Tunisian Chicken with Onions, Peas, and Parsley
Like many other communities in France, the town of Annecy had few Jews living there until the late 1950s. Then, one day, the town’s mayor assembled the Catholic archbishop, the head of the Protestants, and the leader of the tiny Jewish community, who happened to be my relative Rudi Moos (see page 3), and asked them to welcome emigrants from North Africa. Rudi sponsored about forty Moroccan, Tunisian, and Algerian Jewish families and built a synagogue in this town that had none. Cécile Zana and her husband were one of these families. They left Tunisia and went first to the Congo, and then, in 1968, to Annecy, where they live today. And, perhaps not surprisingly in this small Jewish world, Cécile’s daughter married Rudi’s grandson. Cécile showed me how to make this delicious spring dish with lots of parsley and peas.
Recipe information
Yield
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy sauté pan. Add the chicken pieces, sautéing just to brown the skin on both sides. Remove the chicken pieces, and drain on paper towels.
Step 2
Stir the onions, garlic, and honey into the same pan. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are almost caramelized. This may take about 20 minutes.
Step 3
Return the chicken pieces to the pan, skin side up, and sprinkle on 1/4 teaspoon more pepper, the cinnamon, and the parsley, stirring to incorporate. Add the lemon juice and the tomatoes. Pour in chicken broth, enough just to cover the chicken, and stir in the tomato paste. Simmer the chicken, covered, for about 40 minutes, then stir in the peas. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the peas are done. Taste, adjust the seasonings, and serve with rice or wheat berries (see page 266).
