From My Italian Kitchen: Pollo alla Cacciatore

The arrival of winter in Tuscany brings colder temperatures, rain, and a chill that goes right through you.  The change in weather signals the beginning of the season for heartier meals – roasted meats, soups brimming with winter vegetables and beans, peppery stews, and risottos with pumpkin and sausage. 

 One of my favorite winter weather dishes is cacciatore, the hunter’s stew. This is something my mother often made. She may have been Irish, but she had a good Italian neighbor who taught her this dish. 

In Tuscany, Cacciatore is most often made with rabbit or chicken.  Many variations of the recipe exist, each with its own little flavor twist.  Some include olives or capers, some start with a base of carrots and celery.  Some call for mushrooms, plentiful in Italy during fall and winter. My mother always added green peppers (definitely an American addition). The only certain ingredients seem to be lots of onions, a little garlic, and tomatoes (though I’ve even seen a version from southern Italy with no tomatoes at all).  

Over the years I’ve made some changes to my mother’s recipe. I now make a cacciatore more like what I find in Tuscany, which includes adding some olives and mushrooms (and definitely no green peppers). I prefer the flavor and tenderness of dark meat, so generally use leg / thigh quarters.  My favorite butcher in Lucca will cut the chicken pieces into “chunks” with the bone and skin still in place. The cut pieces are easier to brown than whole thighs and are a nice presentation in the finished dish.

One key to a good cacciatore is using the right kind of tomato to make the sauce. An Italian passata works best. Passata is an uncooked puree of tomato with nothing else added. It has just a bit of natural sweetness and makes a better sauce than a polpa which has finely chopped tomatoes with juice.

A bit of heat can be added with just a pinch of red pepper flakes.  Browning the chicken in oil and sauteing the onions and mushrooms before adding the tomatoes and spices deepens the flavors.

Pollo alla Cacciatore is a simple rustic dish but it works great as a meal for guests.  Better yet, it tastes even better when made a day ahead of time. Leftovers freeze well, an added bonus!

The cacciatore goes perfectly on top of creamy polenta. 

 The recipe:

4 meaty leg / thigh quarters; skin on.

2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon flour

Salt and Pepper

1 large onion, sliced thin

10 ounces of sliced white mushrooms

3 cloves garlic, minced

24 ounce jar of tomato passata

¾ cup dry white wine

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

½ cup black olives

Pinch of red chili flakes (optional)

Sea Salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste

Sprinkle the chicken pieces lightly with salt, pepper, and the flour.  In a heavy pan, working in batches, lightly brown the chicken on both sides in the olive oil.  Remove and set aside.

Add the sliced onion to the pan, sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan as the onions cook. Add the mushrooms and sauté another 5 minutes.  Add the minced garlic for a brief 2 minutes.

Add in the white wine and again scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine bubble for a couple of minutes and then add the tomato passata, bay leaf, rosemary, pinch of flaked red chili pepper, olives, and the chicken with any juices that accumulated while it rested.

 Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, and simmer over low partially covered for 90 minutes, stirring periodically. When the chicken is tender remove it from the pan, if using whole thighs I like to take the meat off the bone and return it to the sauce. This isn’t essential but makes the dish much easier to serve and eat. If using smaller pieces of chicken (like the ones my butcher chops for me), I just leave them intact.

At this point the Cacciatore can be served or refrigerated overnight. It actually tastes better after an overnight rest. Just reheat and serve in bowls over freshly made polenta. Add a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan at the table.

Leftovers are great over rice or penne pasta. Enjoy !

With some crusty bread, a salad, and some fancy drinks, Pollo Alla Cacciatore makes a meal festive enough for a holiday dinner.

Farina di Castagne

A list of the ingredients important in Italian cooking often includes olive oil, tomatoes, pancetta, artichokes, garlic, lemons, basil, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and balsamic vinegar.  But let’s not forget about a more humble ingredient - chestnuts (castagne or marroni in Italian).

In Tuscany, the mountains are full of chestnut trees.  It is no surprise then that the chestnut tree became a vital source of food, as well as of fuel and building material, especially during times of war, famine, and poverty. 

