On 1/18/2011 6:44 PM, Portland wrote:
> On Jan 18, 2:50 pm, Kate > wrote:
>> A few months ago (before T-day) I vowed to make Chicken
>> Cacciatore as soon as I got a number of other previously
>> planned dishes out of the way.
>>
>> The T-day turkey and subsequent dishes made from the
>> leftovers (Creamy Wild Rice and Turkey Soup) lasted until
>> Xmas. Then I had to make Sauerbraten because I'd been
>> craving it for several months.)
>>
>> So yesterday I made the C.C. I used Lidia's recipe.
>> It's unusual in that it uses white wine rather than
>> red. It also has red and yellow bell peppers in it.
>> A very nice touch.
>>
>> I got a nice German Reisling (Spatlese) and had a glass
>> of the extra wine with my dinner. I served it with
>> polenta. This was the first time I had ever had polenta
>> like this. (The only other time I have cooked with polenta
>> was a breakfast dish of bacon, eggs, and polenta baked in
>> little individual casseroles.)
>>
>> CHICKEN CACCIATORE
>> (Pollo alla Cacciatore)
>>
>> 2 broiler chickens (~ 2½ lb. each)
>> salt
>> freshly ground black pepper
>> flour
>> 1/4 c. vegetable oil
>> 1/4 c. olive oil
>> 1 sm. yellow onion, cut into 1" cubes (~ 1 c.)
>> 1/2 c. dry white wine
>> 1 28-oz. can Italian plum tomatoes with liquid, crushed
>> 1 t. oregano
>> 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2" strips (~ 1 c.)
>> 1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2" strips (~1 c.)
>>
>> Cut each chicken into 12 pieces. With a sturdy knife or kitchen shears,
>> remove the backbone by cutting along both sides. Remove the wingtips.
>> Reserve the backbone, wingtips, and giblets - except for the liver - to
>> make chicken stock. Or, if you like, cut the backbone in half crosswise
>> and add it to this dish. Place the chicken, breast side down, on a
>> cutting board and cut the chicken into halves by cutting through the
>> breastbone lengthwise. Cut off the wing at the joint that connects it
>> to the breast, then cut each wing in half at the joint. Separate the
>> leg from the breast. Cut the leg in half at the joint. Cut the breast
>> in half crosswise, giving the knife a good whack when you get to the
>> bone in separate the breast cleanly into halves. Repeat with the
>> remaining chicken.
>>
>> Season the chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper. Dredge the
>> pieces in flour, coating them lightly and tapping off excess flour. In
>> a wide (at least 12") 5-qt. braising pan, heat the vegetable oil with 2
>> T. of the olive oil until a piece of chicken dipped in the oil gives off
>> a very lively sizzle. Add as many pieces of chicken to the pan as will
>> fit without touching. Do not crowd chicken; if the skillet is not wide
>> enough to fit all of the chicken, brown it in batches. Remove chicken
>> pieces from the skillet as they brown, adding some of the remaining
>> pieces of chicken to take their place. Remove all chicken from the
>> skillet. Add the onion to the fat remaining in the pan, and cook,
>> stirring 5 minutes. Pour the wine into the pan, bring to a boil, and
>> cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and
>> oregano, season lightly with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Tuck
>> the chicken into the sauce, adjust the heat to a gentle boil, and cover
>> the pan. Cook, stirring a few times, 20 minutes. In a large skillet,
>> heat the remaining 2 T. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the peppers
>> and toss until the peppers are wilted but still quite crunchy, about 8
>> minutes. Season the vegetables with salt. Stir the peppers into the
>> chicken pan. Cook covered until the chicken and vegetables are tender,
>> 10-15 minutes. Check the level of the liquid as the chicken cooks.
>> There should be enough liquid barely to cover the chicken. If
>> necessary, add small amounts of water to maintain the level of liquid as
>> the chicken cooks. Makes 6 servings. (From Lidia’s Italian-American
>> Kitchen by Lidia Bastianich.)
>>
>> (Notes: I didn't use whole chickens. I bought a 10-lb. bag of
>> leg/thigh quarters at Walmart. I sectioned them and used the
>> drumsticks for the C.C. I also added garlic, the absence of which I
>> can't fathom. (It's an *Italian* recipe for cryin' out loud! Isn't it
>> against the law to make an Italian dish that doesn't contain garlic?
>> Always excepting dessert, of course.) Much as I love Lydia I don't
>> agree with her in this case. And I cut the peppers into somewhat
>> smaller strips so it would be easier to eat - cut them about 1/4" wide
>> and then in half. And I cooked them over high heat to char them
>> slightly.)
>>
>> This dish was awesome. As much as I loved my version of C.C. which I
>> used to make 45 years ago and have now forgotten how I made it and don't
>> remember what recipe I used since I haven't made it for maybe 20 years,
>> this is my new go-to recipe. Although it's a bit more work than some
>> other recipes I have seen. I really liked the peppers being cooked
>> separately the way they were. And I'm now a huge fan of polenta.
>>
>> Ciao
>> Kate
>>
>
> I make a Hungarian Chicken Paprikash without the sour cream. It's
> similar to a Chicken Cacciatore. Sometimes I make the Paprikash with
> sour cream.

Without sour cream? Scandalous!!! Sour cream is not optional in
Hungarian food! ;-)

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?