If I ever have a daughter, I might just have to name her Mirabella

When my friend Julie was accepted to UC Berkeley back when we were barely nineteen, I traveled up the coast with her to help get her all settled into her new surroundings. It was an exciting time for her as she always wanted to live in the Bay Area -- not to mention getting into her college of choice. We packed up her Volkswagon Golf and embarked on a road trip which involved us bringing a giant bag of fortune cookies which is another story, but I digress...

Julie has some relatives in Berkeley where we stayed our first night in town. Quite the impressionable teenager at the time I was just blown away by their home and their lifestyle. They lived in a beautiful old Spanish style with old wooden doors and thick adobe walls in this wonderful part of Northern California. They boasted an impressive collection of books (cookbooks included) and when we sat down for dinner I recall it still to be one of my most memorable meals. My love affair with the Bay Area began long before that night, and there is definitely a strong pull that calls me to that part of the world, but ANYway...

Being a rather shy kid, I didn't ask for the recipe but I do remember it was a chicken dish that was so delicious that I have been trying to recreate it ever since that night... And last night I did.

I didn't know it at the time, but I am pretty sure what I enjoyed so very much that evening was Chicken Mirabella. A Mediterranean dish made with a sauce involving olives and prunes. When I first saw the recipe I knew I had to make it -- wondering to myself if this was indeed the dish I experienced. The combination might sound off-putting to some of you I know, but trust me, if you like Mediterranean food you owe it to yourself to try this. What happens is the brown sugar melts into the wine and the prunes also seem to melt as they cook and the sauce turns into a glaze as you continually baste the chicken. With the combination of the sweet and savory ingredients, the flavors all come alive. I guarantee if you come over to Casa de la Rosa anytime soon for dinner, this is what I will be serving you.

Kevin was the lucky one last night and we all died and went to heaven and ATE THE WHOLE THING.

Chicken Mirabella ( I don't really measure so I am guessing the quantities I used)
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz pitted prunes, chopped (not dried)
16 green olives (more if you like olives!)
2 tablespoons capers, with liquid
A few good glugs of olive oil
A few good glugs of red wine vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (or whatever parts of chicken you wish to use) I bought mine already cut up into 8 pieces courtesy of Gelson's.
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
About 1/3 of a bottle of dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish OR toasted pine nuts would be really nice too and what I will try next time

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl combine the garlic, prunes, olives, capers, olive oil, vinegar, bay leaves, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix well. Spread mixture in the bottom of a baking dish large enough to hold all the chicken. Add the chicken pieces, stir and turn to coat. This whole step takes about five minutes. Cover and refrigerate overnight or however much time you have.

When ready to prepare, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dish from refrigerator. Sprinkle brown sugar on top and pour white wine all around chicken. How easy is that?

Bake for 1 hour, basting chicken with juices several times as it is cooking. Serve on a platter, pouring juices over the top, and garnish with fresh parsley or pine nuts. Enter Heaven.

I served this over couscous and we paired it with a Teroldego from Mosby Vineyards. A wine which paired wonderfully with this slightly sweet, savory and full-bodied dish.