Roasted-Grilled Barbecue Chicken →

Every grill-master has his/her own preferred way to grill chicken. For cooks who prefer to grill boneless, skinless chicken, the most common method is to season the chicken and cook it on a hot grill over direct heat, turning it frequently to avoid burning it. This method requires attention and timing to prevent undercooking the chicken, or turning out carbonized, dry chunks of what was supposed to be delicious, juicy grilled chicken. For cooks who prefer the flavor of bone-in chicken with skin intact, another popular way to grill chicken is to sear the chicken on a hot grill over direct heat and then move the pieces to a part of the grill with indirect heat, essentially roasting the chicken in the closed grill before finishing it over direct heat to crisp up the skin and caramelize the barbecue sauce. This method is time-consuming, but with much attention and practice, it will produce excellent barbecue chicken. For those of us who prefer the flavor of skin-on, bone-in grilled chicken and want to spend more time visiting with our guests rather than tending to flare-ups on the grill, try seasoning the chicken and roasting it ahead of time in a 400 F. oven for about 40 minutes until the skin is crispy.  Brush on the sauce and finish the chicken on the grill in less than 10 minutes. Easy peasy with reliable results! Your dinner guests will appreciate you. (Note: If you don’t grill in cold weather, brush the sauce over the chicken while in the oven and remove once your Insta-read thermometer reaches 160-165 F. and the sauce has begun to caramelize. Remove from the oven and tent for 5-10 minutes.)

Ingredients
·   1-2 pieces of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and breasts per person (preferably air-chilled chicken)
·   Salt and pepper to taste
·   Garlic powder
·   Fresh lemon juice
·   Asian Barbecue Sauce (see below) 

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and garlic powder. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice.
2. Place the chicken pieces on a grate on a sheet pan and roast for about 40 minutes or until the skin is crispy and brown. Preheat your grill.
3.  Once the skin is nice and crispy, remove the sheet pan from the oven and brush on your barbecue sauce of choice. Cover the sheet pan with tin foil and set aside for up to an hour. Finish the chicken on the preheated grill turning and brushing on more sauce as desired until the sauce is caramelized on both sides. (3-5 minutes per side)

Asian-Style Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
-3/4 cup ketchup
-3/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
-1 cup packed brown sugar
-1/3 cup sake (you can sub dry-sherry if you don’t have sake)
-3 teaspoons sesame oil
-1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root (use a micro-plane, or finely mince by hand)
-2 teaspoons grated garlic 

Preparation
1. In a small bowl, mix the ingredients. Reserve 1 cup for basting; cover and refrigerate the extra sauce. (This recipe yields more sauce than you will need to barbecue chicken for 4-6 people. The extra sauce will keep refrigerated in a closed glass jar for at least a week.)

Wine:
White wines: Grüner Veltliner, Vermentino, Pinot Gris, Albarino, Viognier; Red wines: Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Gamay , Rosé

Baked Chicken and Orzo →

Here’s a one pot Mediterranean inspired baked chicken and orzo recipe that is sure to be a hit with your family or dinner guests. Reminiscent of Spanish paella, this recipe replaces rice with tender flavorful orzo. Although the ingredients list is a bit lengthy, the actual preparation of the dish comes together quickly, and you and your family or guests will be richly rewarded. Serve accompanied by a green salad dressed with a light vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Baked Chicken and Orzo
Serves 4 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 skin-on chicken breasts or thighs (skin-on preferred, but sub skinless if you prefer)

• 2 tablespoons of chopped pancetta

• 1 cup orzo

• 1 ½ -1 ¾ cups chicken broth

• ¼ cup white wine

• ½ medium onion chopped

• 3 tablespoons crushed tomatoes

• 2 cloves of minced garlic

• ¼ cup olive oil

• ½ teaspoon ground coriander

• ½ teaspoon dried thyme

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• large pinch of saffron

• ½ cup of green peas

• 1/3 cup Spanish olives with pimento sliced in half

• ½ sweet red pepper coarsely chopped

• parsley for garnish 

PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 375 F

1. Pat the chicken thighs dry. Mix the thyme, salt and pepper, vinegar, olive oil, and coriander. Coat the chicken with the mixture, cover, and set aside for at least 30 minutes.

2. In a Dutch oven or other heavy bottom, oven-proof pan, brown the pancetta. Remove the pancetta and reserve. Pour off all but a tablespoon or two of the pancetta fat.

3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and wipe off excess marinade. Brown the chicken pieces on both sides. Remove and tent the browned chicken.

4. If the pan is too dry add two tablespoons of olive oil. Over medium heat, sauté the garlic, onions, and red pepper for a minute or two before adding the orzo. Stir until the orzo begins to brown and the onions are tender.

5. Add 1 ½ cups chicken stock, wine, tomatoes, and saffron, and bring to a boil. Nestle the chicken thighs into the orzo and sprinkle the sliced olives around the chicken. Sprinkle the reserved pancetta over the chicken and place the pan in the preheated oven. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until the orzo is tender and the internal temperature of the thighs reaches 165 F. If the orzo is too al dente, add the remaining ¼ cup of chicken stock. Stir in the green peas for the last 10-15 minutes in the oven. (Waiting to add the peas at the end will ensure that you have bright green peas, not over-cooked gray peas.)

6. Serve garnished with chopped parsley. 

   Wine pairing: Medium-bodied white wines like Albariño, lightly oaked Burgundy, Vernaccia, Soave, Viognier, or dry Riesling will complement the complex, subtle flavors of this dish; for those who don’t drink white wine, a Rosé or a light Pinot Noir or Beaujolais would be a good choice. For this dish, avoid wines with heavy tannins.

Roast Tarragon-Cognac Chicken →

When people ask me what my favorite roast chicken recipe is, I often say, “The last one I cooked...” and there are probably enough out there to last me a lifetime of cooking. Having said that, my favorite method to roast a chicken is on the grill in a hot, pre-heated cast iron skillet. This recipe is adapted from a French inspired recipe by Melissa Clark and Christiane Baumgartner on the NYTimes Cooking website. Fresh tarragon and cognac… how can you go wrong? Bon appetite!

Roast Tarragon-Cognac Chicken
Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS
Yield: 4 servings

• 1 (4-pound) whole chicken (preferably air chilled chicken)

• 2½ teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

• 1 bunch fresh tarragon, leaves and tender stems coarsely chopped (about ¾ cup); reserve two tablespoons for gravy or pan sauce.

• 2 tablespoons Cognac

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

PREPARATION
Preheat a cast iron skillet on the grill to 400 F.

1. Pat the chicken dry and salt the bird inside and out. Transfer to a plate or baking dish, preferably on a rack, and refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour or overnight.

2. When ready to cook the chicken, heat the oven or grill to 400 F.

3. In a small bowl, combine butter, tarragon, 1 tablespoon Cognac, and pepper. Rub the mixture inside the chicken cavity and over and under the chicken skin. Alternatively, you may find it easier to melt the butter mixture and brush it on the chicken.

4. Once the grill reaches 400 F., place the prepared chicken onto the hot skillet and roast, breast side up, until the skin is golden and crisp, and the juices run clear when you insert a fork in the thickest part of the thigh (165 degrees), about 1 hour. Alternatively, preheat your oven to 400 F. Place the chicken on a rimmed sheet pan, or in a large, ovenproof skillet and roast, breast side up, until the skin is golden and crisp, and the juices run clear when you insert a fork in the thickest part of the thigh (165 F. on an insta-read thermometer), about 1 hour.

5. Turn off the grill or oven — don’t skip this step, or the Cognac may overheat and catch fire — open the grill, or if using the oven, transfer the pan with the chicken to the stove top. Pour the remaining 1 tablespoon Cognac over the bird and baste with some of the buttery pan juices. Immediately return the chicken to the turned-off grill or oven and close; let rest there for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

6. For pan sauce: pour off the juices from the pan and allow the fat to separate. Skim off the fat, stir in a tablespoon of fresh tarragon (to taste), and spoon the pan juices at the table. If you want to make gravy, deglaze the pan with a half cup of white wine. Reduce by a half and add a cup of chicken stock and two tablespoons of chopped fresh tarragon; reduce by half. Using two tablespoons of the fat from the pan, add a tablespoon of flour and stir to make a slurry. Slowly add the slurry to the simmering stock, stirring constantly until well incorporated. Add the reserved pan juices; adjust the salt and pepper and simmer for about 5 minutes. 

