Chicken cacciatore is a fine dish to pull out of your oven for a casual crowd. Literally, cacciatore means ”hunter`s style.” Stretching the translation, you might say the early versions contained anything the sportsman or hunter could catch. It`s a hearty melange of chicken stewed or oven-baked in a pungent, mellow sauce laced with crunchy fresh vegetables.
The sauce is hearty, loaded with plum tomatoes, strips of green and red bell peppers, basil leaves and freshly grated cheese, all draped over a mountain of hot pasta. It`s an entree that seems to grab attention and pleases most everyone.
And-if you keep track of such things-the dominant colors are red, green and white, the colors of the flag of Italy.
There are several other reasons to recommend this popular peasant dish of Southern Italy:
Considering the ingredients-chicken, canned tomatoes, pasta and staple vegetables such as onions and bell peppers-it`s a relatively inexpensive dish that really looks as though you`re serving something special.
It`s healthful. Remove the skin, making it a low-cholesterol dish with very little saturated fat. (Or leave on the skin, making it a richer dish that is more filling-thus, stretching it further.)
Dress it up easily. Italian sausage links cut into small segments provide lively bites of flavor. Add matchstick slivers of hot peppers (jalapenos or serranos are fine) for a sparkle of added fire. Plump fresh mushrooms can simmer in the sauce, lending another dimension of texture that`s toothsome and resilient.
Much can be done ahead. Prepare the sauce up to three days in advance (or freeze a batch) and it`s a fairly simple concoction requiring only a quick saute followed by slow simmering and an occasional stir. Vegetables can be readied the night before, leaving you only to brown the chicken, assemble the casseroles and pop them into the oven until dinner time.
Cacciatore for a crowd will serve 12 to 16 guests: You`ll get the larger number of servings if you serve in the kitchen, rather than buffet style.
Don`t be intimidated by the number of ingredients. All the steps are simple. Making the sauce takes very little effort, and the only time-consuming job is browning the chicken. Once that`s done, it`s a matter of assembling the casseroles and baking.
Rounding out the menu is simple. Focus your cooking time on the cacciatore and keep everything else simple or store bought.
When guests arrive, set out antipasto. My favorite assortment includes olives and pickled peppers, sliced pepperoni, mild provolone and peppery Monterey jack jalapeno cheese, an assortment of fresh vegetables (or steamed and marinated overnight in a favorite dressing) and sesame bread sticks. Feel free to serve different items in an assortment of dishes and bowls scattered throughout the party area.
Invite guests to bring their favorite beverage. Red wine, especially a barolo, barbaresco, chianti classico or a rich burgundy, goes nicely with the main course.
Accompany the cacciatore with crusty Italian bread warmed in the oven and a crisp green salad lightly dressed with some fruity olive oil and splashes of red wine vinegar.
”Light” should be the only rule for dessert. A citrus sherbet or fresh fruit sorbet would be perfect, accompanied by crisp cookies such as pizzelles -lemon- or anise-flavored ”waffles.” Or toss the calorie-counter out the door and order a rum cassata or ice cream cake.
CACCIATORE FOR A CROWD
Preparation time: 1 1/2 hours
Cooking time: 1 hour
Yield: 12 to 16 servings
1/2 cup each: corn oil, olive oil
10 pounds cut-up chicken parts, see cook`s note
2-3 pounds sweet Italian sausage links, see cook`s note
2 each, large: sweet red peppers, green bell peppers
2-4 small hot peppers, such as serrano or jalapenos, optional
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, small to medium size, cleaned
2 tablespoons fresh basil, stems removed, cut into thin shreds
Cacciatore sauce:
1/3 cup olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
3 medium to large sweet onions, peeled, coarsely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled, thinly sliced
2 cans (about 30 ounces each) Italian plum tomatoes
1 can (about 30 ounces) crushed or diced tomatoes in puree
1 can (12 ounces) tomato paste
Water
2 bay leaves
2-3 teaspoons dried basil
Salt to taste, up to 2 teaspoons, optional
1 cup red port wine
Presentation:
2 pounds thin spaghetti (vermicelli, spaghettini or angel hair)
Whole basil leaves
Freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
Cook`s notes: You will need two large ovenproof pans or baking dishes, each about 12- by 16- by 3-inches. If you wish, substitute 3 smaller baking pans. Choose glass or stainless steel; avoid aluminum, as it reacts with the tomato.
