Single Guy Cooking: Cooking Date: Moroccan Braised Chicken & Linguini with Garlic Shrimp

I’ve cooked for plenty of women before; but, never had I cooked alongside any female other than my mother and a close friend or two – and never in the context of a “date.” Only knowing each other for a couple weeks, it sounded like a fun proposition. We were to each cook a separate dish – hopefully complimenting ones; working simultaneously, but separately (although offering a helping hand), each trying to dazzle, or at least not disgust, the other’s taste buds.

I cooked a braised chicken dish reminiscent of my time in Fez and Marrakesh – the braising liquid infused with olives, lemon wedges, almonds, honey, and a blend of Moroccan inspired spices: paprika, cumin, and cinnamon. Each bite was powerful, the flavors mixing to create a strong flavor but still distinct such that olive, lemon and cumin can be tasted apart.

She made a simple linguini and shrimp sophisticated with lemon juice, arugula, baby tomatoes, plenty of garlic and a good dose of olive oil. Italian and Moroccan – both with tones of lemon – went surprisingly well together. As did the two chefs in the kitchen, ; ).

On a Single Guy Cooks note, this dish was simple, fairly inexpensive and the most exhaustive resource is time and patience. I would recommend reading the previous post to familiarize yourself with the process of braising (although, honestly, its far from rocket science).

Ingredients:

The spice mix:

1 tbsp of paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 tbsp of white flour

1 teaspoon ground ginger (or minced/paste out of bottle)

1 Whole Chicken, cut into 8 pieces and trimmed of excess fat, skin, etc. (this means: two breasts, two thighs, two drumsticks, and two wings - pretty standard)

1 large white onion – sliced up

2 Lemons (preferably Meyer) – feel free to adjust amount of Lemon based on your liking. I used two very large lemons, squeezing juice from one and cutting the other into 8 wedges. It was the dominant flavor.

1 tbsp of honey

Handful of almonds (or other nut of choice: cashews could work as well)

2 to 4 garlic cloves – minced or smashed

½ cup of white wine

½ cup green olives (can buy them canned)

2 cups (or a bit more) of chicken broth

1 to 2 tbsp of olive oil

Instructions:

1. Pat dry chicken and cover generously with salt and pepper

2. Heat olive oil, 2 tbsp at most, in large braising pot (clay dutch oven works best, but big metal pot is just fine like I am using) on high heat

3. Once very hot, brown the chicken (it should crackle when you lay chicken in pot) – skin side down until skin is deep golden brown. A couple pieces at a time to make sure everything is adequately browned. It is helpful to use tongs to move around the chicken. Note: this step is essential to producing a good dish.

4. Transfer browned chicken to a plate as you go along and set to side

5. Add onions and garlic to sizzling hot pan - there should be chicken scraps burned on the bottom (this adds fat and flavor). At this point I favor a wooden spoon for moving everything around

6. Once the onions and garlic are softened and brown, add the lemon juice and wedges to the pot for a couple minutes, then add olives, and let sauté a bit.

7. Next, add white wine to deglaze pot by using the wooden spoon to scrape bits off bottom and create a little sauce. Then add the spice mix (including flour) and honey plus chicken back into the pot. Make sure the chicken is submerged in the sauce.

8. Leave uncovered until the pot boils (may need to raise heat)

Let is cook slow, and then go entertain your lady friend:

9. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and let simmer for at least 25 minutes. The longer it simmers (low heat), the more tender the chicken will become. Slow, long and low – that is how the process works to create the ultimate braise allowing spices, liquids, fats to tenderize the chicken.

Make a killer sauce/gravy (like icing on the cake):

10. Once you feel the chicken is cooked to your liking, use a ladle and/or cup to scoop about two to three cups of broth including onions, lemon wedges, almonds, etc. (not the chicken) into a separate pot or sauce pan. Turn sauce pan to med/high heat and let the broth cook down into a thicker sauce. Make sure it doesn’t burn by frequently stirring (almost whisking) the sauce. Adding a touch of white flour can help thicken into a gravyesque liquid. Cook down until you are a) too hungry too wait any longer because it smells so good b) it looks ready or c) the girl’s dish is ready

Optional Steps/Ingredients:

- If you want to make this a “one pot” meal – consider adding canned/precooked chickpeas towards the end (around step 9). Potatoes and other veggies could be potentially also be added such as cauliflower, cabbage, sweet potato, etc.

- Once thoroughly braised (after step 9), remove a few pieces of chicken from pot and place on a broiler tray in the oven on high to crisp the skin. That could be real nice.

Candlelit dinner - presentation... very pretty. Set a top rice, lentils or couscous or alongside a pasta dish so flavors don't mix too much at first. The olives add nice color.

Wine Pairing: Spanish Albarino ($16.99, Wine Enthusiast: 87)

Per my father's recommendation, we drank a fairly strong and uniquely flavored albarino wine from Spain called Nora. The color of the wine was a deeper, golden and very fitting for the meal and its colors.