Wine pairing: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Soave, Rueda, Viognier, Dry Riesling

Adapted from a recipe by Melissa Clark and Christiane Baumgartner

Chicken Saltimboca with Marsala Wine Sauce →

In Italy, Saltimbocca (meaning “to jump in the mouth”) consists of thin slices of veal stuffed with prosciutto, sage, and a melted cheese, sometimes accompanied by a wine sauce. This recipe is an interpretation of the traditional dish served in Italy and found here in the United States on menus of many good Italian restaurants. For my purposes, I chose to use butterflied chicken breasts in place of veal; used fontina for the cheese; added spinach, and made a sauce from Marsala wine. The ingredients list is a bit long, but the dish is flavorful and elegant enough to serve to dinner guests and it won’t break the family budget. In place of traditional heavy cream, I opted to make a roux to create a lighter Marsala sauce saving calories and cholesterol for another time. Served over egg noodles or pappardelle, or polenta accompanied by sauteed broccoli or broccolini, or a mixed green salad, it will jump in your mouth. I hope you like it. Enjoy!

Chicken Saltimbocca with Marsala Wine Sauce
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1 ¾ cups chicken broth

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

• 2 handfuls of baby spinach rinsed

• 1 clove of garlic minced

• a pinch of hot pepper flakes

• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

• 2 teaspoons lemon zest

• 4 large sage leaves

• 2 slices of prosciutto cut crosswise in half

• 4 thin slices of fontina cheese about 2 x 2 ½ inches

• ½ cup all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• ½ cup of dry Marsala wine

Optional: toasted sage leaves or chopped parsley for garnish. 

PREPARATION
Pre-heat your oven to 200 F.

1. In a saucepan over high heat, bring the chicken broth to a boil and reduce it by half. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. In a heavy bottom skillet over medium heat, heat a tablespoon of olive oil, and add the minced garlic and pepper flakes stirring for about a minute. Don’t burn the garlic. Add the baby spinach, lemon juice, and lemon zest and sauté until the spinach has wilted. Remove the spinach mixture from the skillet and set aside. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel.

3. Cut across each chicken breast so you have two pieces roughly the same size. Carefully butterfly (slice) each half lengthwise leaving about an inch uncut at one side of each breast piece.

4. Open the butterflied breast pieces, placing each butterflied half of a breast between two layers of plastic wrap. Gently pound each with a meat mallet or rolling pin to flatten each piece to a uniform thickness of about ½ inch thick.

5. Lay the pounded pieces open and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place a tablespoon of cooked spinach, a sage leaf, a piece of prosciutto, and a slice of fontina on each piece and fold over the other half of the butterflied chicken to create a “sandwich”.

6. Add flour to a flat plate and carefully dredge both sides of the chicken “sandwiches” in the flour, shaking off any excess flour. Heat 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter in the skillet over moderately high heat until the foam subsides, then sauté the chicken “sandwiches” until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes on each side), carefully turning over once. At that point, the cheese should be starting to melt and ooze out of the stuffed “sandwiches”. Transfer the cooked chicken to a large heatproof platter or sheet pan and tent placing the platter in a warm oven.

7. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. Over medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the shallot and fresh sage for a minute or two (don’t burn the shallot). Add a tablespoon of butter to melt. Sprinkle two to three teaspoons of flour over the shallots and stir until the flour is well incorporated and just beginning to brown on the bottom of the skillet. (You’re making a roux: more flour = thicker sauce.)

8. Add the chicken broth and wine to the skillet, stirring constantly until you have a smooth sauce. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and pepper to your preference. *Optional: a few drops of lemon juice at the end will brighten the sauce.
9. Carefully return the pieces of chicken to the skillet with the sauce and heat over medium-low heat until you can see the cheese has melted. Serve the chicken with sauce. Garnish with toasted sage. (optional)
10. Serve with sauce over egg noodles, pappardelle, or polenta.

Wine pairing: an un-oaked Chardonnay or Burgundy, Rueda, Vernaccia, Pinot grigio, Viognier, or
dry-Riesling; for red wines, a Barbera, chilled Rosé, Pinot Noir, or Beaujolais would also work.  

