Recipes
Domaine Serene's Chicken Marbella
During harvest time at Domaine Serene—a boutique winery in Dayton, Oregon, specializing in Pinot Noir run by part-time Naples residents Ken and Grace Evenstad—Grace often prepares food for the crew. (Read about Editor Kathy Becker’s visit to the winery at harvest in the January 2005 issue.) Grace has adapted the original recipe, from The Silver Palate Cookbook (amazon.com), through several harvests. Becker sampled the chicken at the winery, and has served the dish at several large family gatherings to rave reviews.
Chicken Marbella
20 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 head of garlic, peeled and finely puréed
¼ cup dried oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup pitted prunes
1 cup pitted Spanish green olives
½ cup capers with a bit of juice
6 bay leaves
¾ cup brown sugar
1 cup dry vermouth
¼ cup Italian parsley or fresh coriander (cilantro) finely chopped
In a large bowl, combine chicken, garlic, oregano, pepper and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans, and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken with brown sugar and pour vermouth around chicken.
Bake for an hour and 15 minutes, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when pieces pricked with a fork at their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice.
With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices, and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass remaining pan juices in a sauceboat.
To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If chicken has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to return to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juice over the chicken.
