Go Tell it on the Mountain
Up to the mountains we have travelled. Crystal mountain is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Seattle, near Mount Rainier. Considering that our skiing location is surrounded by miles and miles of national forests, some advanced meal planning was necessary. We planned out a few meals, preparing our meats with marinades and rubs in advance, leaving more time for us to relax with family and friends and enjoy the alpine lifestyle.
Boy, we are glad we did. We were suddenly invited to dinner up on Gold Hill and wanted to bring something along. Our Chicken Marbella handled the snowmobile ride up the hill just fine.
Chicken Marbella is a favorite meal year round, hot or cold, it is a well loved classic. We love the complex blend of colors and flavors (tangy, salty, sweet, savory) and the incredible ease of preparation.
It’s hard to improve upon the classic recipe in the Silver Palette cookbook, but, we do like to make a couple of variations. Here’s how we make it to go: into a zip lock bag goes the chicken pieces and the marinade ingredients. The recipe calls for red wine vinegar, olive oil, prunes, Spanish olives, bay leaves, capers, lots of garlic and oregano. We like adding dried sour cherries and apricots to the mix as well. They add white wine and brown sugar later, just before baking. Sometimes, we go lazy lady, and just throw these ingredients into the bag with the rest of the mix. In the recipe they call for 4-quartered chickens, we like to use bone-in, skin-on chicken breast cut in half, they cook more quickly and are easier to eat. If you don’t have the book, it’s available in Splendid Items, or click here to see the exact recipe on Epicurious. This mix stays in the bag, flavors melding beautifully, for a day or two.
When we arrived at our hosts’ home we poured the mixture into a baking pan.
Into the oven it went at 350 degrees and voila!, 45 minutes later: the fruits were soft and mellow, the chicken exterior bronzed and crispy. The chicken interior was tender and white.
We plattered up the food, topped it with a generous sprinkling of chopped parsley and passed the pan juices!
Our high mountain host had prepared many marvelous morsels for us as well including braised shortribs, oven roasted brocolini and a toothsome kale gratin.
Oh, the weather outside was frightful, but inside it was so delightful!!
The snow is coming down and we are looking forward to cooking our roast for New Years Eve. It has been in a dry marinade for days! The fireworks in the snow beneath the blue moon should be beautiful!
Tomorrow we plan to have lunch at the highest restaurant in the state, at 6872 feet. More details to come.
Happy New Year!
You made the Chicken Marbella for me years ago and I could never remember to ask you for the recipe – thanks, it will be on the menu here this week! I still remember how good it was!
P.S. How do I find an older post – specifically the tortilla soup? That is on tonight's menu