Crispy Baked Chicken Wings →

Who doesn’t love crispy fried chicken wings? Instead of frying the wings in oil, this lower-fat recipe calls for par-boiling the wings for a few minutes, then coating them with a spicy dry rub, and baking them in a hot oven until they are sizzling, brown, and crispy. Serve them with your favorite hot sauce, barbecue sauce, or spicy fruity Duck Sauce. Enjoy!

CRISPY BAKED CHICKEN WINGS
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:

• 2-3 pounds chicken wings

• 3 tablespoons Spicy Dry Chicken Rub (recipe below)

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1-2 tablespoons canola oil

• Barbecue Sauce (recipe below or store-bought)

• Duck Sauce (recipe below)

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2022

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2022

PREPARATION:

1. If you have whole chicken wings, separate the wing tips at the joint and discard or use them to make chicken stock. Separate the thighs and wings at the joint.

2. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and add the wings to cook for about 10 minutes.

3. Preheat your oven to 450 F.

4. Drain the wings in a colander and allow them to cool and air-dry for a few minutes. Once cool enough to handle, pat dry with a paper towel and place in a large bowl.

5. Drizzle the oil over the wings and mix to coat. Mix 1 tablespoon baking powder into 3 tablespoons of dry rub and sprinkle the mixture over the wings and mix to coat.

6. Line a sheet pan with foil and place the wings on a lightly oiled wire mesh grate on the pan.

7. Bake the wings in the upper third of the oven for 25 minutes before turning over and baking for another 10-15 minutes until the wings are sizzling, brown, and crispy.

8. Serve the wings with Duck and/or Barbecue Sauce on the side, or toss the wings in your sauce of choice before serving.

Spicy Dry Chicken Rub
This will make more dry rub than you need for this recipe. Mix the ingredients and store any extra rub in a tightly closed container. Use it on turkey and pork as well.

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Barbecue Sauce
If you want to try an alternative to store-bought barbecue sauce, give this excellent barbecue sauce recipe a try. It will keep in a glass container in the fridge for over a week.

Ingredients:

• ½ cups ketchup

• ¼ cup Bourbon

• 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

• ½ cup molasses

• ½ cup brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon yellow or brown mustard

• ½ shallot or ½ tablespoon onion powder

• 2 cloves of garlic grated or finely minced (or 1 teaspoon granulated garlic)

• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

• ¼ teaspoon Chipotle (or Ancho) chili powder

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire

• 1 Bay Leaf

Preparation:

1. Sauté the shallot and garlic.

2. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat; simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. The sauce should be thin, but not watery. Allow to cool; remove the Bay Leaf.

3. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. The sauce is better if allowed to sit for a day.

Spicy Duck Sauce
This is a complex fruity and tangy Duck Sauce with a hint of heat, but none of the weird artificial coloring you get in the packets of take-out Chinese duck sauce. It will keep refrigerated in a covered glass container for over a week.

Ingredients:
• ¾ cup apricot jam (or peach jam)
• 4 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• ½ teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
• 2 medium cloves of garlic (preferably finely grated, otherwise finely minced)
• 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger (or grated)
• ¼-½ teaspoon chili powder (optional)
• 1/16 teaspoon cayenne powder (or to taste)

Preparation:

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat and simmer for about 5 minutes to soften the taste of the garlic and ginger.

2. Allow to cool and rest for at least an hour before serving so that the flavors can meld.

3. Store in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2022

Tarragon Chicken Pot Pie →

What do you do with left-over roast chicken or turkey? This recipe is a riff on a classic French recipe: Tarragon Chicken (Poulet à l'Estragon) made into pot-pie comfort food. The slight anise flavor of tarragon pairs beautifully with chicken or turkey, but feel free to substitute more traditional poultry seasoning herbs like thyme and rosemary. Although the list of ingredients is a bit lengthy, the recipe comes together very quickly. Use a good quality store-bought puff pastry or pie crust to save time, or if inspired, make your own pie crust or biscuit recipe. If you use biscuit dough, roll the dough to ½ inch thickness and cut the dough into individual biscuits to bake atop the chicken and sauce.

