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Make this fragrant preserved lemon poussin for an impressive entertaining dish, then check out our spatchcock poussin. Find more ideas for what to do with preserved lemons and read our guide on what are preserved lemons and where to buy them for advice on where to source this ingredient.

  • 4 preserved lemons
    flesh and pips removed and discarded
  • a small bunch flat leaf parsley
    stalks finely chopped, leaves reserved for the tabbouleh
  • 1 tbsp rose or regular harissa
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 poussins
  • 2 onions
    chopped
  • a thumb-sized piece ginger
    chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic
    chopped
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp  ground cinnamon
  • ½ x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 200ml chicken stock
  • a handful dried apricots
  • a handful green olives

TABBOULEH

  • 60g bulgar wheat
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 lemon
    juiced
  • ½ red onion
    finely chopped
  • 1 tomato
    finely chopped
  • ½ red pepper
    finely chopped
  • a small bunch coriander
    chopped
  • 50g hazelnuts
    toasted and chopped
  • 25g flaked almonds
    toasted

SAFFRON YOGURT

  • 1 pinch saffron
  • 100g natural yogurt
  • ½ lemon
    juiced

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal1335
  • fat88.3g
  • saturates15.9g
  • carbs56.7g
  • sugars29.1g
  • fibre19.7g
  • protein68.5g
  • salt1.2g

Method

  • step 1

    To make the marinade, put 2 of the preserved lemon rinds into a food processor with the parsley stalks, harissa and 2 tbsp of olive oil, whizz until smooth and then season. Put the poussins into a bowl and pour over the marinade. Rub really well into the birds, both inside and out, and marinate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

  • step 2

    Use the same blender (you won’t need to wash it) to blitz the onions, ginger and garlic with 1 tbsp of water to a purée. Cover and chill until needed.

  • step 3

    Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large casserole. Scrape off and keep as much of the marinade from the poussin as possible then brown the birds really well until deep golden all over. Remove onto a plate and tip the onion purée and left-over marinade into the casserole. Add a large pinch of salt and cook gently for 10 minutes until starting to caramelise. Finely slice the remaining two preserved lemon rinds and add to the pan along with the spices. Cook gently for 5 minutes. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock, season and bring to the boil.

  • step 4

    Add in the apricots and olives, and sit the poussins on top, adding any juices from the plate. Cook in the oven for 50 minutes, or until the birds are cooked through.

  • step 5

    Cook the bulgar wheat in a large pan of boiling water for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain really well, tip into a large bowl and toss with the extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning. Stir through the red onion, tomato, pepper, coriander and parsley leaves. Just before serving, stir through 1/2 the nuts, tip into a serving bowl and sprinkle with the remaining nuts.

  • step 6

    Put the saffron into a bowl and pour over 2 tbsp of boiling water. Leave to infuse until the water is room temperature. Put the yogurt in a separate bowl, season and add the lemon juice. Add the saffron water to the yogurt – it should be a bright orangey yellow and a drizzle-able consistency.

  • step 7

    Serve the poussins and sauce alongside the tabbouleh and drizzle generously with the saffron dressing.

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