Chicken with Dates and Pine nuts

If we are the sum of the places we've lived, the people we've known, the experiences we've had in life, then there's a little bit of Tunisia in me. When we first arrived in Tunisia in 2005, my first mission was to discover the cuisine. At our local market, I was perplexed that there was not a wide variety of produce. After all, Tunisia was once the breadbasket of the Mediterranean, and fed the whole Roman Empire. Under Ben Ali's regime, certain crops were subsidized, so that is what people grew, which meant one type of tomato, one variety of onion, and many of the best that the country had to offer of olives, dates, etc. were exported out of the country. In addition, because of the closed economy, very little imported produce was allowed to compete with the local economy, so at certain times of the year, onions were literally unavailable.

Strangely, the tourist restaurants rarely featured real Tunisian cooking, other than a few popular dishes. Fresh fish was always central on the menu, but it was hard to find what made Tunisian cuisine stand out. When I started eating in the souk, I began to discover really tasty, simple dishes. Kind of like eating street food, no frills, but intensely good.

I bought a cookbook and started to cook some of these dishes at home. This is the chicken dish I made most often, and I decided to make it again this week since it had been years, and like many others, I've had Tunisia on my mind.

Chicken with Dates and Pine Nuts

Adapted from Cuisine Tunisienne by Christiane Desbordes

This is a wonderful winter dish, rich, creamy and slightly sweet. It can be served over rice, but I chose spelt couscous for a little variety in our grain consumption. I've made versions of this dish substituting the dates with apricots, and using slivered almonds in the place of pine nuts.

1 3lb chicken (1.5 kg)

2 tablespoons oil

2 onions, chopped

a dozen dates, pitted and torn in half lengthwise

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup water

3.5 ounces (100 grams) crème fraîche

1/2 cup pine nuts

Cut the chicken into pieces (or you can use chicken thighs, or even breasts cut into morsels). In a medium saute pan, brown the chicken in the oil, then add the onions and saute for another three minutes. Add the curry powder, flour and water and simmer for five minutes. Add the dates, salt and pepper, then cover and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

During this time, toast the pine nuts in a bare frying pan, watching carefully not to burn them.

Remove the chicken from the pan and let the sauce reduce slightly, then remove from the heat and stir in the crème fraîche.

Serve over rice or couscous, sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts.

Morning of Dates and Milk

Sabah an-nour, Sabah digla wa halib. Morning of light, morning of dates and milk, they say in Tunisia.

صباح النور، صباح دجلة والحليب

Shortly after we moved into our house in Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia in 2005, the ground beneath us literally shifted. There had been a water main break and water had been leaking into the garden for months. One day the doors and windows no longer closed and there were huge cracks in the wall. We had to move out temporarily, and it was a hassle, but if this had not occurred, I never would have met the owner Hanane, who became like a big sister to me. My time in Tunisia, and my life were enriched tenfold.

Two years later, the morning we left the country, I stepped out into the street before the van came to take us to the airport, already full of nostalgia. Leaving was bittersweet. The sun was rising over Sidi Bou Said, our small village looking over the Mediterranean and I snapped one last shot.

Now the ground has shifted again in Tunisia. The sun is rising for a new day, a new life without the tyrant Ben Ali, there is hope for a life full of freedoms that the people have not known previously. Open press, opportunity, freedom to speak their mind and elect their own government. This is a historic time, but one of many unknowns.

None of this comes easily. Not without violence, not without danger and a mess in the streets. Right now, Hanane is holed up, waiting in her house for the shooting to stop, for calm to be restored, the future to be written. I imagine as a young girl that her mother would make her some dates with milk in the morning, or as a special comfort when she needed it. It's soothing and naturally sweet, and drinking a warm cup full is like coming home to a hug after a long day.

And it's going to be a long day in Tunis, a long wait to see how events play out. We can only wait and hope, provide support however possible for this country full of so much potential. May there be many mornings of light, many mornings of dates and milk. A new door has opened.

Milk with Dates

From Cuisine Tunisienne by Christiane Desbordes

For Hanane, with love

Serves 4

750 ml whole milk

250 grams dates

1 vanilla bean

1 clove

In a medium pot, over low heat, gently bring the milk to a boil. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and add to the pot, along with the clove and the pitted dates. Stir frequently for about 15 minutes until the dates are very soft. Remove the clove and the vanilla bean before blending in a blender or food processor. Serve hot.