Delia Is Back
When on the BBC’s Magazine Panel, one gets to fill up questionnaires. My latest was about Celebrity Chefs: “who do I like, who I hate” sort of thing. Gazing at the list of the 30 odd names (that is, without counting “Other”), I could not help wondering about the flash-in-the-pan factor. Who of these top-notch cooks will still be in the limelight advising and inspiring us in 30 years’ time? Who will match Delia? Who has the qualities to last almost three decades, weather the ups and downs of the mad celebrity circus, sell some 19 million books and still be one of the nation’s favorites? As for how does she do it? Don’t even go there . . . or shall we try? What is the secret ingredient? Could it be a ladleful of common sense? Always being in tune with our lifestyle? Or simply showing us how to master the basics? I can’t help thinking that there is much more to it. Whatever it is, Delia has done it again; she is back after 6 years of absence, helping us to solve a universal problem: “NO time.” Her answer is: “Cheat.”
I was amazed, left in a state of “catatony” (virtually speechless, struck dumb) when I saw her revisiting one of my all-time favorites – no not the infamous How to Boil an Egg. I am referring to her so-delicious-that-you-think-you-have-gone-to-heaven shepherd’s pie. In the past cooked from scratch, now made by replacing most the ingredients with frozen food and wait for it … very matter-of-factly plopping 12 frozen mashed potato discs on the top. In her new book Delia’s How to Cheat at Cooking, she shows us “How to cook when you’re busy.” If you wanted to know if it works, if the flavors and the authenticity are still there, then put her to the test with Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Chickpeas.
Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Chickpeas
-serves 2-
2 tsp olive oil
1 fairly large red onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
1 tbsp Seasoned Pioneers ras-el-hanout spice (from her site or you might have to blend this yourself, which could defy her point, but hey)
2 chicken thighs and 2 drumsticks
2 cloves garlic peeled and sliced
2 Belazu preserved lemons, quartered
6-8 olives
100g frozen cooked chickpeas (defrosted at room temperature)
275ml dry white wine
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander leaves to finish
First of all, heat 1 tsp of the oil in a medium flameproof casserole, and when it’s hot, stir in the onion and let it cook over high heat for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix half the spice blend with the other tsp of olive oil and after making cuts into the flesh of the chicken with a sharp knife, rub the oil-and-spice mixture all over the surface and into the cuts.
Now stir in the garlic and the rest of the spice mix into the onions, add the lemon quarters, olives, and chickpeas, and place the chicken joints on top. Pour in the wine, season with salt, and, when it reaches simmering point, cover the casserole, turn the heat down to its lowest setting, and cook for 1 hour.
Serve sprinkled with fresh coriander. This is good served with rice or couscous and may be a salad.
