This dish bursts with a wonderfully exotic flavour, the original idea was taken from La Cucina Italiana (the best of Italian cooking magazines) a couple of years ago, it was a lamb dish but since I don't eat lamb I substituted with a chicken breast. I also added some pancetta to give a savoury kick, which worked wonderfully although perhaps not a traditional option for this dish originated from northern africa. Pancetta can be left out to stick with the tradition, of course!
100g smoked bacon/pancetta, diced
70g crushed almond
150g dried prune, deseeded and chopped
30g brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Orange zest from one orange
100ml freshly squeezed orange juice
100ml water
500g boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced or pounded thin.
evoo
Sautè the bacon/pancetta and almond in just enough evoo until golden.
Add the prune, sugar, cinnamon, orange zest and orange juice and the water, lowering the heat once starting to boil.
Let it simmer on low heat for about half an hour, adding a little amount of the water if necessary,
until it forms a thick sauce.
Brown the chicken in evoo in another skillet (ideally on a cast iron or barbeque grill for maximum
flavour), then slice them into strips.
Smother with the sauce, serve over a hot cooked bulghur or couscous.
This dish certainly looks so delish...but I've never had couscous before and I don't know how it tastes like. But kak, what is evoo?
ReplyDelete-Arien Dani-
EVOO is short for Extra Virgine Olive Oil!! :-) Couscous is like a delicious substitute-change of pace from regular pasta or rice, it is a granule of semolina wheat, it is very versatile and easy and quick to prepare, goes well with just about any flavour or condiments!! But I like Bulghur even better, basically made with duram wheat and the granule is bigger and has a nice, fuller body. Definitely worth a try if you can find them!! (I am sure they can be found!!)
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couscous
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgur