Pollo alla Cacciatore

Saturday for lunch, I decided to cook white polenta and if polenta I think braised meat is almost a must. Soon, it was clear that I am going to braise a chicken and the polenta took me straight to the Italian cuisine. I have added a lot of fresh mushrooms like champignons, oyster mushroom and of course fresh and dried porcini. However, I have only cooked the dried porcini together with the chicken, the rest was fried separately, and served on top of the poletna, because they were just too beautiful to let them sink in the sauce.


Pollo alla Cacciatore (chicken hunter-style) is an Italian dish, that has probably as many variations as regions. Originally it was prepared using pheasant and partridge, however nowdays chicken is more popular. Every type has it in common, that after seasoning the meat it is fried and then braised together with garlic, tomato sauce and wine for quite a long time. Often it is prepared with red wine, but in some regions they use white wine. Depending on the regions mushrooms, onion, olives, capers or potatoes are added to the dish. Usually it is served with bread or polenta. An almost identic dish comes is the „pollastro in squaquaciò“ that is originated in Veneto and around the Lake Garda. (source:wikipedia)


Ingredients:
1 whole chicken cut in parts
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
300 g chopped, canned tomatoes
1 bay leaf
few juniper berries
few allspice
1 glass dry white wine
10 g dried porcini
1 clove garlic
400-500 ml chicken stock
fresh chopped parsley
fresh chervil
salt, pepper


Dust chicken parts with flour and fry in oil from both sides, then set aside. Sauté the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic in olive oil. Add chicken parts, bay leaf, juniper berry, allspice, wine and, when it has evaporated, add poricini (previously soaked in warm water), some porcini water, the tomatoes and chicken broth. Cook for about two hours over medium heat. When ready remove chicken parts, sieve the sauce and reduce or add some in water dissolved starch to reach the desired consistency, then pour the sieved parts back, add chopped parsley and chervil, season and serve.