Aromatic Dinners...beyond Chicken Marabella

Each morning brings the thought of what to make for dinner...I strive to put something on the table that is a balance of flavor, spices, texture and nutrition that everyone will enjoy..While not commonly thought of as an ingredient in a main dish, fruit brings an aroma to the kitchen and the meal that one finds surprising. Figs, apples, apricots and plums are among my favorites for cooking with..Pair this with olives, garlic, or another salty favorite and you will have flavors that are sure to please any palette. 
Busy lives often dictate the time that one has to put a flavorful, enjoyable meal on the table.  In these days of premade, take-out meals, one can often get stuck in the rut of repetition..

Striving for a balance is one that we constantly juggle.  Aromatic dinners often require a bit of marinade, but once that is done, there is nothing left other than to pop it in the oven. 
One tried and true favorite is Chicken Marabella.  The unusual blend of the olives, plums and spices make the lowly chicken thigh the delicious centerpiece of the meal.  Served with wild mushroom risotto, this meal becomes a true slice of heaven...

10 chicken thighs
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup dried oregano
15 cloves of garlic, peeled and slightly crushed
coarse salt and ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup capers with a bit of juice
1 cup prunes
1/2 cup spanish olives - often I just use what is in the fridge(stuffed with onions add another layer of flavor)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 dry white wine

Mix all ingredient together except the wine in a ziploc bag, mix until the sugar dissolves and put in chicken.  Marinate for at least 5 hours to overnight.  Place in baking dish, pouring all the marinade over the chicken.  Add the wine and bake at 350 for 1 hour..

Ladle the gravy over the chicken on the plates, add a few pieces of the fruit and olives, and as my daughter says, this dinner is the bomb! 
Experiment with the flavors of the season, granny smith apples, fennel and onions are great over pork chops..Butternut squash, goat cheese and apricots with lamb....A roasted cauliflower mash instead of the standard potatoes...