Abundant and nutritious, the chestnut became an essential ingredient in Italian “cucina povera”. That traditional continues to this day. Chestnuts are eaten roasted or steamed. They are also dried and ground into flour, farina di castagne, for use in breads, pastas, and sweets. 

Chestnut Roasting in Colognora di Pescaglia

Dishes made with farina di castagne appear on fall and winter menus.  With its naturally sweet and nutty flavor, chestnut flour has become one of my favorite ingredients for baking. 

 My fondness for these dishes began at a fall festival where I first tasted Necci. Necci are round and flat, somewhere between a crepe and a pancake in thickness.

Like a crepe they can be rolled around a filling.  The batter is very simple -  just chestnut flour, water, and a pinch of salt.  Traditionally, necci were cooked between testi, round stones heated over a fire.  Today Necci are usually cooked between two long-handled, flat cast iron plates.  The warm necci are then filled, most commonly with fresh ricotta and a drizzle of honey.  Delicious! 

These round stones, called testi, were the traditional method used to cook Necci. To learn more about chestnuts, visit the Chestnut Museum in Colognora di Pescaglia where this photo was taken.

Frittelle di Castagne, little fried chestnut fritters, served as an appetizer alongside fresh ricotta in the town of Pontremoli.

Similar to Necci are Frittelle di Castagne, often found in the areas of Tuscany known as the Lunigiana and the Garfagnana, both hilly areas in the north. 

The batter is similar to Necci, but the preparation is different.  Small scoops of batter are fried in oil, creating a crisp outside and tender inside. 

While I think of frittelle as breakfast or dessert items, lightly sprinkled with sugar, they can also be served unsweetened as an appetizer with a bit of ricotta.  That’s how I first encountered them last fall in a restaurant in the town of Pontremoli.

I have been working on learning to make both Necci and Frittelle di Castagne at home. 

For Necci, simply combine 1 cup of chestnut flour (100-120 gm), sifted after measuring, with ¾ - 1 cup of warm water. Mix well.

Take a little taste of the batter – the sweetness will surprise you!  

Either a heavy crepe pan or a non-stick skillet works to cook the Necci.  Lightly butter the pan to prevent sticking, pour in about ¼ cup batter and spread with a fork or spoon to create a thin crepe.  Cook until set, flip, and cook on the second side. Fill while warm with a couple of tablespoons of ricotta, drizzle with a little honey, roll up and enjoy! Makes 4-5 Necci.

For Frittelle di Castagne, combine 1 cup of chestnut flour (100-120gm), 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Sift and add about 1 c. warm water (add about 3/4 of the water and then enough more to make a fairly thin batter). Mix well.  Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan, deep enough to cover the bottom of a pan and about half-way up the frittelle (I use ¼ c. oil in a small 8 in frying pan, frying 2-3 frittelle at a time).  Test the oil with a small drop of batter - it should have a lively sizzle and the batter should puff up slightly. Drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil, cook until the top is set and small bubbles appear, flip, and continue cooking until crisp and brown on both sides. Smaller is better for these fritters - small enough to cook through in just a couple of minutes and be crisp outside and not doughy inside.  Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel to drain.  Serve warm sprinkled with sugar or room temperature with a side of plain ricotta.   Makes about 18 - 20 small fritters.

Now that I’ve learned how to make these traditional Italian dishes, I am working on incorporating chestnut flour into some other baked goods. Stay tuned!

A Summer BBQ: Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa

Summertime means BBQs and this tasty chicken, soon to be topped with Mango Salsa

I remember a time when summer vacation for me meant (in a good year) a trip to Italy. Now, living most of the year in Italy, summer is the time when I head back to the US to escape the heat, humidity, and crowds of tourists that summer brings to Italy. It’s also the time when I get to visit my family, including my 4 grandchildren, in New Mexico.

Summertime fun in New Mexico means catching up with friends, backyard brunches, cocktails on the patio, family BBQs, and pool parties. And when my granddaughter Isabelle makes a special request for “that chicken with the mango on top”, well, it’s my grandmotherly duty to get busy in the kitchen.

