Pollo alla Cacciatore (Hunters' Chicken)

This is a hearty and filling chicken casserole classic from Italy. Cacciatore means "Hunters' Style", so this dish would likely have been what the hunter would eat after a long day out in the forest. It is more usual to cook it with some of the produce of the hunt, perhaps a small hare, pheasant or even wild boar, but perhaps the chicken variety rose in popularity with the hunters who weren't quite so good, and didn't catch anything!

As with most Italian peasant fare, there are probably as many recipes claiming authenticity as there are villages in Italy. Each one will have its individual characteristics and the ingredients may vary in different regions, but the basic recipe is for chicken thighs/drumsticks in a thick tomato sauce enriched with white wine. The rest of the ingredients you can add according to your own taste.

This is a one-pot casserole and is perfect for a cold and wet Autumn afternoon.

Haricots Verts wrapped in Pancetta

This simple little dish is equally at home as an antipasto (appetiser) as it is as a contorno (vegetable side dish). It is essentially made of only 2 ingredients, but if these are of good quality, the end result is amazing!

Pancetta is an Italian bacon, made from pork belly. It is quite easy to get these days in supermarkets, but if you can't get pancetta, you can substitute it with thin slices of unsmoked streaky bacon.

Haricots Verts is French for green beans, but these are slightly longer and thinner than standard green beans. Again, these should be readily available in most supermarkets, but if you can't find them, substitute with normal green beans.

Ingredients

300g Haricots Verts

16 straight Pancetta slices 

black pepper to season

olive oil to drizzle

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 C.

Boil a medium pan of salted water. When the water is boiled, add the haricots verts and cook these for 2-3 minutes. The beans should still have a bite to them. Drain the water and put these into a colander to dry.

Lay one of the pancetta slices out flat on a plate. Place 4 or 5 beans in a bundle at one end of the pancetta. Roll the pancetta up around the beans. Place the rolled beans onto a shallow baking tray covered with a sheet of greaseproof paper, or drizzled with a little olive oil. The greaseproof paper/oil is purely to stop the pancetta from sticking to the bottom of the baking tray.

Repeat this process with the remaining pancetta slices and haricots verts.

Place the baking tray into the middle of the preheated oven and bake the pancetta/bean bundles for about 15-20 minutes.

Buon appetito! Enjoy!

Pollo alla Parmigiana (Chicken Parmesan)

This is not so much a classic Italian dish, more like an American take on a classic Italian dish. Chicken Parmesan is known more in the United States and outside of Italy, whereas the traditional dish, Melanzane alla Parmigiana, uses aubergine/eggplant. The rest of the ingredients remain the same and the methods of preparation are fairly similar, with the exception that the aubergine parmigiana is made up of layers of vegetable and sauce, similar to a lasagne, whereas the chicken version is only one layer.

The name of this dish itself is a little misleading. Parmigiana means in the "Parma style", but this dish is not native to Parma in Northern Italy. Instead, it is a Southern Italian dish, with both Campania and Sicily claiming versions of the dish. The most likely explanation is that the dish is named after Parmigiana-Reggiano (Parmesan) cheese, which is called for in the recipe as the cheese topping. Funnily enough though, there are plenty of chicken Parmigiana dishes out there that do not feature Parmesan cheese at all, using mozzarella in its place. So not only do they not come from Parma they also do not feature the most famous of Parma's delicacies, its' cheese!

Another theory on the Parmigiana name is that Parmigiana is an Italianisation of the Sicilian parmiciana, which refers to shutter slats, which closely resemble the layers of overlapping aubergine in the original dish. So for the versions using chicken instead of aubergine, and mozzarella instead of Parmesan, the name is a bit confusing to say the least. Maybe they should call this version "chicken"!

Anyway, names notwithstanding, both the chicken and aubergine versions are delicious, and not so difficult to make. You should give yourself at least a couple of hours though, as there are several steps involved, which are time consuming.

Ingredients

For the chicken:

4 skinless chicken breasts

300g plain flour

3 eggs

50ml milk

300g breadcrumbs

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

olive oil to fry

For the tomato sauce:

2 tins plum tomatoes

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp oregano

2 cloves garlic

For the assembly:

2 balls fresh mozzarella

75g grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp oregano

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 C.

Slice the chicken breasts horizontally to give you 2-3 slices per breast, 8-12 slices in total. To give them all an even thickness, they can be placed between two large pieces of clingfilm and beat with a meat tenderiser or mallet.  Each "escalope" should be about 1/2 cm thick. Season these lightly with salt and black pepper.

In 3 separate shallow dishes or bowls, assemble the flour in the first bowl, the eggs and milk in the second bowl, and the breadcrumbs in the third bowl. Beat the eggs and milk together to give an even egg wash. Distribute the paprika, oregano and salt and pepper evenly between the first (flour) and third (breadcrumbs) bowls and mix these in well.

In an assembly line fashion, dip each chicken escalope first in the flour, then in the egg wash and finally in the breadcrumbs, each time ensuring that the escalope is covered thoroughly and allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl. Repeat the process for all the chicken escalopes.

Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. You should have enough oil to cover the entire bottom of the pan but not enough to submerge the escalopes. When hot enough, shallow fry the escalopes a few at a time on both sides until golden brown. When done, drain these on kitchen paper to remove any excess oil.

Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves. Fry these in a little olive oil in a high sided pan or pot on a gentle heat, making sure they do not burn. Add the plum tomatoes and chop/mash these in the pan until they are much smaller. Add the oregano, salt and black pepper and simmer this for about 20 minutes, until it is a smooth sauce.

Slice the 2 mozzarella balls into thin slices.

In a baking tray, place the breaded chicken escalopes along the bottom of the tray, overlapping slightly if they do not all fit. Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken pieces and spread it out until it covers everything. 

Add the sliced mozzarella over the sauce and then the grated Parmesan.

Put in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.

This dish can be served with a  number of things, on spaghetti with Neapolitan sauce, or with chips, or even with a nice seasonal salad.

Buon appetito! Enjoy!

Risotto con Funghi e Castagne (Mushroom and Chestnut Risotto)

Risotto is very popular as a primo (first course) in Italy, as an alternative to pasta, especially in Northern Italy. A dish made from rice and broth, risotto is a hearty carbohydrate source, which lends itself perfectly for a range of other ingredients. This rich, creamy risotto features 2 staple Autumn ingredients, mushrooms and sweet chestnuts. Most mushroom varieties can be found all year round in good supermarkets, although risotto recipes often call for dried porcini (piglet) mushrooms, which are able to retain their flavour while dry. If you can't find porcini mushrooms, most other mushroom varieties will do. For a nice symmetry use chestnut mushrooms!

Italian Three Bean Pasta Salad

This is a ridiculously easy and delicious salad that can be eaten as a side dish, starter or even as a main course. It should be served cold and is therefore perfect for picnics. The combination of lovely fresh ingredients and bright colours is a feast for the eye as well as the stomach. This salad is suitable for vegetarians.

You can use any beans that you want to make this salad. Whichever beans are easy to come by. Beans are part of the legumes family, and are a great source of fibre. They also help to reduce cholestorol and blood sugar levels, so all in all they are a pretty great food!!!

A Traditional Italian Meal Structure

Picture the scene:

A beautiful Tuscan landscape, a long wooden table laden with huge jugs of red wine, smaller jugs of olive oil and dishes of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano is surrounded by several generations of one Italian family, all laughing and talking and eating together! It sounds a bit of a cliché I know, but the traditional Italian meal is not so far from this slightly idealistic picture. Traditional formal Italian meals, usually reserved for Sundays and special occasions these days, are long and elaborate affairs, with several courses and lots of wine and good conversation. Meals can often last for several hours! Contrast this to the UK style of "eat and run"; it is often difficult enough to try to get everybody to sit together at the same time to eat, let alone at a dinner table. The TV and sofa have replaced the dinner table and quality family time. OK, maybe that is also a bit of a cliché;  the truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but it remains the case that a family meal lasting several hours in the UK would be a rare thing indeed!

The first experience I had with a traditional Italian meal structure with multiple courses was on a family holiday back when I was 16 or 17. We were in Verona and decided to eat at this road side restaurant that seemed to be full of only locals, with us being the only tourists! My Dad ordered the set meal for all of us, including my 2 sisters who were I think 5 and 8 at the time. We were first given a large plate of salad brimming with fresh vegetables. When we had finished that we had plenty of time before the next course, and there was quite a bit of strong red wine being drunk!

The next course was a large plate of pasta with a tomato sauce. By this time I had drunk maybe a bit too much wine, due to the long pauses between the first and second courses, so I was having trouble finishing this plate off! My sisters did not even get half way through their pasta before they were full and feeling tired! I was dozing off myself waiting for what I presumed would be the dessert. After what seemed like hours (probably due to the wine!) the waitress brought our next course... a huge portion of steak with vegetables on a side dish, and more salad!!! By this time we could hardly even move we were so full, and I don't think any of us ate much more than a mouthful of the steak. The locals must have been looking at us as if we were crazy! Why had these pesky tourists ordered the set meal if they were going to leave half way through!!!

Anyway, safe to say, the traditional Italian meal is a leisurely affair, with course after course being served over the space of several hours. The conversation and interaction are as important as the edible ingredients, and make the whole affair a bringing together of several generations of families for quality time spent together.

If you ever have the privilege of partaking in a traditional Italian family meal, make sure you bring your appetite, remember to pace yourself, and above all, enjoy yourself and the company!

 The formal Italian meal structure

Aperitivo

This is a drink served before the meal to act as an appetiser for the coming meal. Usually an alcoholic drink will be served such as Vermouth, Martini, Campari, dry sherry or a dry white wine. 

