Chicken Cacciatore
tom bedell
I'd love to get an authentic Italian recipe for Chicken Cacciatore. I've
made it before, and it was OK, but just the other day I found an
unbelievable recipe for Lasagne.
I spent about $40 on ingredients, and it was probably the best Lasagne
I've ever tasted. It made me realize just how good a recipe can be with
the right ingredients. Italian Plum tomatoes, Ricotta (not cottage)
cheese, and real Parmagiana (not Kraft...blecccch!), and the real Italian
noodles. Only problem is, I can't go back to the same stuff I usually
make. Oh well.
Cooking the Lasagne made my day, my wife and a few friends were suitably
blown away, and I'm inspired.
Is there any place on the 'net where I would be able to get authentic
Italian recipes? I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where we're lucky enough
to have an Italian Market, where they sell the real stuff. I'm looking
for a Cacciatore recipe, and perhaps a Minestrone soup recipe, as well.
Thanks,
tom
Jack and Kay Hartman
>I'm looking
>for a Cacciatore recipe, and perhaps a Minestrone soup recipe, as
well.
This recipe is from Trattoria by Patricia Wells. It's pretty yummy.
Kay
Milanese Vegetable Soup
Minestrone alla Milanese
1 cup (6 ounces; 180 g) dried small white (navy) beans (cannellini or
toscanelli)
4 tablespoons (2 ounces; 60 g) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (2 ounces; 60 g) minced pancetta (see Note below)
2 medium onions, minced
Sea salt to taste
2 medium carrots, diced
5 to 6 ribs celery hearts with leaves, cut into thin crosswise pieces
1 cup (4 ounces; 125 g) trimmed and diced green beans
1/2 small white cabbage (12 ounces; 375 g), shredded
2 medium boiling potatoes (12 ounces; 375 g) peeled and diced
2 quarts (2 l) water
One 16-ounce (480-g) can imported Italian plum tomatoes, with their
juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup (6 ounces; 180 g) Italian Arborio rice
About 1 cup (4 ounces; 125 g) freshly grated Italian Parmigiano-
Reggiano cheese
1. Rince the beans, picking them over to remove any pebbles. Place
the beans in a large bowl, add boiling water to cover, and set aside
for 1 hour. Drain the beans, discarding the water. Set aside.
2. In a 6-quart (6-l) heavy-bottomed stockpot, melt the butter over
low heat. Add the pancetta, onions, and salt, and stir to coat with
the fat. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, 3 to 4
minutes. Add the carrots, celery, and drained white beans, stir to
coat with the fat, and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the green beans,
cabbage, potatoes, and the 2 quarts (2 l) water. Place a food mill
over the stockpot and puree the tomatoes directly into it. Cover,
bring to a simmer over medium heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season
to taste with salt and pepper, and continue simmering until the beans
are softened and tender, about 30 to 60 minutes more. (Cooking time
will vary according to the freshness of the beans.) Add the rice, and
simmer just until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite, abot
20 minutes more. Taste for seasoning.
3. To serve, stir seceral tablespoons of the cheese into the soup.
Ladle the soup - piping hot - into warmed shallow soup bowls, and pass
the remaining cheese separately. (The soup, of course, may be reheated
several times over a peiod of several days. The soup will thicken.
Simply add additional water each time you reheat the soup.)
Jack and Kay Hartman
>I'd love to get an authentic Italian recipe for Chicken Cacciatore.
I've
>made it before, and it was OK, but just the other day I found an
>unbelievable recipe for Lasagne.
OK. But how about telling us more about this unbelievable lagange?
When I had my first job after graduating from college (we won't mention
the exact year) I had an office mate named Leonard. Leonard's wife was
Paula. Paula was Italian. This is a recipe she gave me. She said
that it was the one used by her family.
Kay
Paula's Family's Chicken Cacciatore
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 broiler-fryer cut up
1 1/2 cups sliced onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup chopped pared carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons parsley
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 1-pound 1-ounce can Italian tommaotes undrained
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine
Heat oil and butter in a 5 or 6 quart dutch oven. Add chicken a few
pieces at a time and brown well. Remove chicken. Add onion, garlic,
carrots, celery, parsley, and spices. Saute 5 minutes or until golden.
Add tomatores and tomato sauce. Mix well and smash tomatoes with a
fork. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20
minutes. Add chicken and wine. Simmer 50 to 60 minutes or until
tender.
Jack and Kay Hartman
note. Sorry. Here is the compelete recipe including the note.
Kay
In <4amos1$2...@ixnews7.ix.netcom.com> hart...@ix.netcom.com (Jack and
Kay Hartman ) writes:
>
>In <4a6v4k$m...@ra.isisnet.com> ae...@ccn.cs.dal.ca (tom bedell)
writes:
>
Note: If unsmoked Italian pancetta is not available, use a lean
top-quality bacon. Blanch it for 1 minute in boiling water, then drain
thoroughly. Blanching will remove the smoked flavor from the bacon
without cooking it.
76365...@compuserve.com
it today. Happy Holidays.
--
Calvin
Buddy
: I spent about $40 on ingredients, and it was probably the best Lasagne
: the right ingredients. Italian Plum tomatoes, Ricotta (not cottage)
: cheese, and real Parmagiana (not Kraft...blecccch!), and the real Italian
: noodles. Only problem is, I can't go back to the same stuff I usually
: Thanks,
: tom
Hi Tom,
Boy am I glad you found that lasagna recipe! I can't believe you ate
lasagna with cottage cheese rather than ricotta! *ick* :)
I don't mean to sound criticle. I'm just real cglad things turned out
well. I'm not god's gift to cooking. I grew up in an Italian family and
have some things I can share with you:)
First off we never really right things down in a recipe to an exact
amount. I too love chicken cacciatore. I prefer making it with just
chicken breast since I prefer my hubby and I like white meat. My mom on
the other hand uses all the parts of a chicken in her recipe. I remember
we use a can (lg size) of tomato sauce, garlic (of course), rosemary and
some red wine and even a dah of red wine vinagar for zing:) The other
stuff you can play by ear, such as: chopped onion, mushrooms, green
pepper even..anything you'd like to toss in..and I serve it over linguini
or spaghetti and presto!
I've come to learn that good italian cooking is more of a 'feel' than a
measurment. So never be afraid to experiment, just so you have the key
ingredients.
Oh...btw, try out some mozzerella in that recipe for lasagna.
Mun-ga! (means eat up)
Danielle
Buddy
: : I spent about $40 on ingredients, and it was probably the best Lasagne
Oh boy, can you tell I was up late writing that post?? I meant write, not
right..*laughs*
There are many other foul ups in the post too, I'm not gonna list them
all. I'm sure you can all interupt.
C'ya,
Danielle
bruce bowser
> In <4a6v4k$m...@ra.isisnet.com> ae...@ccn.cs.dal.ca (tom bedell) writes: