Chicken with Cinnamon and Dates

from The New York Times, February 20, 2008 (Kim Sunée)

recommended by Jeanne Milligan 

serves 6 to 8

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons

1/2 pound (about 2 links) merguez, spicy Italian or lamb sausage, cut in halves or thirds (casings removed, if desired)

6 to 8 skinless chicken thighs

1 1/4 teaspoons salt 

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

2 large onions, thinly sliced

1tablespoon white wine, orange juice or water 

3 garlic cloves, smashed and coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon hot paprika 

11/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

about 1/3 cup golden raisins or currents

2 to 3 carrots, cut lengthwise and halved diagonally

12 to 15 pitted dates

1 large orange, cut into 8 wedges

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus additional for garnish

pine nuts, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place a large Dutch oven (or skillet, if planning to bake in a tagine) over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add sausage and chicken and sprinkle with half the salt and pepper. Brown about 5 minutes. Turn, sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper, and brown another 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate or the bottom of a tagine.

Add 1 or 2 teaspoons olive oil to Dutch oven or skillet, as needed, and add onions. Saute until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add wine, and stir, scraping bottom of pan. Add garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cumin and paprika, and stir until garlic and ginger are softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, orange juice, raisins and carrots. Return chicken and sausage to pot or pour onion-carrot mixture over the chicken and sausage in tagine. Add dates and orange wedges, and stir to mix. Cover, and bake until chicken and carrots are fork-tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Taste, and adjust seasonings, as needed. Garnish with cilantro and pine nuts.

If desired, serve with hot buttered couscous and harissapaste or chutney. For a group, this dish is a great variation on the usual chicken stews; it is full of surprise tastes.

You can also find this recipe in Kim Sunée's book, "Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home."