Braised Chicken with Dates and Moroccan Spices

The blueprint for this recipe was published in Bon Appetit magazine a few months ago. It won terrific reviews on Epicurious.com and the ingredients appealed to me. I wasn't sure of the dates but was more than willing to give them a try. The main ingredients were shallots and chicken. What I wanted, though, was to incorporate veggies into the dish and reduce the amount of chicken to make it a one pot meal. I added zucchini, yellow squash and carrots and loved the results. Tasty, colorful and wonderful the next day, this recipe was a hit. Experiment with other veggies but be sure to use the shallots as they taste fantastic. I served the braise with brown basmati rice and lentils. The lentils were added to the rice during the last 30 minutes of cooking. The combination was great.

2 tbl. olive oil

1 1/2 lbs. chicken parts

8 shallots, peeled and halved

3 cinnamon sticks

1 1/2 tsps. ground ginger

1 tbl. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. cayenne

3 cups low sodium chicken broth

5 tbls. lemon juice-divided

2 medium zucchini, sliced 1/2 inch thick

2 medium yellow squash, sliced 1/2 inch thick

3 medium carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick

8 dates, pitted, and quartered

1/4 cup almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Add the oil to a 12 inch skillet and heat over medium high heat. Sprinkle the chicken parts with salt and pepper to taste and saute the chicken in the skillet, turning, until it is well browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken to a bowl and drain off all but 1 tbl. of oil. Over medium heat, add the shallots to the skillet and saute until golden, about 6 minutes. Add the cinnamon sticks, ginger, cumin, cayenne and stir 1 minute.

Over high heat add the chicken broth and 3 tbls. lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until shallots soften, about 18 minutes. Put the chicken atop the shallots and add the zucchini, yellow squash and carrots. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and cover. Simmer about 30 minutes, stirring a few times, until the chicken and vegetables are tender.

Stir in dates, 2 tbls. lemon juice and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, remove the cinnamon sticks, sprinkle with almonds and cilantro and serve.

Serves 6

Date Nut Spice Bread

A few weeks ago my lovely niece Liz surprised me with a loaf of this date nut bread. I took one bite and fell in love. It is absolutely perfect. I would not change a thing. Liz got the recipe from Ina Garten's cookbook Back to Basics. Actually Liz sings the praises of Ina Garten's recipes. She says that they are not difficult and they work. This one sure works for me.

The accompanying cream cheese spread does not appeal to me and seems unnecessary but most people would disagree. You're the boss on this one.

2 cups coarsely chopped dates, 10 oz. pitted

1/3 cup orange liqueur

4 tbl. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature

3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 extra large egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tbl. grated orange zest (2 oranges)

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. Kosher salt

3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (3 oranges)

3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans (3 oz.)

For the cream cheese spread:

6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tbl. grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom of an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2" loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pan.

Combine the dates and orange liqueur in a small bowl and set aside for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the egg, vanilla and orange zest. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. With the mixture still on low, add the flour alternately with the orange juice to the creamed mixture, beating only until combined. By hand, stir in the dates and their liquid and the pecans.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese, sugar and orange zest until just combined.

Slice the bread and serve as is or with the orange cream cheese on the side for spreading.

Makes one 8" loaf