Cacciatore

Some time ago I wrote about Italian chef Marcella Hasan's recipe for cacciatore. It is a wonderful dish that can be made in about 1 - 1½ hours. I use it regularly....that is, until I rediscovered a recipe by Sandy d' Amato, Milwaukees' James Beard award winner.

Sandy published his cacciatore about two years ago and I had clipped the article from the Journal Sentinel where it first appeared. Doin' some cleaning recently, I came across the recipe and decided to give it a try.

Certainly glad I did because this recipe is full of veggies and equally important, flavor. Sandy uses massive amounts of garlic (huzza), red and green peppers, mushrooms and onions. This is truly a one dish meal that is well worth the time (about an hour) and effort.

Sandy uses chicken thighs "as they have a bit more fat and more moisture and so, when they are cooked they hold up well to braising". I use both the thigh and leg. Chicken breasts require less time and still have a tendency to dry out (overcook). However, if you want to use the breasts, cook the thighs for about 20 minutes, add breasts and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes. Then add mushrooms and pepper and cook for 5 minutes more. Complete the recipe.

Sandy gives the option of cooking for the prescribed time just to get the chicken thighs tender or cook longer until they are fork tender. I prefer the latter. He also uses red pepper flakes, just the right amount. Experiment with the pepper flakes...start with half the amount.

When finished, pour yourself a good chardonnay or pinot noir and enjoy the fruits of your labors. Admittedly, sometimes I do not wait that long to enjoy a good wine.

Click the title to get the recipe.