[jenny_islander]

I have to pass this one around because it's so good and I am so proud of myself! I am a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. My local chapter is presenting a Moorish feast this fall and I am in charge of the food. I have chosen recipes out of a translated 13th-century Islamic cookbook from Andalusia, but the recipes haven't been redacted--that is, rewritten for use in modern kitchens. (Most medieval cookbooks are really just shorthand notes for professional cooks, not how-to-cook books like ours.) I had to do the research, guesswork, and testing to redact them. I had no idea what I would end up with when I cooked this one, but it is DELICIOUS. I will spare you the description of the redaction process and just give the recipe.

Coarsely chop:

1 bunch cilantro

Put 1 cup of cilantro at a time into a blender and pour in a little water. Pulse until there is a lot of juice in the blender. Lay cheesecloth over a bowl and pour the contents of the blender onto the cheesecloth. Squeeze out all the juice. Repeat until all of the cilantro has been used. Discard chopped cilantro.

Put into a pan big enough to hold them in a single layer, meaty sides down:

3 1/2 pounds chicken parts, either from a Cornish hen or dark meat from regular-sized birds (I skin the pieces but you don't have to)

Pour over the chicken:

3/4 cup cilantro juice (freeze the rest for another time)
1/2 cup olive oil (do not skimp!)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
A few grinds of pepper
1 handful split blanched almonds
Water just to cover the chicken pieces the rest of the way

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until chicken is almost done (time will depend on what pieces you used). Add:

1 cup plain bread crumbs
1-2 tablespoons flour, dissolved in a little water first, as for thickening a stew
2 eggs--broken directly into the pan

Increase heat to medium. Cook and stir until chicken is done and pan juices thicken into a velvety golden sauce shot through with silvery threads of egg. Ladle chicken and sauce onto a deep platter. Sprinkle with:

More pepper
Ground cinnamon, as for cinnamon toast*
Generous pinch of ground lavender**

To serve the authentic way, sop up the sauce with hunks of bread, probably flatbread, then eat the chicken with your fingers; right hand only, please! Also good served over rice and eaten with a fork. The original cooks wouldn't have known this, but the leftovers are even better. DH had six pieces!

*The cinnamon we get at the store is really cassia, a similar spice. If you are using true cinnamon for authenticity, you will need to use less because the flavor is much stronger.
**Culinary lavender is not the same as the lavender from potpourris; they are grown and processed differently. Ask at your local Middle Eastern market or health food store or order online. It's easy to grind your own lavender. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can use a plate and the back of a sturdy spoon. Lavender adds an elusive, but delicious piny/floral taste to food.