Giro d’Italia ‘20 - Stage 20: Alba to Sestriere
Today, the riders are in one of my favorite regions of Italy. Favorite! Why? No real idea. Well, it’s pretty odd. I’m in love with the idea of Piemonte. Granted, I’ve never been there before and don’t know too much about it except from coverage I’ve seen in travel shows, today’s race stage, and, of course, the Olympics were in Turino (Turin) back in 2006. I love the mountains (hiking and snowboarding) and the Piedmont region has all of that covered with some beautiful valleys in between. On top of that, the region is close to France and Switzerland. But, how was the seed planted? Well, you know how the countries all come out in the parade of nations to begin the Olympics? And, each country is escorted by models who hoist the placard with the name of their country? Well, let’s just say I fell in "tv love" with some of them and their outfits were amazing works of art. Their dresses were fashioned into mountains which had pines, and different scenes such as countryside nightscapes of villages, and, as seen below, even downhill skiers!
But, today is about the food, and this dish celebrates the region in a similar fashion. It’s a nice, rustic, country braise of chicken in aromatics. Significantly, though, it also highlights a local Piemonte wine, Barolo, in the broth as well as crushed juniper berries which are fragrant and a welcome botanical addition to the broth that pulls you into the Aosta Valley, which is 30 miles north of Turin, and the home of today’s featured recipe.
Chicken with Juniper
Adapted from The Italian Regional Cookbook, Valentina Harris
4 slices thick cut bacon
Chicken, cut into 6 pieces
Onion
Celery leaves
Parsley, Rosemary, Sage
2 oz juniper berries
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
Barolo or other red wine
Chicken stock
Slice the bacon into ½-inch wide lardons and render over medium-high heat, in a large dutch oven, while you butcher and season your chicken pieces with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Shuffle the rendered bacon to the side of the pan and place the chicken skin-side down into the rendered fat. Brown the chicken on all sides. Meanwhile, slice your onion and mince one fistfull each of your herbs. When the chicken has browned, remove and set aside on a plate. Add in the onions and herbs, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened. After adding in the onions, and giving an initial stir, gather your juniper berries on a large cutting board and cover with a 12-inch pan and press the pan a couple of times to lightly crush the juniper and then stir them into the pot as well.
Once the onion is soft, about 5 minutes, add in the tomatoes and bring to a boil, then place the chicken skin-side up back into the pot. Add 1 cup of wine and boil for a few minutes, then add 1 cup of broth and return to a boil. Once at a full boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 45-50 minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes or polenta.
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Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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