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04/16/08 |
                          
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Chicken Cacciatore Yields 2 healthy portions 1 1/2 lb. roma tomatoes, concasse, seeded and sliced 1 ea. medium-to-large red onion, julienne 1 c. Macintosh apples, peeled, cored and chopped 1 bn. fresh basil, bruised or chopped 2 t. cumin 2 t. paprika 1 T. gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste) 2 can Olympia beer 12 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs 1/4 c. smoked gouda cheese, shredded or grated olive pomace oil for cooking In a large saucepan over medium heat, sweat onions and apples in olive pomace for about five to 10 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add basil, cumin and paprika, toss a few times to bring out the aromatics. Add in tomatoes, gochujang and beer and reduce heat to low. Simmer for at least two hours. After simmering, use either an immersion blender, food mill or food processor to emulsify the sauce. Leave a few chunks in there for some texture. If the sauce is still too thin for your liking, just return it to the simmer for a bit longer. Heat about 1 T. olive pomace in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and fry for about two minutes to give it some colour. Turn chicken over, deglaze with a bit of water (white wine is also okay), and pour about 1 1/2 c. of sauce over chicken. Top with cheese and toss the whole lot into a preheated 450 degree oven. Cook until done (duh), about seven minutes for thighs and 15 for breasts, depending on thickness. When chicken is done, plate 'em up, pour the remaining sauce over top and serve with something awesome like roasted garlic mashers or creamy polenta. Invite some friends over and try to act humble when they praise you endlessly.
Note from GG: Okay, okay, okay, I KNOW this isn't a real, honest-to-goodness cacciatore recipe. The thing of it is, I can't remember what we called a similar dish at Ciao Italia, and I can't very well call it "Chicken Parmigiana" since there's no parmesan in it, so this is close enough for me to take a mulligan on. Deal. ANYway, this sauce is one of the better ones that I've created, even if it is a variation of a classic red sauce found in Italy. I don't imagine many Italians would suffer the affront to their cooking that the addition of Korean pepper paste, cheap beer and apples would provide, so it's still wholly my own. This makes me happy. There isn't a whole lot I need to add here. Firstly, you absolutely should NOT skip the skinning and de-seeding of the tomatoes, as that will turn your sauce all kinds of bitter. I know because I've made that mistake a bunch of times before one of my chefs corrected me. Secondly, I chose smoked gouda over others because I like the way it melts, and it's mild flavour adds a nice nuance without screwing up the rest of the players here. Lastly, I chose Macintosh apples by accident (they are both mine and my mom's favourite varietal). I bought a couple at a local fruit stand and they turned out to be pithy and just really gross. Nevertheless, they add a great sweetness and soft texture to the sauce that could probably only be replicated by maybe Pink Ladys or Braeburns. I'm dealing solely with Washington apples here, so substitute soft 'n' sweet apples that grow near your area at will.
This site was last updated 12/20/06 |
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