Tarragon Chicken Pot Pie
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of cooked chicken (or turkey) cut into ½ inch cubes

• 2 medium carrots ¼ inch dice

• 1 stalk of celery ¼ inch dice

• ½ medium onion chopped

• ½ cup green peas

• 1 ½ cups chicken stock

• ½ cup crème fraiche

• 2 teaspoons dried tarragon

• ¼ cup dry sherry (or dry white wine)

• 2 tablespoon flour

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• 1 tablespoon oil

• 1 package of puff pastry made with butter (or use a more traditional pie crust or biscuit recipe)

• 1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon of milk for the pastry wash (optional)

Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 400 F.

1. Saute the onion, carrots, and celery in a tablespoon of oil until the onion is tender.

2. Add the flour and stir for a minute to coat the veggies.

3. Over medium-high heat, slowly add the stock and sherry stirring constantly. Bring to a slow boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and add the chicken, tarragon, crème fraiche, salt, and pepper. Continue to simmer over low heat for 5 minutes while you prepare the puff pastry.

4. Roll out the cold puff pastry lightly with a rolling pin. (Best to use the pastry while still cold before it reaches room temperature.) Using a fork, pierce the central area of the pastry a few times.

5. Pour the chicken and sauce into a 9 x 9-inch Pyrex baking dish (I used a 9 ½ x 7-inch oval baking dish)

6. Drape the pastry over the baking dish and using a sharp knife trim pastry around the edges of the baking dish. Using a fork, pierce the pastry a few times. (See *Note)

7. Brush on the egg wash with a fine-bristled pastry brush and place in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes. When done, the crust should be puffy and golden and the sauce bubbling. Serve while hot and enjoy!

   *Note: Alternatively, trim the pastry to the size of your baking dish; pierce a few times with a fork. Place the pastry on a sheet pan and bake until light brown. Once baked, carefully place the crust on top of the baking dish with the chicken and sauce and bake, monitoring, until the sauce is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. (less than 30-40 minutes) This will ensure a crunchy crust without any sogginess.

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021

Wine pairing: white wines that have enough body to stand up to the rich sauce. Good choices would be White Burgundy, White Rhone Wines, Viognier. A good quality Rosé would also work.

Pollo Scarpariello (Shoemaker's Chicken) →

Food is so connected to our deepest memories. When I read chef Mario DiBiase’s Instagram post for Chicken Scarpariello (Shoemakers Chicken), I was instantly transported to my grandmother’s kitchen when I was a kid. I didn’t know the name of the dish, she learned the recipe from her southern Italian neighbors, and she just called it “Chicken, Sausage, and Peppers”, but I still remember the fragrance of the dish! Chef Mario’s recipe is a bit more complicated with more heat than some of the simpler ‘scarpariello recipes I researched, but the extra ingredients are well worth it and add to the rich, tangy, spicy complexity of the sauce. Whatever you choose to call it, this fragrant, colorful, and delicious piquant Italian chicken dish is a great recipe to add to your kitchen repertoire. You can adjust the heat by increasing or decreasing the hot vs. sweet peppers. The recipe does require vinegar from pickled peppers. Serve with roasted potatoes or atop a wide fresh noodle like Pappardelle with sautéed Romano beans on the side to make it a true feast! Don’t forget the crusty bread to sop up the truly wonderful sauce. Buon appetito!

Pollo Scarpariello (Shoe Maker’s Chicken)
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 bone-in thighs with skin (or 6-8 wings separated at the joint, wingtip removed)

• Salt and pepper

• 3 links sweet Italian sausage

• olive oil

• 6 cloves garlic-crushed

• 2 large onions-large dice

• 6 pickled hot cherry peppers cored and quartered (optional sub pepperoncini if you can’t find hot-cherry peppers)

• 12 pickled sweet cherry peppers +1/4c vinegar from jar cored and quartered (sub any mild pickled pepper like Peppadew)

• 1 red bell pepper-cored and large dice (for more color use a combination of small red, yellow, and orange sweet peppers- 2 each)

• 1 green Poblano pepper-cored and large dice (optional sub an Anaheim or the milder Cubanelle/Italian frying pepper)

