Pollo Alla Cacciatora

My Father loved Arthur Schwartz, the longtime food editor of the New York Daily News, author of many cookbooks, radio host, and called by The New York Times Magazine "a walking Google for food and restaurant knowledge."

And my Father would often share Mr. Schwartz's recipes with me--in person and over the phone: Orecchiette Con Broccoli di Rapa; Pasta e Piselli; Cozze Arriganate; Frittita di Spaghetti; Pasta e Lenticchie e Scarola; Pesce con Olive, Capperi, e Limone; Costole di Maiale Beneventana; and many more.

When my Father passed away a few years ago (May he rest in peace.), I was given his copy of Arthur Schwartz's Naples at Table. It is a great cookbook, chock-full of hundreds of delicious recipes. It is not a book with photographs but it is so well designed and written; who needs photographs? And I am a photographer!

Pollla All Cacciatora (Chicken Hunter-Style) writes Mr. Schwartz:

"Cacciatora, which in Compania is a strikingly simple dish of chicken braised in tomato sauce, is the most popular way of cooking chicken in the region and, strangely, in a place where no one agrees on anything, everyone uses rosemary as the herb and onion, not garlic, in the sauce."

Before we begin cooking, let me get one thing out and in the open: I used Garden Fresh Tomatoes from my garden, Rosemary from my garden, and both onion and garlic!

Serves 2 (Based on a recipe by Arthur Schwartz)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 boneless chicken breasts (skinless)
1/2 onion, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a Vidalia)
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 4-5 inch sprigs of rosemary
1/4 cup dry white wine
Salt and Pepper
Big pinch of hot red pepper flakes
3 Garden Fresh Tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped

1. In a pan large enough to hold the 2 chicken breasts, heat the oil over medium-high heat, and once it is hot, brown the chicken on each side.
2. When the chicken is almost browned on both sides and still in the pan, add the onion, garlic and rosemary and saute till the onion is tender, a few more minutes.
3. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and the hot pepper flakes. Then add the white wine and cook until it has almost entirely evaporated, just a few minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes. Cover the pan, lower the heat, and let cook at a gentle simmer for about 30 minutes.
5. Remove chicken to a serving platter and cover to keep warm. Increase heat to high and let the sauce reduce for about 2 minutes.
6. Pour the sauce over the chicken.

We served this with "Susan's Waldorf Salad" which was a perfect and cooling compliment to the spicy and sweet chicken.

Sounds delicious, doesn't it? What do you think?

If you would like to fill your home with beautiful photographs, or need a portrait, a wedding photographed or if you are an interior designer and need photographs of your projects, contact me for a consultation.

Drawing on that degree in Art History, a passion for telling stories, and years working as a portrait and documentary photographer (And owning an Art Gallery) helps me bring a heightened sensitivity to my photography. Let's make the world a more beautiful place! Buon Appetito!