Pollo con Pomodoro in Tecia (Or, Chicken in Tomato)

I realize this may not, in fact, be the best picture I've ever taken.  However, this Pollo con Pomodoro in Tecia is so good that I can't help myself and am putting it up anyway.  Eating this is the perfect way to make one exhale (or sigh contentedly, whichever you prefer).  It is immediately homey and rustic, yet I would not cry if it was served to me in a fancy restaurant.      

The recipe comes from Tessa Kiros's Venezia: Food & Dreams -- a beautiful cookbook that is loaded with seafood recipes.  Admittedly, I've not done many of the seafood recipes as of yet.  And, oddly enough, I'm not sure why I'm waiting.  Because everything I've done from this cookbook has been quite memorable.  The sauce alone in this chicken recipe is not to be balked at.  Michael was raving about it, and Emilia kept asking for more -- just the sauce though, as she claims not to have much love for polenta.  (She was trying to make a well out of her polenta so she could fill it up with sauce, and then eat it like a bowl of soup or something.)  They are both right, though, because simmering meat in tomato sauce is mouthwatering good.  Not to mention the fact that it is also the most perfect form of comfort food.  And as an added bonus, it yielded enough leftovers (for us anyway) to have the next night.  Mmmm.

The recipe calls for a whole chicken cut into eight pieces.  Because PCC (the little store I happened to be at for the necessary ingredients) did not have anyone there to cut up a chicken for me (and because that is a job I have no intention of ever doing myself), I bought two pre-wrapped packages of already cut-up chicken -- three breasts and three thighs.  I was more than happy with the result. 

Also, you are meant to serve this chicken over polenta.  Usually I make polenta using the forty minute route.  However, I have all of this fast cooking polenta that I bought to make a bread that didn't bowl me over enough to be bothered making it again, so I decided to use it here.  It cooked in literally two or three minutes.  I then stirred in some butter and grated parmesan.  (How could Emilia not like that?)  Whichever route you go, make sure you time it accordingly -- because polenta does not like to wait.  It needs to be eaten right after it is made.           

Pollo con Pomodoro in Tecia

serves 4

1 (2¾-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 white onion, quartered
1 carrot
1 small celery stalk
1 garlic clove, peeled but left whole
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
pinch of ground peperoncino (I used a pinch of red pepper flakes)
¾ cup red wine
2 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
polenta, for serving

Start with the chicken.  Remove the skin, fat, and any random bones.  Put the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic into your food processor, and process until nicely chopped.  Be careful not to puree it!

In a large pot, pour in the olive oil and warm over moderate heat.  Add the chopped vegetables and the parsley and cook until they begin to smell nice.  Add your chicken pieces and saute until the meat begins to brown a bit, making sure to turn it so that it cooks evenly on all sides.

Add a generous amount of salt and pepper.  Add the rosemary and peperoncino.  Let it cook for a minute or so and then pour in the wine.  Simmer a few until it reduces a little.  Add the tomatoes, let it all come to a boil, then simmer, partly covered, for an hour.  After about 40 minutes, add a cup of water if it seems to be a little dry.  Adjust for salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, start on the polenta.  Make either the long or the short way, making sure that either are ready when the chicken is.  Because goodness knows that polenta is not eaten immediately, it gets rather rubbery when left to its own devices.

Don't take the lid off the chicken until you are at the table.  Once there, serve up, scatter a smidge of parsley, if you feel so inclined, and remember to check for any small bones that may have come loose in the cooking process.  (Recipe from: Venezia, Food & Dreams by Tessa Kiros.  Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2009.)