North African Stew with Lemon and Saffron

North African Stew with Lemon and Saffron

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, diced into chunks

• 1 small red onion, diced

• 150g button mushrooms, sliced

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 3/4 inch ginger, grated

• juice from half lemon

• 2tsp harissa paste

• 200g chopped tinned tomatoes

• 120ml orange juice

• 2 heaped tsp honey

• 1/2tsp saffron strands soaked in 100ml boiling water

• 1 chicken stock cube ( I like to use the jelly pots that you just add straight in)

• 100ml brandy

• 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

• 2 tsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 tsp water

• 1tbsp olive oil

• salt and pepper, to season

• Healthy grain, to serve

• a handful of mint leaves, torn

• 30g roasted almonds, roughly chopped

• Greek yoghurt, to serve

• zest half a lemon

Method

- Preheat the oven, fan, to 160 degrees Celsius.

- Heat the oil in a casserole dish over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and cook until white all over.

- Add in the mushrooms and onions. Stir everything together.

- Add the Harissa paste in and stir to coat everything.

- Pour in the lemon juice and chopped tinned tomatoes.

- Stir briefly before adding in the ginger and orange juice.

- Let it cook for 30 seconds and spoon in the honey. Next, add in the garlic and stir it through.

- Add in the saffron and chicken stock along with the brandy (optional, but not really).

- Finally, add in the cinnamon stick. Cover the dish and stick it in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, Check halfway to add water if the liquid has disappeared much. ( If the sauce is too thin after this, simply remove the lid and cook it until desired thickness ). Turn off the heat when ready to serve and stir in the cornstarch mixture.

- Depending on how long the grain you're using takes to cook, for me 10 minutes before, cook the grain and add in the torn mint leaves, roasted almonds and lemon zest. Stir it through the grain.