A New Take on Some Old Dishes
Ever since we acquired Marcella Hazan's "The Classic Italian Cookbook" back in the late 70's or early 80's, we have occasionally made her pollo arrosto in tegame (pan-roasted chicken with garlic, rosemary and white wine). Last week, Amanda Hasser, food-writer and digital exec, wrote a piece for the New York Times attempting to trace an obscure dish, chicken Canzanese, for which the Times had originally published a recipe in 1969. She eventually determined that the geographic source of the dish was most likely the Abruzzo region of Italy.
Hasser also asked a friend of hers, Zakary Pelaccio, chef/owner of the Fatty Crab in Manhattan to give the recipe a modern twist and published both the 1969 recipe and Pelaccio's updated version. We decided to try Pelaccio's version last evening and it was a solid success.
As interpreted by Pelaccio, chicken Canzanese is similar to our old Hazan recipe. However, while Hazan browns her chicken in oil and butter, Pelaccio uses the fat rendered from lardo, pancetta or prosciutto and throws in some dried whole chilis while the dish is simmering. Both work well, adding a spicy richness to otherwise well-seasoned poultry. (We used pancetta and substituted crushed red pepper flakes for the dried whole chilis.) Savoring crusty ciabatta slopped in the sauce that remains on your plate after the chicken is gone reminds you how good what you just ate was.
Pelaccio recommends serving the entree with an arugula/prosciutto salad tossed with fresh red currants and olive oil. We were unable to acquire the currants and attempted to substitute dried cranberries (soaked in red wine vinegar to cut the sweetness). The cranberries didn't work, but we'll try again when we can get our hands on the currants.
Hasser also asked a friend of hers, Zakary Pelaccio, chef/owner of the Fatty Crab in Manhattan to give the recipe a modern twist and published both the 1969 recipe and Pelaccio's updated version. We decided to try Pelaccio's version last evening and it was a solid success.
As interpreted by Pelaccio, chicken Canzanese is similar to our old Hazan recipe. However, while Hazan browns her chicken in oil and butter, Pelaccio uses the fat rendered from lardo, pancetta or prosciutto and throws in some dried whole chilis while the dish is simmering. Both work well, adding a spicy richness to otherwise well-seasoned poultry. (We used pancetta and substituted crushed red pepper flakes for the dried whole chilis.) Savoring crusty ciabatta slopped in the sauce that remains on your plate after the chicken is gone reminds you how good what you just ate was.
Pelaccio recommends serving the entree with an arugula/prosciutto salad tossed with fresh red currants and olive oil. We were unable to acquire the currants and attempted to substitute dried cranberries (soaked in red wine vinegar to cut the sweetness). The cranberries didn't work, but we'll try again when we can get our hands on the currants.
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