Sort of Italian? Well, it is one of those things, isn't it? I have cooked it in a vaguely Italian way, but it has Spanish Chorizo in it and Greek olive oil. I suppose if I were Italian, I could be more positive about it, but I ain't!
So, it is Mediterranean influenced and leaning towards Italy - more or less.
This is a good dish when you are in a bit of a hurry, but that goes for a lot of Italian family food. I am using a mixture of fresh and dried herbs here. Some will frown on me for this practice, but I like the punch that dried herbs give to a dish and it works well here.
- Six chicken thighs, on the bone, skin attached.
- 1 medium onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 chestnut mushrooms
- 4-inch piece of Chorizo
- 1 400 gram tin chopped Italian tomatoes (buy a good make, please)
- 1 tbs double concentrate tomato puree (likewise)
- 1 teaspoon mixed dried oregano and marjoram
- 1 handful fresh parsley. chopped finely
- 5 leaves fresh sage, chopped
- sprig of fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 teaspoon nice, fruity chilli powder (I cheat and make my own)
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Extra Virgin olive oil
Finely chop the onions and garlic and fry in a heavy frying pan in a slug of olive oil.
Once they are just turning brown, take them out with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Turn up the heat and put in the chicken thighs. Cook for several minutes till they are well browned all over.
Add the cooked onions, plus all the herbs. Chop the chorizo and mushrooms finely and add to the pan.
Stir it all up.
Now add the chopped and puree tomatoes and stir. Add the chilli and season to taste.
Put a lid on and cook on a medium-low heat for about thirty minutes. The oil should be bubbling through the sauce and look smooth and luscious. This is why we use good Extra Virgin - who wants crap oil on your sauce?
And that is it. You can eat it on its own, or with a little pasta. Plenty of Parmigiano-Reggiano is recommended.
Oh, and a couple of bottles of wine.
This works particularly well eaten outside gazing into the eyes of someone seriously sexy.
Bon appétit (just to mess the countries up a bit more)
