Something New!
Cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian. In cuisine, alla cacciatora refers to a meal prepared "hunter-style" with onions, herbs, usually tomatoes, often bell peppers, and sometimes wine. Cacciatore is popularly made with braised chicken or rabbit.
1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces
salt and pepper to taste (we used pre-cooked chicken to shorten up the preparation time, )
¼
cup olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup white wine
¼ cup pitted green olives
¼ cup black olives
2 tablespoons capers
8 ounces pepperoni sausage, sliced
Step #1 - Smile! (...and cut the mild peppers)
Did You Know? - Whenever you see the words cacciatore or cacciatora as part of the name of a dish, it usually means that the preparation of that dish involves the use of ingredients such as garlic and rosemary. The reasoning is that, according to tradition, Italian hunters used those ingredients to add flavor to the meat they prepared during their hunting expeditions.
We need onions
Mary's little veggies are about to meet their maker!
Did You Know? - In fact, this dish is so popular that October 15th has been designated National Chicken Cacciatore Day!
The sound of Paul's whirling knives can be heard for blocks!
Must have olives!
Into the pot everything goes.
Hiss, sizzle, hiss... the onions are turning transparent.
The process of cooking onions denatures these enzymes, stopping the process of converting the intracellular sulfur compounds into these defensive compounds, which removes the harsh flavors, leaving just the sweet, sort of meaty flavor that we all know and love.
Good ol' Campbell's Mushroom Soup
Stirred in before the salami!
Did You Know? - Campbell's Is 153 Years Old You probably knew that Campbell's was old, but did you realize it was 153 years old? It was founded in 1869, but not as a soup company. It sold canned and packaged fruit and vegetables — especially tomatoes — and it wasn't until 1895 that Campbell's sold its first canned soup.
Salami is added to the mixture!
Stirred and then cooked for 30+ minutes; keeping temperature low so the chicken does not overcook.
A fantastic meal!
Cooked to perfection!
The angle hair substitution for rice was perfect!
An artichoke for dessert!
Wine and conversation with Jeff after dinner!