I'll admit that I've
been on an Italian kick since I went to the tasting at Michael Coon's Casa de
Cocinas in November honoring Italian chef Marcella Hazan.
After studying her
recipes, I like that she uses very simple ingredients and when a recipe calls
for few ingredients, make sure they are the freshest, highest-quality
ingredients you can find.
Marcella Hazan said
you cannot rush the food or you won't get the deep, rich flavors so sit back,
have a glass or two of wine and let the complex flavors develop. You'll be
richly rewarded with three of the best Chicken dishes you've tasted in a long
time.
I served the
Pan-roasted Chicken with Rosemary, Garlic and White Wine I cooked today with a
sliced orange that I just picked from the tree in my back yard. Delizioso!
Buen Apetito!
Pan-roasted Chicken with Rosemary, Garlic and
White Wine
Recipe: Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
by Marcella Hazan
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons
vegetable oil
A 3 1/2-pound chicken,
cut into 4 pieces
2 or 3 garlic cloves,
peeled
1 sprig of fresh
rosemary broken in two
Salt
Ground pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
Put the butter and oil
in a saute pan, turn on the heat to medium high, and when the butter foam
begins to subside, put in the chicken quarters, skin side down.
Brown the chicken well
on both sides, then add the garlic and rosemary. Cook the garlic until it
becomes colored a pale gold, and add salt, pepper and the wine. Let the wine
simmer briskly for about 30 seconds, then adjust heat to cook at a low simmer,
and put a lid on the pan, setting it slightly ajar. Cook until the bird’s thigh
feels very tender when prodded with a fork and the meat comes easily off the
bone, calculating between 20 - 25 minutes per pound. If while the chicken is
cooking, you find that the liquid has become insufficient, replenish it with 1
or 2 tablespoons water as needed.
When done, transfer
the chicken to a warm serving platter, using a slotted spoon or spatula. Remove
the garlic from the pan. Tip the pan, spooning off all but a little of the fat.
Turn up the heat to high, and boil the water away while loosening cooking
residues from the bottom and sides with a wooden spoon.
Pour the pan juices
over the chicken and serve at once.
Fricasseed Chicken Abruzzi-style with
Rosemary, White Wine, Cherry Tomatoes, and Olives.
Recipe: Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
by Marcella Hazan
3 1/2-pound chicken,
cut into 8 pieces
tablespoon extra
virgin olive oil
4 or 5 whole peeled
garlic cloves
2 teaspoons rosemary
leaves, chopped very fine
Salt
Chopped hot chili
pepper, 1/4 teaspoon or to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
Two dozen cherry
tomatoes if no larger than 1 inch or proportionately fewer if larger
A dozen small black
olives in brine such as Italian Riviera or French nicoise olives.
Wash all the chicken
pieces in cold water and pat dry with kitchen towels.
Choose a skillet or
sauté pan that can contain all the chicken pieces in one layer without
crowding.
Put in the oil,
garlic, and rosemary and turn on the heat to high.
Add the chicken, the
skin side facing down. When that side has been well browned, turn the pieces
and do the other side. Sprinkle with salt, add the chili pepper, and with a
wooden spoon turn over the contents of the pan three or four times.
Add the wine and as it
bubbles, scrape loose with the wooden spoon any browning residues sticking to
the bottom of the pan.
Put a lid on the pan
and turn the heat down to low. Cook for about 35 minutes, turning the chicken
over from time to time. If you should find that the-juices in the pan have
become insufficient to keep the meat from sticking to the bottom, replenish
them when necessary with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water.
When the chicken is
very tender--the meat should come easily off-the bone--add the tomatoes and the
olive mixture. Continue cooking just until the tomatoes' skin begins to crack.
Transfer all the contents of the pan to a warm platter and serve at once.
Chicken Cacciatore
Recipe: Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
by Marcella Hazan
1 3-4 lb. Chicken, cut
into 8 pieces
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup onion, sliced
thinly
2 cloves garlic,
sliced thinly
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups raw plum
tomatoes, peeled and chopped
I used cherry tomatoes and did not peel them
Salt and pepper
Wash chicken pieces in
cold water and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels.
Put oil and onions in
skillet over medium heat. Cook until onions are translucent.
Add garlic. Add
chicken pieces, skin side down, being careful not to crowd the pan.
Brown chicken on all
sides.
Add salt, pepper, and
white wine. Continue to cook until wine is reduced by half.
Add tomatoes. Turn
heat down to simmer, cover (but leave slightly off to vent), and cook 40
minutes or until thigh is cooked through, stirring and basting occasionally.