Chicken Fricassee

Cacciatora or Seville Style. Whether you're in Italy or Spain, here is chicken in a pot. Cacciatora means hunter style in Italian and since there has always been a hunter in nearly every Italian household, every Italian prepares a dish with a claim to that description according to Marcella Hazan.

There are only a couple of ingredients separating the two styles. Marcella uses a carrot and celery stalk whereas Betty Wason in The Art of Spanish Cooking uses pimentos and stuffed olives. I use manzanilla olives from Spain. Much more flavorful.

A 3 pound chicken is cut into six to eight pieces - breasts with wings on (remove first joint) cut into two pieces each, thighs and legs. Dust the parts with flour and sprinkle salt and pepper over all. I put about a handful of flour into a medium baggy along with the salt and pepper. Put one or two pieces in at a time and shake until well covered. Open bag, shake off excess flour and place on a platter. Repeat.

Both recipes call for red peppers. Betty's uses pimentos. Take two red peppers, char the skin under the broiler or gas stove top. When totally blackened, place into a paper bag for 10 minutes. Remove from bag and peel off the charred skin. Core and save the juices - a wonderful addition to the cooking liquid. Should be about a tablespoon. Next de-vein the pimentos and thinly slice ala julienne.

Peel two tomatoes or use about 1 cup of canned tomatoes, chopped. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil - vegetable if your Italian, olive if your Spanish - in a large sauté pan until smoking, about 3 minutes. Add chicken parts and brown for about 5 minutes each side. Remove to platter and keep warm.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan, add 1 medium chopped onion, pimentos, 2 garlic cloves, minced and cook until onion softens, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, ¼ cup white wine, 1 cup chicken broth/stock and 1 tablespoon brandy. Simmer until well blended and puréed. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Add dark meat to pan and simmer 15 minutes, partially covered. Next add white meat and cook an additional 10 minutes. If using a larger chicken increase cooking time. Garnish with 12 manzanilla olives, sliced.

Serve immediately.

Add the sliced carrot and celery stalk after browning chicken for additional flavor ala Marcella.

You can't go wrong with either version. Holler if you want either recipe in the original.