A Chicken Tagine That Gives Rhubarb the Last Say

When I was in Paris last month, I was inspired by the generous stacks of rhubarb in markets all over the city. It was the same last year when I visited my brother Dan and his dedicated rhubarb garden in Minneapolis. The plant has been in season since late April in temperate zones, and it will last through the summer.I have a weakness for rhubarb pies, tarts and crumbles, but recently I've been using rhubarb in savoury dishes, most notably this chicken tagine. The idea was to make something resembling a classic Moroccan chicken tagine with green olives and preserved lemon, but to swap out the salty, tart preserved lemon for sweeter, tart poached rhubarb. My idea worked; the dish has been a great success at more than one dinner party, and it will be a standby as long as the rhubarb lasts.I begin many of my rhubarb recipes by briefly poaching thick slices in a sugar syrup with the seeds and pod of a vanilla bean. (Don’t be alarmed by the amount of sugar; it’s mostly drained off.) It’s a method I learned from the pastry chef Jacquy Pfeiffer. Once poached, the rhubarb has many uses, both sweet and savoury. And the pink vanilla-specked syrup is delicious over ice cream or strawberries, or stirred into yoghurt.
The poached rhubarb is so delicious and versatile that you may want to prepare twice as much as you need. Then you’ll have extra for a dessert.Poached RhubarbTime: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 1/2 cups (plus 1 2/3 cups syrup)1 cup/200 grams sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 cups diced rhubarb (1/2-inch dice)1. Combine 1 1/4 cups water and the sugar in medium saucepan. Add vanilla seeds and pod. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stir until sugar dissolves and add rhubarb.2. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer rhubarb for 5 minutes, or until it can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife but remains intact. Do not overcook, or else rhubarb will fall apart.3. Strain rhubarb over a bowl. Store syrup and poached rhubarb separately.Chicken TagineTime: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings1 whole chicken, 4 to 4 1/2 pounds, cut into 10 pieces
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
2 leeks, white and light green parts, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 1/2 cups chicken broth or water
1 3-inch cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon sugar
12 to 16 pitted green olives (optional)
1 to 2 tablespoons rhubarb syrup (see Poached Rhubarb recipe)
1/4 cup chopped parsleyPoached rhubarb (see recipe)Rice or couscous for serving1. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add olive oil. When oil is hot, brown chicken pieces, in batches, on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a sheet pan.2. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the Dutch oven and add onion. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze, until onion begins to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add carrot and leeks. Cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about a minute. Season with salt; add turmeric and paprika and stir.3. Return chicken to Dutch oven and add chicken broth, cinnamon stick, sugar and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 35 minutes.4. Add olives, if using; cover and simmer another 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is fork tender. Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons rhubarb syrup. Taste and adjust seasoning.5. Before serving, stir in parsley and poached rhubarb and heat through over low heat. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with rice or couscous.© 2015 New York Times News Service