Moroccan Chicken Pie

Well here we are in 2010, the beginning of a whole new decade and the opportunity to begin again afresh and inspired for the future.  I do hope that everyone’s Christmas was a loving, happy, gilded time with love, food and laughter at the fore.  I personally had one of the best Christmas’ ever and it got me thinking – in a philosophical way - about those moments when we are given the opportunity to be brave and try something new, or alternatively, play it safe and do things as they have always been done.  I know the latter option is designed to keep you safe and in your comfort zone; while the first offers you chance of new experiences and happiness, or indeed, the path to disaster.  Either way, the New Year gives a tangible commencement to start afresh and to evolve; to make new choices and aim for greater (albeit sometimes scarier) things and so, for me, 2010 stands for believing in myself, for doing things a little differently to how I have done them before and of course, for creating and cooking glorious recipes that taste delicious, feed the soul and make me delighted to be an Intolerant Gourmet. 

For my first post back I wanted to make something that complements the coming seasons and the crisp frosts and cold chills of our current January days.  Now is the time for root vegetables: parsnips, celeriac, suede and sweet potato are the perfect antidote to these dark and wintry evenings; their vibrant, fiery colours cheer even the most chilled of hearts. There is something truly delectable about the combination of roasted meats and the sweet, starchy delight of root vegetables: crushed suede, garlic and carrot with a slow roasted shoulder of lamb, crisp celeriac chips with a seared rump steak and treacle glazed ham hock with parsnip puree. 

So delicious and all wonderful recipes (email me if you would like more details!) but for this particular dish I wanted to wake up our lazy Christmas taste buds with a delicate zing of flavours and spices and so created the Moroccan Chicken Pie.  Here, the mellow, double slow roasting of the chicken is woven with the gentle flavours of cinnamon, almond and saffron to make a delicious and warming pie.  I admit that there is a serious amount of onion in this recipe, but trust me, it cooks down to create a sweet, fragrant and delicate creamy sauce and is the perfect mellow accompaniment to the spiced chicken.  I like to top it with a thick layer of sweet potato mash, seasoned with heavy virgin olive oil and salt and pepper, and cooked until crisp on top and bubbling at the edges.  I recommend having some simple steamed spinach and/or leeks on the side, however you choose to serve it, I think you will find that this is the perfect antidote to any winter blues and truly fills the soul with joy. 

MOROCCAN CHICKEN PIE

Serves 6

For the pie filling:

6 tbsp olive oil (for roasting)

8 chicken drumsticks

2 lb white onions

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp saffron

100g flaked almonds

A bunch of coriander

For the pie topping:

4 lb sweet potato

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180c (160c Fan).  Place the flaked almonds on a baking tray and toast until golden in colour, set aside to cool.  Finely chop the coriander and peel and finely chop the onions - if the idea of chopping so many onions upsets you, you can use a food processor to grate them, it is not the method but the size that is important here.

Pour the olive oil in to a large roasting dish and combine with the finely chopped onion, cinnamon and saffron.  Season well and mix together before placing the chicken drumsticks on top of the onion.  Roast in the oven for 1 ½ hours – you can abandon it for an hour and busy yourself with other things, it shouldn’t come to any harm but if you notice the onion starting to colour too much nearer the end of cooking, just cover loosely with some tinfoil - until the chicken is meltingly tender and the onion has become a soft golden cream.

Meanwhile, peel the sweet potato and cut in to 1 ½ inch chunks.  Place in a large saucepan of salted, boiling water and cook until completely tender and beginning to come apart.  Drain and return to the saucepan with the extra virgin olive oil and plenty of seasoning.  Mash until completely smooth and creamy and then set aside.

Once the chicken is cooked, turn the oven off and allow to rest for a little (enough for you to be able to handle the meat without burning yourself) strip the meat from the drumsticks, discarding the skin and bones, and cut in to small pieces.  Return the chicken to the tray of onions, add the toasted almonds and chopped coriander and stir until combined.

Re-heat the oven to 200c (180c Fan) layer the base of a large pie dish with the chicken filling and then carefully top with the sweet potato mash until completely covered.  Return the pie to the oven and cook for around 30 minutes or until the potato is golden and bubbling on top.

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