I found a version of this chicken dish many years ago in, of all places, a Weight Watchers magazine. I’ve tinkered quite a bit with it since then and it has become one of my family’s favorites. The original recipe was called Cuban Chicken with Black Bean Mango Salsa, we just call it Grilled Mango Chicken. And my version has no beans or cilantro (mostly because some in my family don’t like them - crazy, no?),

Marinade ingredients, simple but flavorful

I’ve adjusted the marinade proportions a bit. I also use skinless, boneless chicken thighs instead of the breasts that the original recipe called for. Thighs are much easier to grill, faster, and remain so moist. The star of the dish is the salsa. Sweet, ripe mango and avocado with red onion and spices. My changes means that it no longer qualifies as a diet recipe!

Here is the recipe I use to make a family sized batch (feeds 10-12 people):

Marinate 15 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 4 - 4.5 pounds) for 6-8 hours in: 1 cup orange juice, 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic, 2 teaspoons cumin powder, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper. Be sure to open up the chicken thighs so more surface area is exposed to the marinade. Laying them flat in a couple of gallon size zip-lock baggies works great. Refrigerate until ready to grill. Grill for 15-20 minutes (I use a gas grill, but a stovetop grill pan works too).

Prepare the mango avocado salsa an hour or two before serving. Cube 2 large mangoes and 1 large avocado. Add 1/2 cup orange juice, 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve in a big bowl and let everyone scoop some onto their grilled chicken.

Corn salad Ina Garten style

The grilled chicken pairs well with a green salad or, even better, a fresh corn salad.

I like Ina Garten’s corn salad recipe which simply dresses fresh corn, cooked until just tender, with some chopped red onion, olive oil, cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and a bit of fresh basil.

A bowl of juicy watermelon makes a perfect dessert. Tastes like summer !

From My Italian Kitchen: Winter Salads

A caprese salad, drizzled with balsamic glaze.

Growing up in my family, salads were strictly summertime fare. There wasn’t much variety in the salads we ate, in fact there was no variety at all. Salad meant one thing - iceberg lettuce, tomato (luckily, living on Long Island we had really good locally grown tomatoes), and cucumber. The dressing was always the same, a combination of olive oil (at least it was labeled olive oil, I have my doubts), vinegar, and a packet of Good Season Italian Dressing mix. Toss it all together and serve alongside everything from spaghetti to hotdogs to grilled steaks. When I moved from New York to Colorado, I got my first taste of avocado in a salad. A definite improvement. I think the first major variation on the familiar salad theme that I tasted was a Caesar salad - romaine lettuce, salty anchovies, cheese, and a flavorful dressing. And garlic croutons! My eyes were opened to new possibilities.

And then I started traveling to Italy. I remember with clarity the first time I tasted an Italian caprese salad with creamy mozzarella, perfectly ripe tomato, fresh basil, and really flavorful olive oil. Equally joyous was my first panzanella. The ingredients were familiar (cucumber, tomato, red onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar, bread) but they came together in a new and exciting way, one that made my taste buds explode. In Lucca, I tasted my first shaved raw artichoke salad topped with pear and pecorino cheese. I also discovered an arugula salad topped with big shaves of parmesan and carpaccio of beef. What a revelation!

Salad never looked like this when I was growing up!

Now it is mid-winter and the weather is cold and windy. The sun warmed tomatoes of summer are long gone. How I miss those summer salads! I had almost forgotten about winter salads, usually opting to put my cold season veggies in warming soups and stews. But then I had lunch with some friends who served the most delicious salad alongside soup on a chilly day. What a great reminder that winter salads can be just as tasty as the summer ones!

At this time of year the markets are full of beautiful winter veggies, many of which go well in salads. Spinach, beets, fennel, broccoli, and cauliflower are all good raw and can be added to a bowl of greens for a simple, and healthy, salad. Roasted veggies, such as red peppers and Brussel sprouts, also make great additions to a winter-time salad. The same goes for winter fruits, especially pears, apples, and clementines. Nuts, plentiful in Italy during the winter, add the perfect crunch. Combined with good leafy greens (thankfully available year round), some local cheese and a flavorful dressing, the result is a cold weather salad every bit as wonderful as a summer one. Hearty enough to be a lunch-time meal on their own, winter salads also pair well alongside a soup, pasta or roasted meat.

Starting with a base of leafy greens, these combinations are my winter favorites:

Pear with gorgonzola and chopped roasted pecans

Toasting the pecans makes them even better in this salad. A gorgonzola dolce is perfect paired with the nuts and pears.

