Tajine maadnous — Tunisian chicken, potato and parsley bake (minina)

meat Tunisian Jewish · regular · 105 min, including 40 hands-on

A savoury egg bake, two fingers thick, golden and pulling away at the edges: shredded chicken in its spiced onion juices, sautéed potato cubes and a generous handful of parsley, cut into squares to eat warm or cold with lemon and harissa.

Ingredients for two

Method

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1.5 cm dice; rinse and dry in a tea towel, as wet cubes will not brown. Chop the onion, crush the garlic and finely chop the parsley. Pat the chicken thighs dry with kitchen paper. Grease the base and sides of a 20 × 20 cm baking dish with 10 g oil.
2. Heat 40 g oil in a 24 cm sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the potato cubes for 12–15 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes, until golden on all sides and tender to the tip of a knife. Season with 2 g salt and set aside on kitchen paper.
3. Add the remaining 10 g oil to the same pan and sear the whole chicken thighs over a medium-high heat for 3 minutes on each side, until well browned; set aside on a plate. Reduce the heat to medium and soften the onion in the fat left in the pan for 5 minutes, without letting it brown.
4. Add the garlic, turmeric, tabil, cinnamon, pepper and 3 g salt; stir for 30 seconds, until the spices smell fragrant. Return the chicken with its plate juices, pour in the 150 g water, cover and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes, turning the pieces halfway through: the meat should pull apart with a fork.
5. Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Transfer the chicken to a mixing bowl and shred roughly with two forks into 2 cm strands, without using a knife. Meanwhile, reduce the pan juices uncovered over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes, until only 2–3 spoonfuls of thick, golden juices remain, coating the onion. Pour over the chicken, add the sautéed potatoes, mix and leave to cool for 8 minutes so the eggs do not set when mixed in.
6. Crack the eggs one at a time into a medium bowl (1 litre), checking each one, then beat with a fork for 30 seconds with the remaining 2 g salt and the breadcrumbs; leave for 2 minutes to allow the crumbs to swell. Pour the eggs over the warm filling in the mixing bowl, add the chopped parsley and fold with a spatula 5 or 6 times to keep the potato cubes intact. Pour into the oiled dish and level with the spatula to a depth of 2–3 cm.
7. Bake on the middle shelf for 25–30 minutes: the top should be golden, the edges pulling away, and the centre should no longer wobble when the dish is shaken; a knife inserted into the middle should come out dry. Rest out of the oven for 10 minutes so it cuts into neat squares. Serve half the tajine per person, with a lemon wedge and a little harissa alongside.

On your plate

Cooking tips

This tajine comes into its own at Saturday lunch, served cold in squares with slata tounsia and harissa: double the quantities to have enough. Make it the day before, let the steam escape, then refrigerate within two hours; serve chilled or reheat covered at 150°C until hot at the centre. Be generous with the parsley: it brings the dish to life. Variation: replace 100 g potatoes with 100 g peas or chopped spinach, squeezed dry. Another equally authentic Jewish Tunisian version uses 300 g chicken mince, cooked with the onion and spices until broken up and golden, without water or shredding.

Equipment : 24 cm sauté pan with a lid, 20 × 20 cm baking dish, mixing bowl, medium bowl, two forks, spatula

Tunisian tajine maadnous; among the Jews of Tunis, minina, made without cheese and bound with breadcrumbs, is a Friday-night dish eaten cold at Saturday lunch, as well as a Passover classic.