hunter's chicken stew (pollo alla cacciatora)

method

Chicken cacciatora seems to be reasonably well known in Britain and the U.S. because it’s the classic prepackaged dish you find in Italian food sections in supermarkets (which, to be honest, never taste of much). When you get the real deal cooked at home with love and passion, it’s a totally different experience. It’s a simple combination of flavors that just works really well. Cacciatore means “hunter,” so this is obviously the type of food that a hunter’s wife cooks for her fella when he gets home from a hard morning spent in the countryside. This is also a great dish for big parties, as it looks after itself in the oven. In the picture I’ve made it for about twelve people.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and freshly ground black pepper and put them into a bowl. Add the bay leaves, rosemary sprigs, and the crushed clove of garlic and cover with the wine. Leave to marinate for at least an hour, but preferably overnight in the fridge.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade, and pat dry with paper towels. Dust the chicken pieces with flour and shake off any excess. Heat an ovenproof pan, add a splash of olive oil, fry the chicken pieces until browned lightly all over, and put to one side.

Place the pan back on the heat and add the sliced garlic. Fry gently until golden brown, then add the anchovies, olives, tomatoes ( broken up with a wooden spoon), and the chicken pieces with their reserved marinade. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid or a double thickness layer of aluminum foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Skim off any oil that’s collected on top of the sauce, then stir, taste, and add a little salt and pepper if necessary. Remove the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs and serve with a salad, or some cannellini beans, and plenty of Chianti.

serves:

ingredients

• 1 4 1/2-lb chicken, cut up, or use the equivalent amount of chicken pieces
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled (1 crushed, 2 sliced)
• 1/2 a bottle of Chianti
• flour, for dusting extra virgin olive oil
• 6 anchovy fillets
• a handful of green or black olives, pitted
• 2 14-oz cans of good-quality plum tomatoes