Harissa-Marinated Chicken with Red Grapefruit Salad

What better way can you treat yourself than with a healthy meal at the end of a long week?

Lately, I've found that a great way to decompress is spending more time cooking! Instead of 20-minute meals on a weeknight, I've been enjoying longer stints in the kitchen, building depths of flavor that can be hard to come by in less time.

This recipe, from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, takes some time and effort, but I found the entire cooking process to be meditative. I loved roasting peppers over an open flame, toasting aromatic spices in a skillet, and bringing it all together with a spicy harissa marinade that the chicken soaked up in the refrigerator overnight.

After roasting the chicken the next day, it's a simple process - segment out some grapefruit and make a sweet and tart grapefruit sauce. Then add all the ingredients over a bed of arugula salad, and voila! So yum and satisfying.

Harissa-Marinated Chicken with Red Grapefruit Salad
from Ottolenghi The Cookbook

Serves: 4

Ingredients
Harissa marinade
1 red bell pepper
1⁄4 tsp coriander seeds
1⁄4 tsp cumin seeds
1⁄4 tsp caraway seeds
1⁄2 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 mild fresh red chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 dried red chile, seeded and coarsely chopped
11⁄2 tsp tomato paste
2 tbsp lemon juice
1⁄2 tsp salt
1 tbsp Greek yogurt
13⁄4 lb / 800 g organic or free-range chicken thigh meat (8 to 10 thighs)

Red grapefruit salad
2 red grapefruits
4 oz / 120 g peppery wild arugula
1 tsp olive oil
coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sauce
2⁄3 cup / 150 ml pink grapefruit juice
generous 1⁄2 cup / 130 ml lemon juice
2⁄3 cup / 150 ml maple syrup
1⁄4 tsp salt
pinch of ground cinnamon
1 star anise

Directions
To make the marinade, over the flame on a gas stove top or under a very hot broiler, roast the red pepper until blackened on the outside. This typically takes about 8 minutes on an open flame or 15 to 20 minutes under a very hot broiler. Place the pepper in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave to cool. Peel the pepper and discard the seeds.

Place the coriander, cumin, and caraway seeds in a dry frying pan over low heat and toast lightly for 2 minutes. You should be able to smell the aromas of the spices. Transfer them to a mortar and grind to a powder with a pestle.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the onion, garlic, and fresh and dried chiles, and fry over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until they turn a dark, smoky color. Now blitz together all the marinade ingredients except the yogurt in a food processor or blender; you will have a pure harissa paste.

To marinate the chicken, mix the paste with the yogurt and use your hands to rub it all over the chicken thighs. Layer them in a plastic container, seal, and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, to make the grapefruit salad, take each grapefruit and use a small, sharp knife to slice off the top and tail. Now cut down its sides, following its natural lines, to remove the skin and white pith. Over a small bowl, cut in between the membranes to remove the individual segments. Squeeze any remaining juice into a bowl and keep it to make up the 2⁄3 cup / 150 ml juice required for the sauce.

Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C. Lay out the marinated chicken pieces, spaced well apart, on a large baking sheet and place in the hot oven. After 5 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 350°F / 180°C and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is almost cooked through. Now place the chicken under a hot broiler for 2 to 3 minutes to give it extra color and cook it through completely.

Meanwhile, place all the sauce ingredients in a small pan and bring to a light simmer. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until reduced to one-third.

To serve, toss the arugula and grapefruit segments with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pile in the center of 4 serving plates, put the warm chicken on top, and drizzle about 1 tablespoon of the sauce over each portion.

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If you enjoyed this recipe, you will love my recipes for Root Vegetable, Cauliflower and Tomato Soup, Rotisserie Chicken Salad, and Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs with Chanterelle Mushrooms!

Carrot and Mung Bean Salad with Root Vegetable, Cauliflower and Tomato Soup

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What kind of person purchases mung beans on a whim, never having used them in cooking before?! Oh right, me! But they’ve sat on my shelf for several months now and I knew it was time to put them to good use. 

Flipping through Ottolenghi’s Plenty, I was inspired by one of his lentil salad recipes and figured I could do something similar with mung beans. So when I Googled mung bean salad, it totally cracked me up that the first recipe I found was by Ottolenghi. I was sold, mostly because I trust that the masterful chef knows what to do with an infamously boring legume.

So how did it turn out? Oh, just some crazy flavor explosions and sheer vegetarian happiness. It’s crazy how much mung beans can brighten up with just a little added spice, vinegar, and cheese. I served the beans with a simple Indian-inspired vegetable soup (not Ottolenghi's), which was also quite delicious! Both recipes are below. Pro Tip: if you make both recipes, add some of the leftover carrot liquid from the mung bean recipe to the vegetable soup broth. Adds a nice touch!

Carrot and Mung bean Salad 

Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
3/4 cup dried green mung beans
4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp salt
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch batons
½ tsp sugar
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
Grated zest of 1 lemon
4.5 cups feta, crumbled

Directions
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil, add the beans and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until they are cooked but still retain a bite. Drain, shake well and transfer to a large bowl. About three minutes before the beans are done, heat two tablespoons of oil in a small frying pan and add the seeds. Cook on medium heat, stirring often, until they start to pop – about three minutes – then pour, hot oil and all, over the beans, along with the vinegar, garlic, chili and half a teaspoon of salt.

While the beans are cooking, lay the carrots in a pan large enough for them to form a shallow layer on the bottom. Pour over about 2/3 cups water – the carrots should be nearly submerged – plus two tablespoons of oil and half a teaspoon each of sugar and salt. Bring to a boil and keep on a high heat for eight minutes, by which time the water should have evaporated and the carrots become slightly caramelized but still crunchy. Drain some liquid, if needed.

Add the carrots to the bean bowl, along with the cilantro, and stir gently. Transfer to a shallow serving bowl, sprinkle over lemon zest, dot with feta and drizzle with olive oil.

Root Vegetable, Cauliflower and Tomato Soup

Time: 35 Minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 medium watermelon radish, about 1/2 lb, cut into 1” pieces
1 large Yukon gold potato, cut into 1” pieces
3 medium carrots, sliced into 1/4’ diagonals
3/4 cup cauliflower florets, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
Seeds from 2 cardamom pods
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp ground cumin
4 cups water
1 medium tomato, roughly chopped

Directions
Add all of the vegetables, except the chopped tomato, into a large pot or Dutch oven. Cover with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until vegetables are al dente, about 20 minutes. Add tomato (and juices from mung bean recipe, if using), and cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and ladle into bowls. Serve immediately.