Chicken Marrakesh

For those of you who know I am not a big fan of goumet food, hold on to your hats for this one. This is one of the yummiest recipes I ever got out of the newspaper and I have since purchased the book from which it came. Totally yummy. I have to say though that this should be eaten the same day. It's awfully strong as a leftover (still good, but stuff kindof mushes together). This is a generous meal for Passover. One tip. It took me a long time to find dried figs as my grocery stores didn't carry it. If yours doesn't, check for a local natural foods grocery store. Should be a good selection of dried figs there.

Chicken Marrakesh

Roselle Cranford, Hadassah, NJ

4 whole chickens (2.5 pounds each), each cut into eighths
12 large cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup best quality olive oil
8 teaspoons green peppercorns, soaked in water and drained
2 cups whole pitted black olives
3 cups dried apricots
2 cups dried small figs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup good red wine
2 cups large pecan pieces
grated zest of 4 lemons

1. The day before, combine the chicken, garlic, thyme, cumin, ginger, salt, wine vinegar, oil, peppercorns, olives, apricots and figs in 2 large bowls, dividing the ingredients equally; marinate covered in the refrigerator overnight. Mix several times during the day. Remove the bowls from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Arrange chicken in single layer in 2 large, heavy, shallow baking pans. Spoon marinade evenly over both pans. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and pecans and pour the wine evenly between the pieces in both pans.
4. Cover the pans with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake, basting frequently with the pan juices, 50 minutes.
5. Using a fork and slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, olives, dried fruit and pecans to a large serving platter. Drizzle with a few large spoonfuls of the pan juices. Serves about 8.