Beets with shaved parmesan, pecans and tiny bits of preserved lemon peel. Pecorino works well too in place of parmesan. No time to roast beets? Many markets sell them packaged and already cooked.

A friend brought me a jar of candied lemon peel from Poland. It adds a perfect zing to a beet salad.

Shaved fennel, avocado, red onion and clementines

Red leaf lettuce with pear, pecorino fresca, and walnuts. Apple works well in this combination too.

Look for perfectly ripe pears and a good fresh pecorino for this salad. The better the cheese, the better the salad!

As for dressing, something with a bit of sweetness goes well with winter salads, especially those with fruit or beets. I like to mix equal parts of Dijon mustard, honey, my favorite olive oil, and either lemon juice or white wine vinegar plus a touch of salt and coarse ground pepper. This mixture goes well with any of the above combinations.

Thanks to my friend Susan for reminding me how tasty a winter salad can be!

Ending with this image - keeping the Ukrainian people in my thoughts and in my heart

A Summer Luncheon: Poached Salmon with Wasabi Sauce

June is a fickle month - sometimes barely reaching spring time temperatures and other times bringing hot summer weather a bit too early. But when the calendar flips to July, then summer begins in earnest. In Italy, that means hot and humid weather. In New Mexico, where I am spending the summer visiting family, the weather is hot but dry with occasional stormy, cloudy days. No matter where I find myself in summer, the hot weather means I do my bread baking early in the morning and look for cool, refreshing things to cook for meals. It also means the herbs in my “garden” (really just a collection of pots on my patio) are ready to incorporate into many dishes. It’s always more fun if the meal is shared with friends, so summer time entertaining is always on my July calendar.

One dish I often cook when in the US, but rarely make when I’m in Italy, is salmon. I’ve grilled it, baked it, pan fried it, breaded and deep fried it. Once I baked 5 whole, fresh caught Alaskan salmon to feed 50 people at a co-workers wedding (the salmon were caught in Alaska by her brother and shipped on ice to New Mexico). That was fun! But rarely is a whole salmon on the menu - usually I’m cooking individual salmon pieces, medium thickness and about 6 ounces each. In the US that often means a bag of frozen salmon from Costco is in my freezer.

One thing I had never tried (before this week) was poaching salmon. Poached salmon - it just sounds elegant, doesn’t it? Best of all, it can be poached early in the day, chilled, and served cold. That makes it perfect for a summer-time luncheon. Cold salmon calls for a brightly flavored sauce, so to go with my poached salmon experiment I made a wasabi mayonnaise. For my luncheon I added a salad (brought by my guest) and some sourdough bread. To finish the lunch, some sweets from a local bakery added a perfect finish. What a nice way to welcome summer! My adventure in poaching salmon turned out nicely and I think it is destined to become one of my favorite summer time meals.

The poached salmon makes a beautiful presentation when garnished with lemon slices and fresh chives.

Recipes

Poached Salmon

Salmon pieces are cooked in a flavorful poaching liquid of wine, lemon juice, chives

Poaching liquid: Combine 1/2 cup white wine (I used some leftover Prosecco that was almost flat), 1 cup water, 2 lemon slices, a small bunch of chives (rough chopped), 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of black pepper in a deep pan. Bring to a slow boil.

Slip salmon pieces (thicker pieces, not very thin filets, about 6 oz each) into the poaching liquid, reduce heat, simmer about 10 minutes or until just cooked through. If the poaching liquid is not quite deep enough to completely cover the salmon, then turn them over mid-way through cooking, gently so as not to break them). Remove salmon from liquid, peel off the skin, and chill.

Ingredients for the wasabi mayonnaise. I used bunching onions fresh from the garden, but scallions will work nicely too.

Wasabi Mayonnaise

1/2 cup Best Foods mayonnaise

2 1/2 Tablespoons wasabi paste (this amount gives mild heat, use more or less to taste)

1 Tablespoon finely chopped bunching onions or scallions

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving to allow the flavor to develop.

To serve : plate the chilled salmon on top of lettuce leaves, garnish with lemon slices and whole chives, and serve with wasabi mayonnaise on the side.