‘Silver Palate’ celebrates 25 years

When “The Silver Palate Cookbook” first appeared 25 years ago, many home cooks had never experimented with ingredients such as flavored vinegars, sun-dried tomatoes or exotic mushrooms.

The cookbook that led the gourmet way is being re-issued in an anniversary edition this month, with all of the old favorite recipes and now more than 100 color photos.

Below is a recipe for Chicken Marbella, the first main-course dish to be served at The Silver Palate gourmet shop, the store that inspired the cookbook. Authors Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins note that the dish is good served hot or at room temperature. It can be made with small drumsticks and wings and served as an appetizer, plus its flavors improve as it sits in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Chicken Marbella

½ cup olive oil

½ cup red wine vinegar

1 cup pitted prunes

1 cup dried apricots (optional)

1/3 cup pitted Spanish green olives

½ cup capers with a bit of juice

6 bay leaves

1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed

¼ cup dried oregano

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 chickens (2 ½ pounds each), quartered

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup dry white wine

¼ cup fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley or fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, apricots (optional), olives, capers and juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Arrange in the chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon the marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the brown sugar and pour the white wine around them.

Bake, basting frequently with the pan juice, until the thigh pieces yield clear, yellow (rather than pink) juice when pricked with a fork, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with the parsley or cilantro. Pass the remaining pan juices in a sauceboat.

Yield: 16 pieces, serves 10 or more.

Note: To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in the cooking juices before transferring the pieces to a serving platter. If the chicken has been covered and refrigerated, reheat it in the juices, then allow it to come to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juice over the chicken.

Approximate nutrition per serving: 687 calories, 40 grams fat (10 grams saturated, 52 percent fat calories), 59 grams protein, 20 grams carbohydrate, 182 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 570 milligrams sodium.