ersatz tagine

i don't have one of those funky tagine pots, but i do have my grandmother's trusty dutch oven. i originally found this recipe on serious eats but i tweaked it a bit. and by a bit, i mean alot. it fits nicely within in my "one pot" recipes. it also contains two of my favorite foods: potatoes and peas. maybe all my recipes will be homages to my grandmother's dutch oven, the greatest cookware i have ever owned.

spring tagine of chicken with potatoes and peas (or really just chicken with potatoes and peas...)
ingredients:
2 tbl olive oil
2 lbs boneless chicken thighs (i've found this is the best chicken to use for simmering for a long time)
2 pounds new potatoes peeled and cut into large cubes
1 large onion chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
1/2 bunch parsley chopped (you're supposed to tie these with string and discard later, but the only twine i have is questionable)
2 cups chicken stock
4 garlic cloves chopped
1 tsp each: turmeric, ground ginger, black pepper (i also threw in pinch of saffron i had lying around)
2 cups frozen peas
juice of 1/2 lemon, plus zest
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup coconut milk (this i added to the original recipe for sweetness and thickness)
(side note: this recipe orignally combined all ingredients and baked in oven for about 55 minutes at 400 degrees, i just did mine on the stove top, which takes longer, but is more fun to play with.
also, i bet this would kick ass with some fresh lemon grass.)

directions:
brown chicken in dutch oven (5-10 minutes on high)

scrape up any bits of goodness on the bottom.


add stock, potatoes, seasonings, onion and garlic and stir




add greens and stir til combined. let that simmer for about 15 minutes.
add coconut milk and let simmer another 45 minutes.

when potatoes are cooked through, add peas and lemon. let simmer till done. serve with jasmine rice or just in a big bowl. yum.


ps. this is what my kitchen really looks like after cooking: