cw (08/06/82)
Chicken Contadini
Ingredients
2 Tbl olive oil, butter, or schmalz
1 medium chopped onion -- more can't hurt
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp sage
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp paprika
3-31/2 lb frying chicken, cut up
1/2-1 cup vermouth, either sweet or dry
2 Tbl catsup
1 tsp cinnamon
2-3 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp salt
Method
Heat the oil in a a heavy skillet or an electric frypan
(about 350o ). Begin browning the chopped onion in the oil.
Meanwhile, put the flour, salt, black pepper, oregano, sage,
and paprika in a brown paper bag. Crumble the bay leaf into
the bag. Shake well to mix the ingredients. Wash and dry
well the chicken pieces and shake them one by one in the
spiced flour. Put the floured chicken pieces in the oil and
brown well. All the chicken must lie flat at once in the
skillet. The onions will get in the way; push them aside
and continue browning the chicken. Some of the onions will
get quite dark; so long as they do not burn, no harm is
done.
When the chicken is brown, lift it out and hold on a plate.
Add the vermouth to the hot pan and light it with a match
(leave the pan on the heat). When the flames have died
down, turn the pan to simmer. Add the catsup, cinnamon, 1
tsp salt, and the crushed garlic. Stir throughly, put the
chicken back in the pan, cover, and simmer (about 220o ) for
about 30 minutes or until the chicken is done. If sauce
seems to vanish completely, add a little water.
Notes
Serve with white rice or a light pasta. The sauce may seem
quite oily; the oil is all good olive oil, butter, or
schmalz and carries a lot of the flavor. This is a peasant
dish, so expect it to be a little heavy. Be careful when
you flame the vermouth; flames can leap several feet at
first. Make sure all the alcohol is burnt off; it leaves a
bitter taste if it remains in the sauce.thomas (08/08/82)
Ok, I'll bite. What's schmaltz? =Spencer