paleo recipe :: chicken tagine

instead of going out to an expensive restaurant for valentine's day this year, i decided to buy a new kitchen implement, some quality ingredients, and cook at home. so, i bought a «tagine». it's a conical moroccan/mediterranean ceramic cooking dish, that traps a super-heated cloud of water vapor (or is it steam?) above the food -- think, medieval slow-cooker. after using it only once, it has already earned it's worth. the idea was inspired by a julia child cooking show i saw about a month ago, where her guest used a tagine. also, it looks cool on my shelf when i'm not using it.

here are the ingredients:
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup olive oil
1 (3-lb) chicken, cut into 6 pieces, wings and backbone discarded (i substituted 3 lb's of boneless skinless chicekn breast and thighs)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium red onion, halved, then sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5 [sprigs] fresh cilantro
5 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons mild honey
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
1/2 cup dried Turkish apricots, separated into halves
1/3 cup whole blanched almonds
(and kitchen string)

1. start by making a rub: combine the cinnamon, ginger, salt, pepper, and turmeric, with 2 tbsp's olive oil in a large bowl. rub each piece of chicken evenly with the mixture.

2. next, heat the butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in the tagine base. brown the chicken in your tagine on high heat. after you've browned the chicken, about 4 minutes on each side, remove from the tagine and put aside.

3. next cook the onions in the tagine until soft. add the garlic.

4. roll the cilantro and parsley together and wrap in kitchen string. place the chicken, rolled herbs and 1/2 cup of water into the tagine. place the cover over the tagine.

5. while the chicken cooks, start the apricots. in a small saucepan, add 1 cup of water, the stick of cinnamon, the honey, and the apricots. bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes, until it becomes a glaze.

6. while the apricots are cooking, start the almonds. this is incredibly quick, so don't blink or you could end up with burnt almonds. heat up 2 tbsp's of olive oil in a small skillet, on medium heat. add the almonds, and cook until golden on both sides. this only takes about 2 minutes. when they're done, move to a paper towel, and blot all the oil.

7. when the apricots glaze is ready, add it to the tagine. cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

8. when serving, sprinkle with the almonds. bon apetit!