Humphrey Bogart 1948 by 1horsetown, on Flickr
A brief story before the recipe. I found a recipe for chicken in the Moroccan style online and tweaked it for our healthier lifestyle. But I hated the name, “Chicken in the Moroccan Style.” Dull!
When I met Hubby, he and I were both employed in the film industry. Movies brought us together and figured prominently in most of our early dates. We met (blind date) at a movie, our first official date was to a movie, we go to a movie most anniversaries and as many “date nights” as we can manage. Our first non-blind date was to go see Casablanca at a small art house in Santa Monica, CA. We consider it “our movie.” Now that the kids are getting old enough to understand it, we are enjoying it with them.
Casablanca, being the largest city in Morocco, begged to lend its name to this delicious dish. But I wanted something that merely hinted at the film. Rick’s American Cafe was the restaurant owned by Bogart’s character, but this wasn’t an American dish. The other restaurant in the film was The Blue Parrot, owned by Sidney Greenstreet’s character, Signor Ferrari. Ah, that was it. Blue Parrot Chicken. It was spicy like Rick, sweet like Ilsa, had high noble intentions like Victor Laszlo, but a very sensuous sensibility like Captain Renault. Best served with French wine and a rousing chorus of La Marseillaise.
Blue Parrot Chicken
1 pastured chicken, cut into serving pieces
1/4 cup naturally fermented organic soy sauce
Juice of two organic lemons
Grated rind of one organic lemon
1 tablespoon finely minced organic garlic
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated very finely
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
a pinch of turmeric
1 large organic onion, halved lengthwise and cut into thick slices
3 tablespoons pasture butter, melted
10 unsulfured apricots, quartered
1 cup homemade chicken stock
1/4 cup creme fraiche
sea salt and pepper to taste
Make a marinade with soy sauce, lemon juice and rind, garlic, ginger, grated very finely, cumin, turmeric and allspice. Marinate chicken overnight, turning at least once. Drain chicken, reserving marinade. Place chicken in glass baking dish. Lay onion rings on top of chicken and pour butter over all. Bake at 350° for an hour, covering if the chicken begins to burn.
Just before the chicken is done, put marinade in a saucepan. Add chopped apricots and chicken stock and boil vigorously until its volume is reduced by half. Allow to cool to just warmer than warm (shooting for 150° or less) before whisking in creme fraiche. Plate the chicken and pour the sauce over, or pass the sauce in a gravy boat.
This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays, hosted this week by Cheeseslave.
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August 12, 2009 at 8:51 am
Jendeis
This sounds delicious. Knowing that I’m going to reveal myself as a real food newbie, what are “unsulfered” apricots?
August 12, 2009 at 9:16 am
localnourishment
If you were to cut open an apricot and put it in a dehydrator at home, it would turn a dark brown color while dried apricots at the store retain their beautiful orange color. This is because those store apricots are treated with sulfur dioxide gas and sometimes sulfites as well. This may extend the shelf life of the apricot and makes it “prettier,” but it also gives the resulting fruit a bitter flavor. Sulfites can worsen certain types of asthma and make those who are sensitive to it just miserable. Sensitive individuals often have headaches after eating at a salad bar or drinking certain kinds of wine.
The term “organic” used on a package of dried apricots guarantees that the apricots haven’t been treated with sulfur or sulfites (among many other things). There are organic and conventional “unsulfured” apricots.
August 12, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Alyss
What a fantastic recipe! I just watched Casablanca along with about 300 other people in a park here in Portland, OR this week. I’ve seen it more than once (more than more than once) but this time I was just struck by how much I don’t like Ilsa. Sigh… it’s still a beautiful movie, but she’s a silly girl who drives me crazy. Maybe it’s hormones, maybe it’s August, maybe I’m just crazy. This chicken, though… I already know I love it