Reader recipe: Chicken tagine with green olives and preserved lemon

We visited Gwynne Key in Durban where we were treated to a North African feast.

Serves: 4-6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

• 1,5kg chicken (or 2 poisson or baby chickens)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• juice of ½ lemon
• 5ml coarse sea salt
• 60ml olive oil
• 1 large onion, grated
• pinch of saffron
• 5ml ground ginger
• 5ml black pepper
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 preserved lemons (skin only), cut into strips
• 1½ cups green olives, pitted and squashed slightly
• fresh coriander, chopped, to serve

1 Place the chicken in a deep bowl and rub the garlic, lemon juice and salt into the cavity. Mix the olive oil, onion, saffron, ginger and pepper together and spread on the outside of the chicken. Cover and leave for 30 to 60 minutes.

2 Place the chicken in a tagine or large, heavy casserole dish. Pour the marinating juices over it, add the cinnamon stick and enough water to come quarter way up the chicken. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for about one hour, turning the chicken once or twice. Add the lemon strips and olives and, if necessary, a little more liquid to ensure there is a sauce at the bottom of the dish.

3 At the end of the cooking time, open the tagine. Baste with the juices and brown lightly under a grill. Garnish with coriander.