The last time I ate this famous Moroccan dish was in a restaurant in Paris where there was an evening of Arab poetry and tales accompanied by musicians. It was not the best example of the dish, but I always find it enjoyable. I love the special flavor of preserved lemons. At every vegetable market in North Africa, and now also in the south of France, you can see stalls laden with huge piles of soft lemons oozing with juice beside several varieties of olives. The two are often used together. The pulp of the preserved lemon is discarded, and the skin alone is used. The word mqualli alludes to the way the chicken is cooked, with oil and only a little water.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　A 3 1/2–4-pound chicken

　　3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

　　1 large onion, grated or very finely chopped

　　2 or 3 cloves garlic, crushed

　　1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads or powdered saffron

　　1/2–3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

　　1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

　　Salt and pepper

　　Peel of 1 or 2 preserved lemons (see page 459), rinsed and cut in quarters

　　12 green or pale-brown olives, soaked in 2 changes of water for 1/2 hour

　　

Step 1

Put the chicken in a large saucepan with all the ingredients except the preserved lemons and olives.

　　

Step 2

Half-cover with water and simmer, covered, turning the chicken over a few times, and adding water if necessary, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is so tender that the flesh pulls off the bone and the liquid is reduced to a thick unctuous sauce.

　　

Step 3

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.

　　The New Book of Middle Eastern Food Copyright © 2000Knopf