Monday 11 April - Moroccan Baked Rice with Chicken and Chickpeas

This is an old favourite out the Delia Smith Winter Collection, but we've not had it for ages. I made a couple of changes to the recipe but nothing drastic. It involves quite a selection of ingredients, but once prepared it all goes into the over in one pot, so is fairly straightforward. I used a couple of chicken crowns cut in half instead of a jointed chicken, and also replace the fresh lemons in the recipe with preserved lemons. The other change I made was to use a tin of chickpeas rather than soaking and boiling them

Saffron was soaked in the juice of a lemon, and some coriander and cumin seeds were roasted and crushed

All the veg were prepared, peppers and onions sliced up, and the other flavourings chopped - then the actual cooking commenced.

Chicken breasts were browned in the casserole.

Then in went the onions and peppers, and these were fried over a high heat.

Then in went the rice (brown basmati) and all the other spices and flavourings along with the chick peas and some chopped preserved lemon skins.

Stock and wine were added.

The chicken went back in, along with some black and green olives, and it all went into the oven to bake.

It's nice to remember some old favourites sometimes, and I'm not sure why we ever forgot about this one - delicious and clean plates all round!!