La Cucina Italiana -- Cacciatore e Tiedla

This week's recipe is from our Culinary Arts class two weeks ago covering the cuisine of Italy.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE:

1 fryer chicken, cut into pieces
flour, for dredging
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 oz. pancetta (or one strip bacon) minced
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. button mushrooms
5 peeled and chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. sage
1 tsp. marjoram

1 tsp. thyme
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cooking sherry
Wash chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Dredge with flour. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pot with a tight fitting lied (like Dutch oven) over medium and cook the pancetta or bacon for a couple of minutes. Add the chicken and brown on all sides, then add the onion, and garlic, cook until the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally. Stir in the herbs, then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and sherry. Bring to a boil, stir, then turn down to low, cover tightly and simmer for an hour, turning the chicken over halfway through the cooking time. You can leave the lid off for the last half hour for a thicker sauce. Serves 4. Serve with pasta or sop up with crusty French brea and pour the French Rhone: 2005 Domaine de Cristia Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau.

I frenched the chicken which gives a nicer presentation, here's a YouTube how-to:
Being on the subject of Italian cuisine, this is the perfect post for sharing a recipe from Mary in Omaha who learned how to make "Tiedla" from her Italian grandmother. This recipe will be great for anyone who wants to cook Italian food without garlic and onions; it has plenty of flavor from the fresh herbs. Mary prepared it with all fresh ingredients from her backyard garden; it's easy to make and goes with almost everything. It brings back happy memories of summer, and the sensations of harvesting vegetables from my garden: the aroma of fresh-cut basil, the heat of the sun warming my back and the tomatoes bursting with flavor, the cool undersides of zucchini plants and their prickly stalks, the buzz of bees and flashes of iridescence from hummingbirds and the bright reds, greens and yellows of glossy vegetables on my kitchen counter.

TIEDLA:
8 ripe Roma tomatoes

8 medium potatoes
1 large zucchini or 8 6" zucchinis
handful of parsley
2 sprigs of marjoram
2 sprigs of oregano
4 sprigs of basil
olive oil
salt
pepper
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Boil a big pot of water and put in tomatoes, cook until the skin bursts (about 1 minute) then remove into a colander. Peel and slice the potatoes thin (1/8"), slice the zucchini into 1/4" slices. Remove the stems of the herbs and chop together. Remove skins from the cooled tomatoes. Put the tomatoes into a wide bowl and mash thoroughly with a potato masher, then add the chopped herbs (do not drain the tomatoes). Spread a layer of zucchini on the bottom of a large casserole, then a layer of sliced potatoes, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue this to fill the casserole, leaving an inch of space below the rim and ending the layering with a layer of zucchini rather than potato. Pour the tomato sauce over the vegetables, cover with tin foil and bake for the first hour. Remove tin foil and bake another hour. Check the casserole during the last hour--if it starts to look like it is getting too dry, replace the tin foil. When fully cooked, the potatoes should be soft. Top with grated Parmesan if desired. Pair this with a California Chardonnay or the creamy Edward Sellars Blanc du Rhone.

CULINARY CLASS WEEK #6: Russian food was on the menu, my team made a Stroganoff with hand-made herb noodles by Kyle, Kenny made blinis with sour cream and caviar and I made stuffed cabbage, molded like my post Dec. 9 09 but with a meat stuffing and served with traditional sweet/sour sauce. Here's the sauce recipe:

POLISH STUFFED CABBAGE ROLL SAUCE:
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 apple, peeled and minced fine
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. honey
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients except salt and pepper in a saucepan and simmer for 1/2 hour. Taste and add salt and pepper only if desired. You can puree the sauce for an even consistency. Serves 4. Click here for vegetarian cabbage roll recipe or here for meat filled cabbage rolls.