Chicken Loaf Tagine

Inspired by the spiced tagines of Morocco.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  small eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (1/2 lb.)
• 1  medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1  onion, chopped
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1⁄2 lbs ground chicken
• 1  cup  cooked couscous
• 1  cup  firm  white breadcrumb
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped cilantro
• 1  tablespoon  grated fresh ginger
• 2  teaspoons  grated lemon peel
• 2  teaspoons  grated  orange peel
• 1  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1  egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°; in a big skillet, heat the oil and cook the eggplant, zucchini, onion, and garlic over med-low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft (12-15 minutes).
2. In a big bowl, use your hands to gently combine the chicken, couscous, bread crumbs, parsley, cilantro, ginger, lemon and orange peel, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne, cinnamon, egg, and cooked vegetables.
3. Pat mixture into a 9x5 inch loaf pan, smoothing the top.
4. Bake about 1 hour or until loaf is firm, the top is richly browned and meat thermometer reads 160°; let loaf stand in the pan for 10 minutes; then slice and serve.