This recipe from Ottolenghi’s ‘Simple’ cookbook is excellent if you’re looking for a dish to have with an older Noon red. The baked sweet/salty combination of dates, olives & capers is rich and gentle & pairs very well with soft, mature reds. Prepared ahead & baked in one dish, it’s so easy to make. This recipe is a modern take on the beloved 1980s version from The Silver Palate Cookbook, which uses prunes instead of dates and is equally delicious.
Ingredients
8 chicken marylands, skin on & scored 3 or 4 times to the bone
5 garlic cloves crushed
A bunch of fresh oregano & parsley, save some to serve
3 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
100g pitted green olives
60g capers with 2 tbsp of their juices
120g Medjool dates pitted and quartered lengthways
2 bay leaves
120ml red or white wine
1 tbsp date molasses or treacle
Salt & black pepper
Serves 4 generously
* Place chicken in a large, non-reactive bowl and add all of the remaining ingredients except for the wine & date molasses, along with a good pinch of salt and grind of black pepper. Gently mix everything together, cover the bowl and leave in fridge to marinate for 1-2 days (or hours if you don’t have time) stirring a few times during the process.
* Preheat oven to 1800C fan. * Spread chicken legs out on a high-sided baking tray, along with all of the marinade ingredients. Whisk together the wine & molasses & pour over the meat. Place in oven & cook for 50 minutes, basting a few times, until the meat is golden-brown and cooked through.
* Remove from the oven, sprinkle with fresh oregano & parsley & serve.
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Recipe printed on the 2025 With Comp’s