L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 19 L'Italo-Americano ITALIAN SECTION | Pollo alla maceratese I 'm constantly amazed at how a few ultra-fresh ingredients, simply prepared, can make such a flavorful Italian dish. Today, I picked lemons from our backyard lemon tree, and bought chicken from one of the poultry vendors at the famous T h i r d - a n d - F a i r f a x F a r m e r ' s Market in Los Angeles. For this dish, oft-forgotten chicken giblets are the backbone for a luxurious sauce. And while t h e o r i g i n a l v e r s i o n o f t h i s recipe literally places the whole chicken in the pot to cook, I first browned cut-up pieces to devel- op a little flavor. This is a somewhat-modified preparation of a famous dish from the region of Marche in Italy. It's been fun to research Marchigiana cooking as we get ready for our six-week stay after Easter. Cooking and eating tra- ditional Marchigiana food will be a key part of our stay. We know that getting ultra-fresh ingredients there will be easy! I assume from its name that this dish originated from the town of Macerata, in the south of Marche. As in most of Italy, if you go from one town to the next, the cuisine shifts. You might travel only a few miles before you find that the rules and recipes of the local "nonni" have changed completely! Ingredients and Directions: · 4 tbsp butter · 2 tbps extra-virgin olive oil · 1 s u p e r - f r e s h r o a s t i n g chicken, cut up into 6 pieces by your butcher. Ask to keep the giblets for this recipe, and keep the back for making chicken stock · 1 cup of homemade chicken JOSEPH BECCI stock · Juice of 1 lemon · 2 egg yolks · Salt and pepper to taste · Minced parsley for garnish Special equipement: · Large heavy bottom pot · Strainer Wash the chicken pieces and d r y o f f w i t h p a p e r t o w e l s . Liberally salt and pepper the chicken. Chop the giblets into very small pieces. You will dis- c a r d t h e m a t t h e e n d o f t h e recipe. I n a h e a v y - b o t t o m e d p o t large enough to hold the chick- en pieces in two layers, add the LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES butter and olive oil and melt together on medium heat. Add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides in two batch- es, 5-10 minutes each. Don't m o v e t h e m a r o u n d u n t i l t h e pieces have caramelized, so that the skin doesn't stick to the pan when you lift them. Remove the pieces and set aside to rest. The chicken will not be fully cooked at this point. Add the chopped-up chicken giblets to the pot and sauté until the bits are deeply browned. Return the chicken to the pot, putting the dark meat (wings, thighs, drumsticks) on the bot- tom and the white meat on the second layer, and add the chick- en broth. Cover, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the h e a t t o l o w a n d s i m m e r f o r a b o u t 3 0 m i n u t e s , u n t i l t h e chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken pieces to a serving platter and cover with foil. Strain the reduced chicken broth and giblets through a sieve and return to the pot. It's OK if s o m e l i t t l e b i t s o f c h i c k e n r e m a i n i n t h e p o t . T a s t e t h e broth and adjust the salt and pepper. Drain off excess oil if you desire. W h i s k t h e e g g y o l k s a n d lemon juice in a bowl and sea- s o n w i t h s a l t a n d p e p p e r . Remove the broth from the heat. Whish the egg-lemon mixture into the broth to create a creamy sauce. If the sauce is too watery, return to a low heat and reduce. Serve the sauce over the fin- ished chicken and sprinkle with a little minced parsley. Joe and Michele Becci are a brother and sister team who love all things Italian. Together, from opposite coasts, they co- a u t h o r t h e b l o g O u r I t a l i a n Table.com. Pollo alla maceratese

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