Teen Cuisine
One of the first adult recipes I learned as a teenager was Poulet Chasseur. It most likely came from a book on classic French cuisine my father gave me as a Christmas gift. It had glorious color photographs and actually useful instructions. The dish includes cognac, white wine, mushrooms, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. I still remember the joy, and a bit of fright, when I first lit the cognac. But truth be told, Poulet Chasseur is pretty easy. Its French antecedents, of course, were whatever forest bird or animal was the hunter’s catch of the day.
Later, when we were traveling through the French countryside with our daughters, we used to joke about the silence in over-hunted French forests. They did not find it amusing. Now you just pick up your basic grocery store chicken, and really, unless you are making stock from the wing tips and back for this dish, chicken thighs and legs are best. The recipe I remember always used tarragon and parsley as aromatics with a generous dose of garlic. Below is a good video on the French technique.
France Owes Italy
What I didn’t realize was that this French classic was derived from an Italian Renaissance dish that may have had peasant hunter roots but was really recorded in the kitchens of Italian nobility. Don’t forget that hunting bans were strictly enforced in Europe to ensure that the dukes of the day would have ample game for their sport and entertainment.
So while I was quite familiar with the French version, I had never made Pollo alla Cacciatora, not cacciatore, as I was gently corrected by my son-in-law and also by our local butcher. There is no flaming with cognac, no button mushrooms, or tomato paste, but rather a sauce created from diced carrots, celery, and onion, with chunky tomato passata and, of course, white wine with different aromatics. Variations abound in Italian regions: green olives are added in Ascoli, Le Marche; red wine and chiles appear further south; and even anchovies and capers show up in Umbria. Other countries such as Germany, Hungary, and Poland have variations of this dish.
One of the best restaurant versions, to my mind, in Bologna is found at Trattoria Valerio. This recipe is based on one from Sale & Pepe, a terrific competitor to La Cucina Italiana. The only French thing my daughter did was use her premade mirepoix, which she keeps in the freezer, with finely grated carrot mixed with finely diced celery and onion. I will be following suit.
This change created a smoother, more luxurious sauce, as the mirepoix just melted into the tomatoes and wine. Instead of tarragon—dragoncello is hard to find in the land of basilico—sage, rosemary, parsley, bay leaf, and, yes, basil are the aromatics in this recipe.
Recipe
Pollo Alla Cacciatora - Chicken Hunter Style
An adaptation of Pollo Alla Cacciatora from Sale & Pepe. A one pot, top of stove, canbe be increased easily recipe for families and no - fuss parties
Ingredients
- 5lbs (2.5kg)chicken thighs and legs, dried with a paper towel if necessary.
- 1 medium carrot
- 1-2 stalks celery
- 1 large white onion
- 600 grams of chunky tomato tomato sauce
- 2 rosemary branch
- 2 basil branch
- 4 sage leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 garlic cloves (which you will remove before serving)
- 2 cups (1/2 lt) light white wine
- Extra virgin olive oil aith a bit of butter added
- fine sea salt
- feshly ground pepper
- water or chicken stock as needed.
Instructions
- Wash and peel the carrot and using the coarse blade of a grater, grate it and add to a small bowl
- Peel the onion and finely dice it so that it matches in size with the carrot.
- Wash (and I peel) celery and finely dice it as well.
- Combine them together in a small bowl.
- Wrap the rosemary, bay leaves, sage leaves, basil with kitchen string to make a "bouquet garni".
- Heat a film ov olive oil with a pat of butter in a saute pan or Dutch oven over meium heat, until it stops sizzling
- Add the chicken pieces and allow them to become golden colored (not seared) on all sides.
- Remove them and add your mirepoix.
- Cook gently until they are soft and barely colored and then add back the chicken pieces.
- Add the "bouquet garni and the whole garlic cloves and then add the wine to deglaze.
- Stir to mix in the tomato sauce and add stock or water so tht the chicken is barely covered - you can add a bit more at the end if necessary to thin the sauce.
- Partially cover the pan, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for an additional 45 minutes to an hour.
- remove the garlic and the "boquet garni", the sauce should be amost a puree.
- Remove the pieces to a platter and spoon over the sauce and serve.
What To Wear With It
While pasta may be the normal accompaniment for Poulet Chasseur in France, pasta is never served as a side in Italy. It is obviously its own course, grazie tantissimo. This was too hard a bridge to cross when I served the classic French Lapin à la Moutarde with noodles to my Italian son-in-law.
Roasted potatoes or bread are served with Italian hunter’s chicken. But you can’t hurt this recipe; it goes well with almost any starch. A light salad afterward and fruit for dessert work nicely. Leftovers are great the next day. It is basically a one-pot dish and top-of-the-stove to boot. Best of all, you can leave the forest creatures at peace; your hunting can be done solely in the grocery store.
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