After watching the celebrity Masterchef  final where they went to Morocco, I decided to try out making their national dish, a Tagine. This recipe is a mixture from a few different sources and tastes divine. Takes about 20 minutes to prepare and an hour to cook.

Ingredients (for 4 people)

• Sprinkling of cayenne pepper (adjust according to taste - this is very hot, I do 1 small teaspoon)
• Generous amount of ground black pepper
• 1 big tablespoon paprika
• 1 big tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 small tablespoon turmeric
• 2 big tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 6 chicken thighs (skinned but on the bone)
• 2 large onions, chopped roughly
  
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes
• 100g dried apricots, halved
• 60g dates, halved
• 60g raisins or sultanas
• 500ml chicken stock (1 stock cube in 500ml water)
• [optional] 1 tsp strands Saffron, soaked in cold water
• 1 big dollop of honey

Method

Preheat the oven to 150C. Heat olive oil in a large casserole dish on medium/low heat. Add the onions and garlic and fry for a little while, before adding in all the spices. Meanwhile in a different pan, seal the chicken thighs in some butter.

Pour the chicken into the onions with the juices. Stir in the tomatoes, apricots, dates and raisins. Finally, stir in the stock and honey. Bring to the boil whilst gently stirring everything.

Put a lid on, and put in the oven for about 45mins. Serve with couscous and a salad. The result is a delicious, sweet and warming stew with loads of really hearty flavours.

This tastes even better the following day as the chicken and fruits have soaked up the spices. Also works really well with crusty fresh bread.