Chicken with Lemons and Olives (Djej Emshmel)

A Taste of Morocco: My Experience with Djej Emshmel

As a busy professional woman, finding the time to cook a truly satisfying meal can often feel like a Herculean task. Weekends are usually packed with errands, social events, or desperately needed relaxation, leaving weeknights feeling rushed and stressful. But this past weekend, I decided to challenge myself. I’d always been fascinated by Moroccan cuisine, captivated by its rich tapestry of spices and vibrant flavors, so I embarked on a culinary adventure, tackling a recipe for Djej Emshmel, a chicken dish that promised a delicious escape from the ordinary.

The recipe, which I found in an old cookbook, seemed initially daunting. The preparation involved a multi-step process that included marinating the chicken overnight. This was, honestly, a wonderful surprise! It felt almost luxurious to dedicate a few moments the night before to preparing the chicken and letting the flavors meld and deepen in the refrigerator. This wasn't just about cooking; it was about creating anticipation and building towards a truly special meal.

The next day, the kitchen became my sanctuary. The aroma of warming spices filled the air, a heady blend of ginger, cumin, and paprika. As I meticulously followed the instructions, I felt a sense of calm settle over me, a surprising contrast to my usual frantic weekday routine. It was a reminder that slowing down, even just for a short while, can be profoundly rewarding. The process of preparing the dish wasn’t just about the end result—it was a meditation in itself, a focused escape from the incessant demands of modern life.

The final dish was nothing short of spectacular. The chicken was incredibly tender and juicy, its flavor richly infused with the spices and the subtle tang of lemon and olives. The sauce was a creamy masterpiece, its complexity hinting at the careful layering of flavors achieved through the meticulous steps of the recipe. Serving it with some simple couscous (following a slightly easier recipe, of course!), created a perfectly balanced meal.

Djej Emshmel isn't just a recipe; it's a journey. It's a story of vibrant spices and rich flavors that transports you to the heart of Morocco. It’s a testament to the transformative power of food, the ability of a carefully prepared meal to offer solace, joy, and a profound sense of accomplishment. It is, in a way, a culinary meditation—a path to mindfulness in the midst of a busy life. And for a busy professional woman like myself, that’s an incredibly valuable gift.

More than just a delicious meal, this Moroccan chicken dish became a personal exploration – a reminder to appreciate the finer things in life. To slow down, savor the moment, and find peace in the simple act of cooking. The recipe is, without a doubt, one I'll be cherishing and revisiting. It's a treasure, an exquisite culinary adventure that reminds me to appreciate the art of cooking, and how nourishing it can be for the body and soul.

This experience confirmed that good food isn’t just about sustenance; it's about creating memories, connecting with oneself, and sharing moments of joy with loved ones. It’s about finding pleasure in the process, from selecting the freshest ingredients to savoring the final bite. It is a testament to the beauty of slowing down and appreciating the simple pleasures life offers. And that, more than any other culinary experience, is something I intend to carry forward.

If you're looking for a dish that's both rewarding to make and utterly delicious to eat, then I highly recommend trying Djej Emshmel. It's more than just a recipe; it’s a journey of flavour and self-discovery. Prepare to be enchanted.

Step-by-step

• The day before, using 4 cloves of the garlic and 2 tablespoons of salt prepare the chickens as directed below under Basic Method For Preparing Poultry, then marinate both chickens and livers in 1 teaspoon of salt, the remaining 2 cloves of garlic, sliced thin, the spices, and the oil. Refrigerate, covered.
• The next day, place the chickens, livers, and marinade in the casserole. Add 1/2 cup of the grated onion, the saffron, herbs, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, turning the chickens often in the sauce.
• While the chickens are cooking, rinse and pit the olives. (If they seem a little bitter, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, and drain.) Set aside.
• Remove the chicken livers from the casserole and mash them fine. Return to the casserole with the remaining grated, drained onions. (This will give a good deal of heftiness to the sauce.) Add water, if necessary. Continue cooking 20 minutes, partially covered.
• Rinse the preserved lemons (discarding the pulp, if desired) and quarter. Add the olives and preserved lemon quarters to the sauce when the chickens are very tender and the flesh falls easily from the bone. Continue cooking 5 to 10 minutes, uncovered.
• Transfer the chickens to a serving dish and spoon the olives and lemons around them. Cover and keep warm. By boiling rapidly, uncovered, reduce the sauce to 1 1/2 cups. Add the juice of 2 fresh lemons to the sauce in the pan. Add more salt (and more lemon juice, if desired) to taste. Pour the sauce over chickens and serve at once.
• Wash the chickens or other poultry in salted water and drain. Pound 4 cloves garlic and 2 tablespoons salt into a paste. Rub the paste into the cavity and flesh of the poultry, at the same time pulling out excess fat from under the skin and from the neck and rump ends. Pull out the thin translucent membrane from under the skin of the breast. Rinse the poultry well under running water until it no longer smells of garlic. (The garlic is used to rid the poultry of any bitterness that might spoil a sauce; it also brings out its flavor, much like MSG.) Drain the poultry well.
• If you suspect that your poultry is tasteless on account of "scientific breeding," use a method invented by Janet Jaidi to improve its taste: Rub it with the spices to be used in the recipe, a little butter and oil, and marinate it overnight. (If you do this, remember that you may have to readjust the spicing of your sauce at the end.)
• If you are using whole poultry, it must be trussed. Trussing poultry is easy: clip off the wing tips and discard; slip the ends of the legs into a horizontal incision made just about the rump (turkeys often come this way), or slip the legs into incisions made on the lower sides of the breast. Note: When stuffing turkeys or squabs or chickens, do not wash with garlic or salt.