For 2 chickens each weighing 3 pounds
• 1 heaped teaspoonful of ginger
• 1 cofeespoonful of saffron (mixed prepared packet sajjion and crashed sajjron flowers)
• 3/4 ladle of groandnut oil
• 50 g (2 oz) of butter
• 1 soupspoonful of olive oil
• 1 small whole onion
• the zest of 1 pickled lemon cut in quarters
• 10 preserved olives
• salt
Put the chickens, whole or cut into pieces, in a thick-bottomed saucepan with the offal. Add salt, oil, butter, ginger, the whole onion, crushed garlic, saffron and two glassfuls of water. »
Put on the heat, cover and when it comes to the boil, turn the pieces of chicken over, stir to mix the spices and leave to cook on a moderate heat. Make sure the sauce does not boil away and add a little water if necessary. Turn the pieces over frequently so that they are completely impregnated with the sauce. Take the onion out as soon as it is cooked and put on one side.
When the chicken is cooked, i.e. the flesh comes away from the bones easily in the fingers, add the olives and lemon zest, cut into pieces.
Allow to simmer a few more minutes. Check the seasoning.
Take a little piece of the chicken liver and the onion and either sieve or blend in an electric mixer.
Add the sauce and bring to the boil. Serve as soon as the sauce is the right consistency.
Arrange the pieces of chicken and offal with the pickled lemon zest and the olives on a round dish. Stir the sauce hard with a circular movement and pour this thick, rich sauce over the dish. Serve very hot.
N.B. The onion is optional. It is not included in the traditional recipe.
