Vinegar is often used in cooking instead of wine, especially in central Italy, where wine is considered too rich for some kinds of stew. It is, in fact, a more lively, fresh way to cook a chicken or a rabbit — preferably a farm rabbit rather than a wild one.
Ingredients
Serves 4
8 free-range or organic chicken drumsticks or thighs
Sprigs of fresh rosemary, Parsley, sage, thyme and Bay leaf
2 garlic cloves
1 dried chilli
4tbsp olive oil
100 ml (3.5fl oz) red wine vinegar
150ml (¼ pint) chicken stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1tsp sugar, if necessary
15g (½ oz) unsalted butter
Method
Wipe the chicken joints with kitchen paper. Chop together all the herbs, garlic and chilli to make a fine battuto (pounded herb mixture). The food processor, with the small bowl, makes a quick and good job of it.
Scoop the battuto out of the bowl and put it into a frying pan large enough to hold all the joints in a single layer. Pour in the oil and saut? the battuto gently for a minute or two to release its aroma. After that, scoop it up with a fish slice and put it aside.
Add the chicken joints to the pan, turn up the heat and fry until brown. The joints must be browned all over — about 10min. Be patient with this, as it is vital to the final result.
Now splash with the vinegar and let it bubble away for a minute or so. Return the battuto to the pan and pour in three quarters of the stock.
Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and turn the heat down. The chicken will be cooked in about 30min. Turn the joints once or twice during cooking and add a little more stock if necessary. When done — test by pricking the fattest portion with a knife — remove to a heated dish and keep warm while you check the cooking juices. If too liquid, reduce over high heat until syrupy; if too dense, add a few teaspoons of stock; if too sharp, sweeten with sugar.
Cut the butter into small pieces and add bit by bit to the sauce. Let it melt while swirling the pan, then pour the sauce around the joints. Serve at once.
My next recipe, Baked sea bream with tomatoes and basil, yet would be perfect for a dinner party.
Both recipes are from Amaretto, Apple Cake and Artichokes: The Best of Anna Del Conte, published by Vintage at £12. Available from BooksFirst for £10.80 incl p&p: 0870 1608080.
Pollo alla cacciatore (chicken with vinegar and herbs)
In the last of our offerings from her book, our correspondent suggests ways with chicken and bream