"My mother cooked musakhan for us on festive occasions. The olive harvest was one of these occasions especially because we had fresh olive oil that she was eager to use in her cooking. Traditionally musakhan is made with thin flat bread called 'taboon,' which is baked in a traditional stone hearth. But now I make it with whole wheat pita bread." -- Ibtisam Barakat, author of Tasting the Sky, A Palestinian Childhood
Ingredients
1 chicken cut into 8 pieces
4 large pita bread loaves (pocketless is best)
3 tablespoons of ground sumac
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon of mixed spices (salt, black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice)
2 large onions, sliced thin
1/2 cup roasted almonds
2 tablespoons of pine nuts
3/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of water
To Prepare:
1) Preheat the oven to 350.
3) Mix the onion slices with 1/2 cup of olive oil, lemon juice, the sumac and the spices.
3) Spread a thin layer of the onion on the bottom of a large baking dish.
4) Arrange the chicken pieces on top of the onion layer.
5) Cover the chicken with the remaining onions.
6) Add water and bake for 45 minutes, until chicken is golden.
7) Grease a separate baking dish with the remaining olive oil
8) Place the pita loaves on the bottom of the new baking dish
9) Top the pita loaves with the baked chicken, onions, and 2 tablespoons of chicken juice
10) Bake for additional 20 minutes.
11) Garnish with roasted almonds and pine nuts.
12) Serve hot.
Serves 8.
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