Cumin and Honey Spiced Chicken

It may seem silly to say, but family is hard to come by these days. There is an illusion that easy access to airports, a road system that traverses the country, and technology like texting, Skype, and Facebook make it easy to stay in touch. But having a relationship that is "in touch" is different than having one that is vibrant.

My fondest memories of Israel involved family. We first lived in an apartment building in Mahane David, along the base of Mount Carmel - just south of Haifa, and our neighbors were my grandmother and three of my uncles and their families. Even after we had all moved to different buildings, it seemed like each night involved a visit to some uncle or cousin's home. Tea would be served, fruit and nuts set out, and the rooms quickly filled with chatter and laughter. There was no way to grow feeling anything but secure and loved.

So on my first adult trip to Israel, some ten years after our move to the States, I felt nothing but excitement - like a little kid finally making it to Disney World, where they'll get to live their every dream and fantasy. I went to their homes and saw my cousins and uncles. If I couldn't travel, they came to where I was staying and the tea was poured, the stories flowed and laughter filled the rooms. I was ecstatic. It seemed to me that nothing had changed. I was home and it was wonderful.

After a long day of visiting, my cousin Yoram went for a walk with me along the beach to visit my sacred places and unwrap the memories I had safeguarded so well. He let me recount stories of games played, friends lost, adventures had. We stopped at the concession stand on the beach, seemingly frozen in time, and ordered "arcticim," lemon ice pops, then sat to watch the waves crash in the shore. We sat there quietly for a moment, then he turned to me and said, "Thank you."

"For what?" I asked, since he had bought the treats.

"It's never like this," he said sadly, looking out towards the sea. "We never see family anymore They have all come for you. I haven't seen (my cousin) Amnon in five or six years. Uncles Jamil in at least one year. Maybe we'll see each other at a wedding or a simcha, like you coming, but that's all."

I was shocked,...stung. How could people let something so precious slip away. Didn't they know how special they were? How valuable I thought it was. It would be years before I understood Yoram's answer. "The telephone," he said, "killed the family. When it came into everyone's house, you didn't have to travel because you could always just pick up the phone. Only, you don't. Not because you don't want to, but because you know you can at any time, just not right now." The same is as true today, if not more so. 

Distance in space creates a distance in time. There are some relationships where, on the rare occassion that the phone rings, you pick up the conversation right where it left off, vibrant, full and rich. Yet there are so many more where the phone never rings, and what you carry with you are warm memories seasoned with the mild regret that those people are no longer in your life.

We are quite blessed to have an extended family around us now, some related by blood and many more related by experience. How wonderful it was then to share the Passover Seders with so many of them. The first one especially, led wonderfuly by Nouri, was full of discussion and debate, warmth and laughter, and an feast fit for the most highly anticipated of our guests, Elijah the Prophet.

That first Seder was decidedly Sephardic and so kitnyot (other rice, seeds and beans disallowed on Pessach by Ashkenazic tradition due to their similarity to grains) was not an issues to worry about. Our most gracious hostess, Claudette, asked me to prepare a dish, which follows. I wanted something warm and complex on the pallete to compliment the fantastic traditional fare I knew Claudette was preparing.

Cumin and Honey Spiced Chicken

Cumin and coriander, honey and lemon provide subtle contrasts in this Moroccan spice inspired chicken dish.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, quartered
• 4-5 medium closes of garlic, peeled
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 Tbs ground cumin
• 1.5 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup good quality cracked or pitted olives

Directions

1. Place chicken pieces in a large bowl, set aside in the refrigerator.
2. Place garlic and salt in a food processor and pulse until garlic is super fine.
3. Add orange juice, lemon juice, honey, and spices. Mix.
4. With the blades still spinning, drizzle in oil to create an emulsion.
5. Take chicken out of the refrigerator. Pour marinade over the chicken. Add the olives. Toss the chicken well, making certain everything is very well coated.
6. Cover the chicken bowl tightly and let marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours.
7. Take chicken out of the refrigerator about 1 hour before cooking so it comes to room temperature.
8. Preheat oven to 400F.
9. Arrange chicken in a large baking dish, with the bone-side down, and bake for 30 minutes.
10. Baste the chicken in the juices, and then return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes.
12. Cut the each breast and each leg quarter in half.
13. Serve over rice, quinoa, or cuscus with pan sauce and olives.