About halfway through making this dish I thought I might have another Dalmatian disaster on my hands. Part of me was thinking what a waste of good ingredients, while the other half of me was eagerly imagining the comic potential of another culinary catastrophe. In the end I was left disappointed on both fronts; I was able to save the dish from disaster but not from the dull and the ordinary, the result being that I still felt I had squandered good ingredients on a dish that turned out to be perfectly pleasant, but rather plain and where is the comic value in that?
So why, you may ask, am I sharing it with you? Faith. And a lack of it.
Faith: This is the first time I have ever been disappointed with a recipe from Stephanie Alexander’s The Cook’s Companion. It seems so unlikely that a recipe with so many sumptuous spices could fall flat. Caroline Dewe of the Mostly Undaunted Cook certainly rates it (“Love this dish”) calling her post ‘Thank you Stephanie: Moroccan inspired chicken’.
And a lack of it: Dewe also advises “don't scimp on the saffron – ever”. Sainsbury’s sells saffron in jars containing 0.4g for £3.50. When you consider the fact that saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, this seems like a bargain. That is, until you also consider that there are 4 internationally recognised grades of saffron, referred to as ISO grades, and that “Market prices for saffron types follow directly from these ISO scores”. ISO grades measure the colour (crocin), taste (picrocrocin), and fragrance (safranal) of the saffron, with the highest scores (greater than 190) being grade I, i.e. the finest quality. Sainsbury’s does not provide the grade or the score, but I have a sneaking suspicion it falls well short of 190. I started off with a pinch of saffron, as instructed in the recipe, but by the end of the hour it took to cook the dish I had added the whole jar!
The recipe also calls for the rind of a quarter of preserved lemon and points the reader to her recipe on page 551, which she introduces as follows:
Preserved lemons last for years without refrigeration, and a slice enlivens a stuffing or is a marvellous garnish for grilled poultry or fish.
My Dad makes preserved lemons and many of his have been pickling ‘for years’. The result is an intensity of flavour that is so potent even a teaspoon of the chopped rind will ‘enliven’ and transform a dish. When I use Dad’s preserved lemons I am extremely cautious, adding only a little at a time so as not to overpower. When I used shop-bought preserved lemons (Sainsbury’s again) in this dish I had to use not just the rind, but two whole lemons and I still didn’t achieve more than a subtle aftertaste.
Moral of the story? Quality over quantity.
I think this recipe has the potential to be great, just don’t make it unless you have good quality saffron and homemade preserved lemons. I have just ordered some grade 1, Iranian saffron online and plan to make some preserved lemons soon. I will report back when I have tried the dish again, but given the timeframe for perfect preserved lemons, you might be waiting rather a long time.
Ingredients
Method
Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat oil in a heavy-based stockpot or enamelled cast-iron casserole and sauté onion, garlic, ginger, saffron, chilli flakes, cinnamon stick an d 2 tablespoons cumin seeds until onion has softened. Add chicken and brown on all sides. Add carrot, turnip and stock, then bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Add pumpkin, chickpeas and preserved lemon and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until pumpkin is tender. Stir in coriander and taste for seasoning.
Moisten cous cous as directed on packet ... Heat clarified butter and sauté extra cumin seeds and paprika for 1 minute. Tip in cous cous and stir until all grains are fluffy and coated with butter. Tip into a deep serving bowl.
Pile meat, vegetables and broth into another deep bowl and serve.
Serve with rice instead of cous cous for a gluten-free meal.