Sauce can be prepared up to three days in advance. If possible, prepare at least one day in advance for flavors to meld. Gently reheat sauce before assembling and baking the casseroles.
Select split breasts, thighs and legs. Don`t bother with backs, which only take up space and provide little meat. Wings are OK, but do not have much meat. For more portions, separate legs from thighs.
Remove the skin and excess fat from the chicken to make a more healthful dish. Pull it off and trim with the edge of a knife. Don`t bother skinning the wings. To remove skin from leg portions, pull off like a glove and use paper towel to grip and tear it over the end joint.
Optional sausage should be cut into 2-inch segments. With a sharp knife, cut through casing with a single clean stroke. Do not remove sausage from casing. For less fat, use Italian-style turkey sausage.
1. Preliminaries: Skin chicken. Cut sausage. Cover with damp towel and refrigerate. Seed bell peppers and cut into long strips about 1 1/2- by 3-inches. If using the optional hot peppers, seed them, then cut them into matchstick slivers in order to lend flavor without searing the palate. (If you prefer, they can be cut into rings.) Reserve the peppers. Clean mushrooms with a damp cloth or soft brush, leaving stems intact. Reserve along with the shredded basil leaves.
2. Prepare cacciatore sauce: Heat olive oil over medium-high flame until sizzling hot in heavy 6-quart saucepan or non-aluminum dutch oven. Add onion and garlic; stir to coat with oil, then reduce heat to medium and cook until vegetables are limp and golden brown, 8 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. 3. Meanwhile, cut canned tomatoes in half and add them, along with the diced or crushed tomatoes, to onion mixture. Stir in tomato paste; fill paste can with warm water and scrape the liquid into one of the tomato cans. Swirl and ”rinse” each of the three cans, and finally pour this liquid into the pot. Stir in bay leaves, dried basil and optional sauce. Heat sauce to a full boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 90 minutes. Take care to avoid scorching the sauce. About 10 minutes before cooking concludes, stir in port wine. Sauce will be thinner than conventional spaghetti sauce.
4. Prepare chicken: While sauce simmers, brown chicken. Combine 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup corn oil in heavy Dutch oven or a 12- to 14-inch frying pan until sizzling. Meanwhile, separate chicken into two batches: legs and thighs in one, breasts and wings in the other. Pat chicken dry with paper toweling. First brown the dark meat, turning often with tongs until golden brown. Drain chicken on paper towels and arrange in one of the baking pans. Repeat process with the breasts and wings. (If using optional sausage, brown 2-inch pieces in the hot fat, turning often, until evenly browned. Drain sausage and divide, tucking pieces in between chicken parts in each pan.)
5. Divide green, red and optional hot peppers and scatter equally over chicken in each casserole. Scatter mushrooms over chicken. Sprinkle with basil and spoon one-third of the sauce and tomatoes over the chicken in each casserole. Reserve remaining sauce and keep warm.
6. Cover pans with foil and bake in heated 425-degree oven approximately 45 to 50 minutes. Check breasts first; they cook more quickly than dark meat. If light meat is done (cooked through, with no traces of pink near the bone)
remove from oven. Otherwise, continue cooking; dark meat will take 10 to 15 minutes longer to cook.
7. Assemble the dish: While chicken is cooking, bring 12 quarts of water to a full, rolling boil (this may be done in two large pans) and add salt. When boiling resumes, plunge in spaghetti (do not add oil) and as soon as pasta is completely submerged, cover the pot and boil pasta until just al dente, tender with a bit of bite left. Drain pasta, do not rinse, and arrange in a warmed serving bowl. Top with reserved sauce.
8. Presentation: Garnish casseroles of cacciatore with basil leaves. Invite guests to top a portion of pasta with chicken, spooning sauce from the casserole over the meat and pasta. Pass freshly grated cheese. Serve with a crisp, tossed salad (simple oil-and-vinegar dressing) and warmed crusty Italian bread.
