Morocco is a country of dates and there are several varieties. Use 3/4 cup dates of a soft, moist variety such as the Tunisian Deglet Nour or Californian ones that you can find in supermarkets. Remove the stones, replacing each one with a blanched almond.

Ingredients

　　Follow the recipe on the preceding page for Chicken with Chestnuts until the sauce has reduced but omit the honey. At this point, add the dates instead of the chestnuts. Cook 2 to 5 minutes, turning them over once; take care that the dates do not fall apart. Put the chicken pieces back into the sauce under the dates and heat through.

　　Arabesque