Maftoul with Chicken, Chickpeas, and Pearl Onions

This came from a news magazine, so my expectations were very, very low. But let me describe the success of this dish in this way: the night I served it for dinner, I went to bed looking forward to leftovers the next day. It is that good. My only regret is that I have had this recipe for six years and only made it for the first time now.

These proportions (below) are a little wonky. They yield perhaps twice as much maftoul as the rest of the recipe can support. So, either half the maftoul and then the dish will serve maybe 4-6 servings. Or, double the chicken (but not the onions).

Maftoul with Chicken, Chickpeas, and Pearl Onions
The Week

Ingredients:

6 tsps	caraway
1	T allspice
1	T cumin
1	T coriander
1	T salt
1	T pepper
1/2 tsp	nutmeg
1/2 tsp	cardamon
1/2 tsp	cinnamon
1	2 1/2 - 3 lb chicken, cut into 4-8 pieces
10	T olive oil or 4 T ghee
2	lb pearl onions, fresh, peeled (can use frozen)
4	yellow onions, chopped
1	lb chickpeas, dried, soaked overnight, and boiled - or 2 15 oz cans drained
	juice of 1/2 lemon
2	lb maftoul

In a bowl, combine caraway, allspice, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, and cinnamon. Rub half of the spice mixture over the chicken. Set the other half aside.

In a large Dutch oven, heat 6 T oil or 4 T ghee over medium heat. Slip chicken skin-side down into pot. Sear until golden brown - 6-8 minutes. Flip and sear 5 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Add pearl and yellow onions and saute until they begin to color, 5-7 minutes. Return chicken to pot; add chickpeas and 3 quarts water; bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is about to fall off the bone, 45-60 minutes. Stir in lemon juice.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet fitted with a lid, heat 4 T oil over medium heat. Add maftoul, stir to coat, and saute until pearly white, 2-3 minutes. Stir in reserved spice mixture and suate until fragrant. Pour in 6 c stock from the chicken pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the maftoul is soft, 15-20 minutes, adding more broth as needed.

Spoon the maftoul onto a large, rimmed serving platter. Arrange chicken, chickpeas, and onions around it.

Comments

Cauliflower and Arugula Soup with Tibetan Flatbread

Because the weather is chilly, and because I had a bag of arugula from the last farm box taunting me, only to be compounded by a fresh bag of arugula from the recent farm box, I decided to try this soup I found from a blog associated with a California-based CSA, Eat Outside the Box . Cauliflower and Arugula Soup Eat Outside the Box farm blog 1 head cauliflower 1 red or white onion, peeled and chopped 3/4 lb zucchini, peeled and chopped 1/4 lb arugula 15 oz stock 15 oz water 1 T olive oil salt and pepper Parmesan cheese, grated First, let me state how important it is to wash your arugula before using it. I don't know about you, but sometimes I get lazy and rely on the "well, if it doesn't kill me, it'll just make me stronger" approach to washing my foods and vegetables. This laziness is only enhanced when the food I'm considering has come from an organic farm. But leaving aside all the various things that can get on the food

Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles

I love this dish so much that I can barely stand it. Delicious the night it was made, and fantastic as leftovers throughout the week. Mayocoba beans are easily replaced -- try pintos, if you can't find mayocobas. Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles Baptism of Fire 3-4 green chiles, roasted and chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 T lard or olive oil 1/2 tsp oregano 1 tsp cumin pepper 1 c mayocoba beans, dry 3 c water 1 tsp salt Cook the green chiles, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and black pepper in the fat until the onions begin to caramelize. Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the beans sit, uncovered, for an hour. You may drain the water to remove some of the slightly indigestible sugars that cause gassiness. If you decide to drain them, add enough water back into the pot to cover the beans with about 2" of water above the beans for cooking. Bring the beans back to a boil and cook, until tender. This will take

Chicken Traybake with Roasted Poblano and Tomato Salsa

This dish is delicious! Easy! And, beautiful to look at! The original recipe calls for you to process all the cooked vegetables together into a chunky salsa, but I recommend serving it as is so you have an automatic side dish. The original also calls for cooking chicken bone-in, but, the more I cook traybakes, the more I advocate for slicing chicken into tenders and cooking boneless. Just a safer bake that way because everything comes to the same temperature at the same time. Chicken Traybake with Roasted Poblano and Tomato Salsa Milk Street 1 T chili powder 2 poblano, stemmed, seeded, chopped 1 yellow onion, root end intact, in 8 wedges 1 pint cherry tomatoes 1/4 c olive oil 1 T brown sugar 1 T oregano, dried 3 lb chicken, bone-in, skin-on, trimmed 10 cloves garlic, peeled 1 T vinegar 1/4 c cilantro, chopped Heat oven to 450. In small bowl, stir together chili powder and 2 tsp salt. In large bowl, toss together pobloanos, onion wedges, tomatoes, and 1 T of the chili-power/salt mix

Donut Army

Search This Blog