Makes 6 servings (serving a crowd?)
- one 3-4 lb chicken, cut into pieces, breasts quartered
- ½ cup pitted calamata olives (2½ oz)
- 4 oz dried apricots
- 4 oz dried figs, stems removed
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons thyme
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- dash salt
- 4 peppercorns
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup strong red wine, like a chianti
- 1 cup raw almonds (5 oz)
Special equipment
- none
Method
- Place chicken pieces, olives, apricots and figs in a 13x9" pan. In a medium bowl, mix together the garlic, thyme, cumin, salt, pepper, vinegar, oil and wine. Toss together with the chicken and fruit, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, tossing occassionally.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Sprinkle the almonds on top of the marinated chicken, and stir around a bit to coat with the marinade. Bake for 70 minutes. About halfway through, baste the chicken pieces and rotate the fruit and nuts so that they do not burn. Clear the tops of the chicken pieces so that they can brown nicely.
Notes
- The quantity of the marinade might be overly generous for home cooking. We like ample sauce for pilaf, but you can probably get away with ⅓ cup of each liquid.
Wine-soaked figs are wonderful, but if your figs are particularly dry, they'll absorb much marinade.
A double recipe fills an 8 quart full-length steam pan.↩
The germ of this recipe came from an article on modern and traditional Passover seder recipes, particularly Shapiro's reproduction of a contemporary Mizrahi recipe from the Roselle-Cranford (NJ) Hadassah. We took some of the New Jersey out and sprinkled back in more of the Morocco.
Suggestions
- Serve with a
Pilaf or coucous. Be sure to scoop the fruits and roasted marinade on it!Throw a handful of shallots or a quartered onion to soak in the marinade and roast with the fruits.