much cake you want afterwards.
You will need:
6 large free range and organic chicken thighs -skin on and bone in.
2 large red onions
1 unwaxed lemon
handful of pitted green olives - drain and rinse thoroughly
handful of fresh coriander
500 ml good chicken stock
1 tsp turmeric
1 heaped tsp smoked paprika
1 heaped tsp cumin seed
2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
good olive oil
For the cauliflower purée:
1 large cauliflower
1-2 tsp heaped ground cumin
fruity olive oil
salt
pepper
small handful fresh coriander
The night before you want to make this, prepare the marinade. Crush the garlic with a pestle and mortar. Add the smoked paprika, turmeric and cumin seeds and grind to a paste. Add enough olive oil to make it runny enough to coat the chicken.
In a dish place the chicken and rub the marinade all over, making sure it is fully coated. Cover with lid or cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
When you are ready to cook, pre-heat your oven to 150 degrees centigrade and heat a little olive oil in an oven proof dish and fry off the onions until they are soft. Add the chicken thighs skin side down and brown off. Turn over and brown the other side. Add the sliced lemon slices on top and some salt and pepper and enough chicken stock to just cover the meat. Cover with the lid and bring to a boil for about 1 minute. Place into the oven for 40 minutes until the meat is tender and almost falling off the bone. Whilst the casserole is cooking, make your cauliflower purée. Remove the centre of the cauliflower and roughly chop up the remainder. Boil for 3-4 minutes until tender. Transfer to a food processor and add a good glug of olive oil, salt and pepper. Whizz for about 30 seconds then add your ground cumin and more oil if necessary. Scrape down the sides and then finally add the coriander. Whizz again until smooth. Transfer to a dish and keep warm until you are ready to serve.
When the chicken is done, add the coriander and olives and return to the oven for 5 minutes to warm the olives through.
To serve I used a round cutter to plate up the purée and added a little extra coriander to garnish. Spoon out 1-2 thighs per person and a couple of olives and plenty of the fragrant onion and juices.
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