Tuesday, March 21, 2006
My Version of Chicken Cacciatore
It's been a while since you last heard from me. Even though this post is dated March 21st, I actually uploaded it today, on the 26th. This was not
intentional, the will to post was there. Unfortunately, Ireland is not the only country on earth where things don't always work the way we expect them to and where customer service is an unknown concept. Much to my dismay, I found that Germany is not much different either. But before I lose myself in another rant, I must step back to last Sunday, the day I made the recipe this post is dedicated to.I know it is against the nature of a blog to post in retrospect, but somehow I feel that this dish is worthy of being mentioned. It was easy to make, yet tasty. It was hearty and filling, yet light and far from overpowering. And it was refined in taste, yet the ingredients needed to prepare it are very cheap so anyone can afford to make it. It is, in short, the essence of why I started this blog: To bring good, easy and reasonably priced home-cooking up to restaurant level and make it accessible to a large audience. One of my friends once said: "Even my grandma could be a good chef if you gave her lobster and foie gras to experiment with. The art is in preparing a tasty dish from carrots and lentils." This art is what I am trying to practice and aspiring to teach, so here we go - chicken cacciatore prepared my way:
enough chicken pieces for 2 people (if you're a regular visitor, you will recognise my signature chicken legs, of which I tend to serve one per person, but as per usual, any part of the bird will do)Well, to say it with Bugs Bunny, that's all folks. All you have to do now is enjoy and I will return to the German reality around me and prepare my next - more current - post about my culinary experiences in Munich.
1 to 2 tbsp olive oil (depending on whether you are using bacon or not and on how much fat the bacon you are using releases)
2 bacon slices, chopped (optional; the sauce is milder without it, which can be nice at times, so go by your gut feeling. Vegetarians can replace the bacon with liquid smoke (it works, I did it for years) or smoked salt)
2 medium onions, halved and sliced into fine rings
4 plump garlic cloves, sliced
1½ tsp fresh oregano, chopped (alternatively, ¾ tsp dried)
1½ tsp fresh thyme, chopped (alternatively, ¾ tsp dried)
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (alternatively, ½ tsp dried)
½ tsp fresh sage, chopped (alternatively, ¼ tsp dried)
a small handful dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in ¾ cup hot water (any flavoursome dried mushrooms will do here; for best results, pick and dry your own, you'll never go back to shop bought ones again)
½ cup full bodied red wine
½ cup chicken stock
1 can plum tomatoes with juice or 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (as much as I love fresh vegetables, if tomatoes are not in season, I recommend you stick with the cans. They are harvested ripe rather than green and canned right away rather than shipped half way across the globe. This obviously makes a difference to the taste.)
Salt and pepper to taste
(You could also add a number of vegetables to the sauce, such as celery, carrots, button mushrooms or bell peppers. I didn't because I was clearing out my fridge before the trip, so I simply didn't have any.)
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Heat the oil in an ovenproof pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels and set aside.
Add the chicken to the pan, skin side down and brown lightly, about 5 minutes. Turn over and brown the other side. Transfer to a platter. Add the onion to the pan and sauté until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and herbs and continue cooking for a further 2 minutes. (If you are using vegetables, they need to be added no as well.) Deglaze with the wine and bring to the boil. Add the mushrooms with their liquid, stock and tomatoes and return to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavours to mix. Stir in the bacon and lay the chicken pieces on top, skin side up.
Roast in the oven until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a knife, about 40 minutes. The tomato sauce will darken slightly, don't worry, this is normal and affects the taste only positively.
Christine at 9:33 pm
