This dish was inspired by one of my foodie friends on Facebook, Sarah Thomas (a.k.a Lady T), who announced on Friday that she was going to make Persian Chicken the following night, with sour cherries. I googled and came up with various recipes which bore no resemblance to one another. This one particularly, on the BBC website, is sooo not Persian in feel! (BBC Good Food Recipes)
I love the Middle-eastern method of mixing meat with fruit and nuts, so that was my starting point; I deliberately decided to omit garlic - but succumbed slightly and added a little to the vegetable couscous!
For the marinade:
Mix together 50 ml olive oil with 1 dstsp lemon curd, 1 dstsp honey, 2 dstsp lemon juice, 1 scant tsp paprika, 1 tsp of ginger purée, 1 heaped tsp of turmeric and the same of cumin. I added just a pinch each of S+P.
Marinate one chicken breast per person for at least 6 hours - overnight would be better, I think.
To cook:
Soften a handful of chopped onion in butter and oil and set aside; in the same pan sauté the drained chicken breasts - retaining the marinade - and when the meat starts to colour return the onions to the pan, together with 2 small lemons in thickish slices, and 2 small handfuls of dates (dried). Stir in the marinade, together with 3 dstsp yoghurt and 2 dstsp honey.
Heat through and scatter with a handful each of flaked almonds and walnut pieces, before baking in a very hot oven for 10 minutes.
Hannah and I had ours with vegetable couscous and salad.
To make, mix the couscous with hot water and leave to stand for about 5 minutes; I gently fried a little chopped onion, courgette, leek, peppers and broccoli florets with 1 tsp chopped garlic and a tbsp of dried mixed fruit in butter and oil, before mixing in the fluffed-up couscous.
My effort may not have been as aromatic as Sarah's, which included sour cherries, preserved lemons and pomegranate molasses - but it was pretty damn' tasty!
