You can buy preserved lemons in the Seattle area. Mustapha Haddouch, of Haddouch Gourmet Imports, brings them from Morocco. His preserved lemons come two to a jar for about $6 and are available through www.mustaphas.com, ChefShop.com, Sur La Table, Whole Foods, DeLaurenti and Cookin’. You also can buy them bulk for $6.99 a pound through Thriftway’s cheese department. Haddouch suggests adding chopped preserved lemon to pasta, or to make a spread for seafood: combine lemon rind, shallots, fresh thyme, olive oil and garlic in a food processor and blend until it comes together but still a little chunky. Serve with grilled fish.

CHICKEN WITH PRESERVED LEMONS AND OLIVES SERVES FOUR

  1 chicken, 3 ½ to 4 pounds 3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil 1 large onion,

grated or very finely chopped 2 or 3 cloves garlic,

crushed ¼ teaspoon crushed saffron threads ½ to ¾ teaspoon ground ginger 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon Salt and pepper   Peel of 1 or 2 preserved lemons,

rinsed and cut in quarters 12 green or pale-brown olives,

soaked in 2 changes of water for ½ hour Put the chicken in a saucepan with all the ingredients except the preserved lemons and olives.

Half-cover with water and simmer, covered, turning the chicken over a few times,

and adding water if necessary, for about 1 ½ hours,

or until the chicken is so tender that the flesh pulls off the bone and the liquid is reduced to a thick sauce.

Throw the lemon peel and drained rinsed olives into the sauce for the last 15 minutes of cooking. Some like to add the peel at the very end;

some like to chop part of it up to flavor the sauce.

Cut the chicken into serving pieces and serve hot, with the sauce poured over.

Source

FOOD WRITER: HSIAO-CHING CHOU, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

Website: www.seattlepi.com

Date: Feb. 12, 2002

Category: FOOD & DINING

Newspaper: Seattle Post Intelligencer