• ½ cup small marinated artichoke hearts

• 1 teaspoon dry oregano (sub a sprig of rosemary when you place the pan in the oven)

• 2 cups wine

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 F

1. Season the thighs with salt and pepper.
2. In a heavy oven-proof pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and garlic until just beginning to brown. Remove the garlic and set aside.
3. Add the chicken and sausage to the pan. Brown well on all sides. Remove and set aside. Slice the sausage into ½ inch coins. Tent the chicken and sausage.
4. Add the onions, fresh peppers, and garlic to the pan. Sauté until tender and browning.
5. Add white wine to the pan. Deglaze, scraping up the fond as wine reduces to about 2/3.
6. Add the vinegared peppers along with the juice and the artichoke hearts. Season with oregano (or rosemary) and adjust the salt. Add chicken and sausage, fold into vegetables to coat.
7. Place the pan in the center of the oven. Let roast, turning pieces as they brown. Cook until chicken reaches 160 F in the thickest pieces.
8. Plate and top with chopped fresh oregano.

Wine pairing: a fruit-forward white wine like a Dry Riesling or Gewurztraminer would work with the spiciness of the dish. Pinot Grigio or Viognier are also good choices. For red wine try Pinot Noir, Nero d’avola, or Zinfandel. William Seibert from Shelburne Falls Cork recommends an Andre Blanck Grand Cru Riesling Schlossberg Vineyard.

Adapted from a recipe by #mario.cooks
Chef Mario DiBiase, SottoVoce Restaurant, Brooklyn, NY

Ischia-style Rabbit →

Ischia is an island off of Naples, Italy. With an abundance of wild rabbits, the island is famous for its rabbit dishes. This recipe is adapted from chef Andrea Migliaccio’s recipe for Ischia-style Rabbit. It would also work well substituting chicken legs and thighs for the rabbit. This is an easy delicious recipe that epitomizes the magic created when you combine simple ingredients like fresh herbs, shallots, garlic, broth, and white wine. Buon Appetito!

Ischia-style Rabbit
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 2 rabbits cut into pieces (or one chicken leg and thigh per person)

• 1 bulb of garlic, cut in half

• 1 ¾ cup of shallots, sliced

• 1 chili, cut in half length-ways (I used ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes)

• 2 cups + 3 tablespoons of white wine

• 2 cups + 3 tablespoons of chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 cup of tomatoes (about 3-4 plumb tomatoes quartered)

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 bunch of parsley, roughly chopped

• 1 bunch of basil, roughly chopped (reserve a few leaves whole for garnish)

• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
1. Using a cleaver or heavy butcher knife, cut the rabbits into pieces: the shoulders, ribs, loins, and hind legs. Discard the liver, heart, and other organs or save them for another use. Season all of the pieces with salt and pepper and dust lightly with a little flour.

2. Working in batches, sauté the rabbit pieces with a little olive oil in a skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat, adding more oil as necessary until all the pieces are golden brown. When all the pieces are browned, tent and set the rabbit to one side and discard the oil from the pan.

3. Add another tablespoon of olive oil and add the garlic, shallots, and chili (red pepper flakes). Cook, stirring occasionally for a few minutes over medium-high heat until the shallots are golden. Don’t burn the pan.

4. Deglaze the pan with the white wine scraping up the browned pieces in the pan. After about 2-3 minutes, add the tomatoes and the chicken/vegetable stock. Bring to a boil over medium to high heat.

5. Add the chopped parsley and basil and continue to cook over med-high heat for 10 minutes.

6. Add the reserved pieces of rabbit in a single layer to a roasting pan, pour the sauce over the rabbit, and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes. The sauce will thicken and the rabbit will turn golden brown.

7. Adjust the salt and pepper to your taste and serve garnished with fresh basil leaves.

Note: this dish pairs well with buttered potatoes and parsley and green beans sauteed with garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest.

Wine pairing: full-bodied white wines like Verdicchio or Tiberio Pecorino; White Burgundy, or White Rhone wines; a dry Riesling would also work; lighter red wines like Beaujolais or Dolcetto di Alba are also a good match.

Adapted from: https://www.greatitalianchefs.com/recipes/rabbit-ischia-style-recipe
Andrea Migliaccio