Bill Granger's Chicken Tagine and Jamie Oliver's Broccoli with Asian Dressing

This blog is mostly about baking, but sometimes, I think a break from all things sweet is good. Accordingly, for a change, I am going to share a savoury recipe which is typical of the kind of dish I like to eat.

First up is chicken tagine by Bill Granger from Simply Bill:


This version of chicken tagine does not contain any dried apricots (dang!), but it does taste good. There are sufficient spices in it that it has quite a kick - if you like a little less kick, you should bear this in mind when making this.

To make it, you will need:

8 chicken legs or thighs on the bone, skin and fat removed
2 chopped onions
4 crushed cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
500ml water
2 pinches saffron threads (I left these out)
115g sliced green olives
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Place the chicken, onions, garlic, ginger, spices and water in a large saucepan, and cover with lid. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer for an 1 hour. Stir occasionally during that time, and skim off any fat. Increase the heat to high, remove the lid from the saucepan, and cook for 15 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half. Stir through the olives and lemon juice. Serve with cous cous. (Serves 4.)


The other dish that I made to accompany my tagine and to give me some much needed veges was Jamie Oliver's Broccoli with Asian Dressing from Jamie's Ministry of Food.



I would never touch broccoli as a child, but I am now rather fond of it, and it is even better with this fabulous Asian dressing.

To make it, you will need:

600g broccoli
Thumb sized piece of fresh ginger
1 clove garlic
1 red chilli
1 tablespoon sesame oil (I left this out)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Break the broccoli up into little florets. Steam the broccoli florets for 6 minutes or until the broccoli is tender (all you need is a colander set over a saucepan of boiling water, with the colander covered with a piece of alfoil).

While the broccoli is steaming, grate the ginger and garlic into a bowl. Halve, deseed and finely chop the chilli, and add to the bowl. Stir in the oils, the soy sauce and the lime juice. Add the balsamic vinegar, stir and taste.

When the broccoli is steamed, place it on a serving plate, and pour over the dressing.

This broccoli is delicious - I highly recommend it.

Have a wonderful Sunday!