Gunnar Holmgren’s Moroccan chicken tagine

“I’ve always liked cooking, and eating. You have to like eating as a cyclist,” Gunnar Holmgren says with a laugh. It’s true.

At 15, the pro mountain biker and cyclocross racer wanted to know what lobster tasted like. He didn’t remember ever having tried it. So, he did his research, and then trekked on-foot to the grocery store, where he bought enough live lobsters for his family – his parents, two younger brothers and two younger sisters. For dessert, he made creme brûlée. “I thought, what could be a luxury dessert to feed everyone?” he remembers.

Another passion of Holmgren is coffee. His first cup of joe wasn’t from Tim Hortons. No. He went straight to the good stuff during a training camp in Girona, Spain. Holmgren bought himself some java at La Fabrica, run by fellow Canadian rider Christian Meier. More recently, Holmgren has worked as a barista at a café in his hometown of Orillia, Ont. When he travels, he brings along some essentials, such as an AeroPress, hand grinder and beans. This past May, Holmgren arrived in Europe for a two-month stint of racing and training. He and his team, Pivot Cycles–OTE, took on the four cross country World Cup races. For that trip, Holmgren brought seven 1-lb. bags of coffee.

How many cups of coffee does he drink? “Not as many as people would think,” Holmgren says. “Usually, just one. I make sure it’s a good one. I don’t drink coffee for the effect as much. I drink it for the taste.”

Holmgren’s Moroccan chicken tagine recipe is a flexible and versatile dish. “This is a great two-pot recipe that’s easy to adjust for personal preferences, easy to clean up and full of flavour,” he says.

Serves 4
Ingredients

450 g chicken breast, cubed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 small knob of fresh ginger, grated
500 ml chicken broth
1 large carrot, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
796 ml can of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cup couscous

Spice mix

1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp ginger
1/2 tbsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cayenne (adjust to taste)

Toppings

Chopped mint
Chopped cilantro
Chopped parsley
Chopped almonds
Chopped dried apricots
Salt
Pepper

Directions

1. Heat olive oil In a medium pot. Sauté onion, garlic and ginger for one minute.

2. Add the cubed chicken and spice mix. Cook until the chicken is browned.

3. Sweat the carrots and peppers.

4. Add the broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, and then simmer covered for 15 minutes.

5. In a separate pot, prepare couscous and cover.

6. Prepare the toppings in bowls.

7. Serve couscous with the chicken tagine and toppings.

Nutritional Information

For one serving

Calories 552
Carbs 71.9 g
Saturated Fat 1.5 g
Fibre 9.1 g
Protein 38.2 g

 

This story originally appeared in the August/September 2021 issue of Canadian Cycling Magazine