Moroccan Chicken Patties

Moroccan Chicken Patties -

Moroccan chicken patties are wrapped in a little gem lettuce leaf with red onion and coriander and topped with a spoonful of sweet date confit.

INGREDIENTS:

For the date confit:
100 g ready-to-eat pitted dates, halved
1 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 birds eye chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp soft light brown sugar
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

For the patties:
600 g boneless chicken breasts
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2.5 cm fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp ras el hanout spice blend
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp soft light brown sugar

To serve:
16 small leaves of little gem lettuce
10 cm piece of cucumber, quartered lengthways, deseeded and diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 handful coriander leaves

METHOD:

For the date confit: Put the dates in a bowl, cover with just-boiled water and leave to soften for 1 hour. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the shallots, covered, for 20–25 minutes until very soft.
Drain the dates and add them to the pan, squashing them with the back of a fork to break them down. Stir in 4 tablespoons water, the cinnamon, chilli and sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes until it forms a thick jam consistency. Add more water if it is too thick. Stir in the pomegranate molasses and season with salt and pepper. You can blend the mixture if you prefer a smoother consistency. Spoon the mixture into a serving bowl and leave to cool.
For the patties: Mince the chicken in a food processor and stir in the garlic, ginger and ras el hanout. Season with salt and pepper and then form the chicken mixture into 16 golf-ball-sized rounds. Flatten the top of each one to make a patty.
Heat two-thirds of the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the patties in two or three batches for 3 minutes on each side. Just before they are cooked, sprinkle each side with a little sugar and fry briefly until slightly caramelized. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm while you cook the remaining patties, adding more oil when necessary.
To serve: Put a chicken patty on top of each lettuce leaf, scatter a little cucumber, red onion and coriander over and top with a spoonful of the date confit. Serve warm or at room temperature.