Antipasto

Literally meaning "before the courses", this is generally dishes of cold starters, cured meats, salads, and breads. Occasionally hot starters such as Fritto Misto (fried mixed seafood) may be served. Examples of antipasti are bruschetta, Tonno e Fagioli, prosciutto ham with melon and Insalata Caprese.

Primo

This is the "first" course (not counting the other 2!) and is usually a hot dish of pasta, risotto (especially Northern Italy) or soup. The majority of primos are served without meat, but a tomato-based meat sauce may also be served over pasta. Some examples of primos are Risotto con Funghi, Minestrone soup, Penne all'Arrabbiata and Lasagne al Forno.

Intermezzo

When a meal is comprised of several hot courses, sometimes an intermezzo or palate cleanser will be served between the Primo and Secondo (first and second hot courses) to cleanse the palate, ready for the next dish. This will often take the form of a sorbet or granita, and may or may not be alcoholic. Lemon and apple sorbet are popular examples, often spiked with Prosecco or Limocello (Italian liqueur).

Secondo

This is the main dish of the meal and will usually comprise meat, poultry or fish. This will sometimes be served in a large platter with everyone able to help themselves to the portion size they wish. Examples of a secondo are Pollo alla Cacciatore (Hunter's Chicken), Osso Buco (Braised Veal Shanks) or Cotoletta alla Milanese (similar to Wiener Schnitzel).

Contorno

This is a side dish served together with the Secondo or directly after. It is usually comprised of local seasonal vegetables, either raw or cooked, or a green salad. The contorno is always served as a side dish to the meat course, never on the same plate.

Formaggio e Fruta

This is the first of the dessert courses (!), and comprises cheese and fruit. Both the fresh fruit and the cheese will be traditionally local produce of the region.

Dolce

This is the sweet dessert course, and examples would be Tiramisu, Zuppa Inglese (literally translated as English Soup, but is really a type of trifle), Gelato (ice-cream) or Cannoli (Sicilian pastries).

Caffè

No Italian meal would be complete without coffee served after the meal. This will nearly always be in the form of espresso, served strong and hot, and drunken quickly. Cappuccinos and other milk based coffees are generally served at breakfast time with a brioche or croissant, and would be frowned upon at the end of a meal as being too filling (!)

Digestivo

This is the concluding act of the meal, and is in the form of an alcoholic drink such as Grappa, Limoncello or Amaro. While the role of the aperitivo is to stimulate the appetite, the digestivo is drunk to aid the digestion. Whereas the aperitivo will be dry, the digestivo will usually be sweet or bitter.

Italian meals may contain only a few of these courses, or all of them. Needless to say there will be wine served all the way through the meal!

Buon Appetito! Enjoy! 

Penne all'Arrabbiata (Pasta tubes with spicy tomato sauce)

This is a simple and delicious pasta dish, requiring very few ingredients and taking little time to make. It is perfect as a "Primo" in a traditional Italian meal; this is the first course before the main Meat course or "Secondo", and is usually pasta, risotto or soup. It is great for vegetarians, or if you want to add some spek blocks or bacon, can be made into a main course.

Arrabbiata means "angry" in Italian, and the dish gets its name from the chilli peppers used in the sauce, which will certainly leave you red-faced, although hopefully in a happy way! Penne are circular pasta tubes, usually with a ridged exterior ("regate"). They are perfect for this type of sauce as the penne hold the sauce due to its cylinder shape.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

The Italian take on bacon and eggs! This simple pasta dish originates in the Rome region, and is, along with spaghetti bolognese, perhaps the most well known of pasta dishes. The key to this dish is putting the eggs in at the right moment and mixing quickly enough so that you are have a sauce and are not left with scrambled eggs!

Lasagne al Forno

Along with pizza and spaghetti Bolognese, lasagne is probably one of the most famous of all Italian dishes, and has won admirers all over the world. It is a firm favourite in pub lunches up and down the UK. It is a surprisingly simple dish to make and is absolutely worth the time it takes to prepare, as the taste is amazing!

Lasagne al forno (simply lasagne in the oven) comes from the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, where the world renowned Bolognese sauce was also created in... (shock horror) Bologna!!! Lasagne al forno borrows this ragù alla bolognese as one of it's three alternating layers, with the others being bechamel sauce, a white sauce made from milk and flour, and sheets of dried pasta or lasagne!

Tonno e Fagioli (Tuna and Bean Salad)

A very simple salad originating in Tuscany, ideal for informal outdoor eating. This is so easy to make and tastes great. It can be eaten as a starter as part of a larger meal, or on its own as a simple lunch.

Insalata Caprese (Tomato and Mozzarella Salad)

Some things just go perfectly together - bacon and eggs, ham and cheese, peanut butter and jam (!). Tomato and mozzarella is another match made in heaven; whether it be on pizza, as the topping for lasagna al forno, in a panino, or here, in a simple yet delicious salad.