A Moroccan-Inspired Winter Fare From Glowbal Restaurant

Roast chicken is a hearty and nourishing meal that many of us turn to as the snow falls. This version from chef Robert Lee of Vancouver’s Glowbal is served with a spicy sauce and roasted root vegetables. Lee was inspired by a Moroccan restaurant he worked at in San Francisco called Aziza. “Ras el Hanout spice blend comes from Morocco, and the name means ‘head of the shop’ in Arabic and implies a mixture of the best spices the seller has to offer,” he says. “Here we cooked it into the sauce, which goes extremely well with the roast chicken and earthy root vegetables for winter.”

Ingredients 

For the chicken:

Half chicken, deboned

2 tablespoons yogurt

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

For the Ras el Hanout spiced tomato sauce:

4 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

1 tablespoon garlic (minced)

1 tablespoon ginger (minced)

1 whole onion

½ jalapeño pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon cinnamon powder

½ teaspoon cayenne

½ teaspoon allspice

28-ounce can tomatoes

2 cans coconut milk

Salt, for seasoning

For the sides:

3 baby rainbow carrots

1 parsnip

1 pack shimeji mushrooms

1 bunch green kale

Chicken stock

Butter

Splash of lemon juice

Olive oil

Salt

Method

For the half chicken:

Mix all the ingredients together, excluding the chicken, in a large bowl.

Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for six hours or overnight.

Drizzle with some oil and place on a roasting pan.

Roast at 375°F until the internal temperature around the leg bone is 160°F, about 40-45minutes.

Rest the chicken for 5 minutes before cutting into it.

For the sauce:

Heat the butter and oil over medium heat in a pot.

Add the ginger, garlic, onion, and jalapeño. Sauté until soft.

Add the spices and cook until fragrant.

Add the canned tomatoes and coconut milk. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Blend the sauce.

Optionally, pass through a fine mesh for a smoother sauce.

For the sides:

Cut the carrots and parsnip into 2-inch pieces, toss generously with oil, and season with salt.

Roast at 375°F until the exterior is brown and the inside is tender.

Sautée the shimeji mushrooms in a pan with oil, then season with salt.

Add the roasted root vegetables and finish with some chicken stock, butter, and a splash of lemon juice.

Remove the leaves from the stem of the kale. Toss the leaves with olive oil and salt.

Spread on a baking sheet covered with parchment and bake in a 275°F oven until all the leaves are crispy.

To plate:

Evenly spread the sauce on an oval plate.

Place the root vegetable and mushroom mix on the sauce.

Add the roast chicken on top.

Finish with crumbled kale crisp.

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