Chicken Hunter’s Style, Bklyn Italian and Gluten-Free
Public Domain Illustration via Wikipedia.
my brain light;
tossing this and that
into the pot;
seasoning none of my life
the same way twice; happy to feed
whoever strays my way.”
Poem at Thirty-Nine by Alice Walker, Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful
No one made a Brooklyn-style Italian meat-and-tomato sauce for pasta like my Aunt Mildred. Her sauce was heavy with meats – pork, meatballs, sausages – sweet and hot – and chicken. It was the chicken I loved best. So when as an adult I discovered chicken hunter’s style, pollo alla cacciatora, I fell in love. It’s a pungent tomato sauce flavored with chicken, pancetta, onions, sweet peppers, wine, fresh rosemary, and olive oil. My appreciation for this dish isn’t restricted to taste. As such dishes go, chicken hunter’s style is relatively easy and quick to prepare. It’s also budget wise. Throughout the years, chicken has pretty consistently remained reasonably priced.
While this is hearty peasant fare, it can be presented elegantly for Sunday or company dinner or even for a romantic dinner for two. Wine is outside my areas of interest, but I suspect a Chardonnay would be an appropriate accompaniment. This dish is well paired with a simple salad for starters and a store-bought pastry withespresso for dessert.
Variations on the theme might be the same sauce made with rabbit or with chickenand sausage. You can’t go wrong no matter which you use for flavoring.
As with all recipes on Brooklyn Memories Still Green, this one has been adapted for those withCeliac Disease or wheat-and-gluten sensitivity.
Gluten-Free Chicken Hunter’s Style, pollo alla cacciatora
The Recipe
Services 4
The Ingredients:
- 4 pound whole chicken, cut in eighths and skinned
- 4 ounces of pancetta, diced
- 2 – 28 oz cans of crushed Italian plum tomatoes
- 1 cup of Marsala wine (or substitute water or broth)
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 large green pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 branch of fresh rosemary, leaves removed
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pinches of red chili flakes
- sea salt to taste
- 16 ounces of either quinoa pasta or brown rice pasta according to preference.
- freshly grated Locatelli Romano
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
Preparation:
1.) In a Dutch oven, brown the panchetta in olive oil. Remove and set aside. Add onion and peppers to the pot and brown. When they are almost done add the garlic. Don’t let the garlic get too dark or it will be bitter.
2.) If you choose not to skin the chicken, then brown it as well. If you skin the chicken, then just add it to the pot, stirring to mix well with the vegetables. Then add the tomatoes, wine, rosemary leaves, chili flakes, and salt. Stir well using a wooden spoon.
3.) Simmer partially covered for 40-45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. If the chicken is done and the sauce seems thin, remove the chicken and continue to simmer the sauce to appropriate thickness. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
4.) Prepare the pasta according to box directions and drain. Place on a large service dish. Top with some sauce mixing well. Place the pieces of chicken on top of the pasta and top them with some more sauce. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot and pass the freshly grated cheese along with the entré.
Leave a Reply