The Cunning Whisk

I love Italian food. A fact that was not hindered by my working at an authentic Italian restaurant last year. I was just the baker, so I didn’t really learn a lot of how the main dishes were cooked. This is a fact I regret, but have learned to live with. Until, that is, someone gave us a cast iron dutch oven for a wedding present. *insert heavenly choirs*

I HAD to find a good recipe for chicken cacciatore. Unfortunately, every recipe I looked at seemed ever-so-slightly off to me. My old boss mentioned sending me the recipe, but I just couldn’t wait. So, kitchen witch that I am, I sat down with a blank piece of paper and started writing out a recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. Marsala wine
During the Middle Ages physicians prescribed carrots for all sorts of ills including syphillis and dog bites.
• 1 c. water
• 2 tsp. chicken bouillon
• 8 pcs. dark meat chicken
• 1 shallot
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 4 russet potatoes
• 4 carrots
• 28 oz. diced tomatoes
• 6 oz. tomato paste
• 1/2 c. butter, unsalted
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
Sicilians believe that young fairies, taking the form of snakes, lie amongst branches of rosemary.
• 1 Tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 Tbsp. dried basil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 & 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 & 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. paprika

Directions:
Wash and thoroughly pat chicken dry. In a large zippered bag, combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and paprika. Insert chicken, zip and shake until completely coated. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Brown chicken on all sides, 4 pieces at a time. If you need to, add 2 more tablespoons of butter before browning second batch.

After removing chicken, deglaze pan with Marsala. Make sure you scrape the bottom well. Add in water, chicken bouillon and all herbs and seasonings. Finely mince or grate garlic and mix it into sauce. Stir n tomato paste and diced tomatoes. Quarter potatoes and carrots, finely slice the shallot and julienne the yellow pepper. Add to pot.

Mix thoroughly and return chicken to pot. Poke and prod it with your spoon until all chicken pieces are submerged. Slice up remaining butter on top. Cover and keep on medium heat for 20 minutes. Rearrange pot contents, still keeping chicken submerged, and cook on medium-low for another 25 mintes or until chicken is completely done. Fish out bay leaves.

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I’ve been wanting to make this recipe for several weeks, now. I don’t know why: it just popped into my head one day. “Wouldn’t apricots be lovely with chicken?” I thought. Then, I started playing with the idea and the available ingredients. Finally, I came up with what you see before you. It has a bit of an Asian flair to it, and I find it really tastes more like oranges than it does apricots, but it has that special altered taste I just wouldn’t have gotten if I’d used orange marmalade.

Ingredients:

• 18 oz. apricot preserves
By superstition, American tank-driving soldiers will not eat apricots, allow apricots onto their vehicles, and often will not even say the word “apricot.”
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 4 lg. chicken thighs
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• orange zest
• sesame seeds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425F. Arrange chicken in a glass baking dish in a single layer.

In a small pan, over medium-low heat, combine preserves with vinegar. Mix in sugar, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour half of apricot sauce over chicken, making sure the tops have been completely glazed.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Turn chicken in dish and pour remaining prepared sauce over, again making sure that tops are completely glazed. Cook for another 20 minutes. Check for doneness. If thickest part of chicken has not reached about 170F, turn thighs again and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Remove dish from oven and allow to rest for AT LEAST 10 minutes before serving. This allows the internal temperature to reach its height while still retaining and evenly distributing the natural juices.

While still hot, but before serving, sprinkle each thigh with a little bit of orange zest and sesame seeds for an oriental flair.

If you don’t have cinnamon and nutmeg, or you just want a slightly different flavor and warmth, substitute those two spices for 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves. You could also try cutting the vinegar in half and adding 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to make it more savory.

Be aware that this doesn’t really seep into the chicken. It only provides a candied glaze and sauce. If you really want the flavor all the way through, marinate the chicken in the sauce overnight. Then cook, turning as prescribed.

I served this with a really simple bed of white rice and a side of garlic green beans.

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