FryBoy
New member
To many Americans, Italian food means pasta with a spicy tomato sauce, or maybe pizza. There's a whole lot more to Italian cooking, however, such as this classic dish, Pollo in Padella con Funghi Secchi e Marsala, or Chicken Fricasseed with Dried Porcini Mushrooms and Marsala Wine, which I've made for dinner tonight (see photo below).
Marcella Hazan is the Julia Child of Italian cooking. This recipe is based on one in her wonderful cookbook, Marcella Cucina. It's easy to make, delicious, and very satisfying -- Italian comfort food! I've made a few modifications in her recipe and reworked the directions for clarity. A printable version of the recipe is attached.
BTW, Marsala is not a table wine, it's more like Sherry -- it's fortified with brandy, about 18% alcohol, somewhat sweet, and very flavorful. It's generally served as an aperitif or after-dinner drink, not as an accompaniment to dinner, so don't try substituting regular red or white wine. Sherry would work, but the flavor would be a little different and definitely not Italian.
BTW2, I skinned the chicken (except for the wings) for health reasons (less fat and cholesterol, fewer calories) and because DW prefers it that way. It works quite well in this recipe. Skinning chicken is easy if you use a paper towel to grip the skin as you pull it off the meat.
BTW3, I used only ½ ounce of dried porcini because that's the amount in the box sold in the supermarket, and they're not cheap (or at least not as cheap as I am). Marcella calls for 1 ounce, or a ¾ ounce package, but ½ an ounce is sufficient IMHO.
Fricasseed Chicken with Dried Porcini & Marsala
Pollo in Padella con Funghi Secchi e Marsala
½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms (see note)
2 cups warm water
1 3½-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
½ cup flour (more if needed)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped onion
½ cup dry Marsala wine (see note)
1. Place dried mushrooms in a bowl, add water, and soak for 30 minutes or more; remove mushrooms with a strainer; squeeze as much water as you can from the soaked mushrooms, adding it to the water in the bowl; reserve water for later use; rinse the soaked mushrooms with additional clean water to remove any dirt or grit; chop the soaked mushrooms very fine; set aside.
2. Pour the water in which the mushrooms were soaked through a paper coffee filter or paper towel into another container to remove dirt and grit; set aside.
3. Wash and dry the chicken pieces; remove skin if desired; put flour in a paper or plastic bag, add 2 or 3 chicken pieces to bag, shake to coat, remove chicken from bag, shake off excess flour, and set aside; repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
4. Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat; add floured chicken pieces; when well browned (about 5 to 8 minutes), sprinkle with salt and pepper, add the onion to the pan, and then turn the chicken pieces over.
5. When the chicken is well browned on both sides and the onion has started to brown, add the Marsala, the chopped mushrooms, and ¼ cup of the reserved mushroom water; stir to combine, coating the chicken with the sauce; cover pan and reduce heat to medium-low.
6. Slowly simmer the chicken, turning the pieces over several times; add two or three tablespoons of the reserved mushroom water now and then as the juices evaporate.
7. The chicken should be done after about an hour; the meat should be very tender and nearly falling off the bone; the cooking juices should be reduced to a small amount of creamy sauce; spoon off and discard any excess fat.
8. Transfer to platter and serve.
Notes:
• Use more porcini mushrooms, up to an ounce, if desired.
• Use good Marsala as it’s a primary flavor in this dish; look for imported Marsala that is marked “secco,” which means “dry” (although the wine is actually slightly sweet), “ambra,” which means “amber colored,” and “superiore” or “fine.” In a pinch, Dry Sherry may be substituted for Marsala.
• This dish can be made up to a day ahead; if so, store in covered container in refrigerator; warm in covered skillet before serving, adding a little water if needed.
• Serves 4.
Marcella Hazan is the Julia Child of Italian cooking. This recipe is based on one in her wonderful cookbook, Marcella Cucina. It's easy to make, delicious, and very satisfying -- Italian comfort food! I've made a few modifications in her recipe and reworked the directions for clarity. A printable version of the recipe is attached.
BTW, Marsala is not a table wine, it's more like Sherry -- it's fortified with brandy, about 18% alcohol, somewhat sweet, and very flavorful. It's generally served as an aperitif or after-dinner drink, not as an accompaniment to dinner, so don't try substituting regular red or white wine. Sherry would work, but the flavor would be a little different and definitely not Italian.
BTW2, I skinned the chicken (except for the wings) for health reasons (less fat and cholesterol, fewer calories) and because DW prefers it that way. It works quite well in this recipe. Skinning chicken is easy if you use a paper towel to grip the skin as you pull it off the meat.
BTW3, I used only ½ ounce of dried porcini because that's the amount in the box sold in the supermarket, and they're not cheap (or at least not as cheap as I am). Marcella calls for 1 ounce, or a ¾ ounce package, but ½ an ounce is sufficient IMHO.
Fricasseed Chicken with Dried Porcini & Marsala
Pollo in Padella con Funghi Secchi e Marsala
½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms (see note)
2 cups warm water
1 3½-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
½ cup flour (more if needed)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped onion
½ cup dry Marsala wine (see note)
1. Place dried mushrooms in a bowl, add water, and soak for 30 minutes or more; remove mushrooms with a strainer; squeeze as much water as you can from the soaked mushrooms, adding it to the water in the bowl; reserve water for later use; rinse the soaked mushrooms with additional clean water to remove any dirt or grit; chop the soaked mushrooms very fine; set aside.
2. Pour the water in which the mushrooms were soaked through a paper coffee filter or paper towel into another container to remove dirt and grit; set aside.
3. Wash and dry the chicken pieces; remove skin if desired; put flour in a paper or plastic bag, add 2 or 3 chicken pieces to bag, shake to coat, remove chicken from bag, shake off excess flour, and set aside; repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
4. Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat; add floured chicken pieces; when well browned (about 5 to 8 minutes), sprinkle with salt and pepper, add the onion to the pan, and then turn the chicken pieces over.
5. When the chicken is well browned on both sides and the onion has started to brown, add the Marsala, the chopped mushrooms, and ¼ cup of the reserved mushroom water; stir to combine, coating the chicken with the sauce; cover pan and reduce heat to medium-low.
6. Slowly simmer the chicken, turning the pieces over several times; add two or three tablespoons of the reserved mushroom water now and then as the juices evaporate.
7. The chicken should be done after about an hour; the meat should be very tender and nearly falling off the bone; the cooking juices should be reduced to a small amount of creamy sauce; spoon off and discard any excess fat.
8. Transfer to platter and serve.
Notes:
• Use more porcini mushrooms, up to an ounce, if desired.
• Use good Marsala as it’s a primary flavor in this dish; look for imported Marsala that is marked “secco,” which means “dry” (although the wine is actually slightly sweet), “ambra,” which means “amber colored,” and “superiore” or “fine.” In a pinch, Dry Sherry may be substituted for Marsala.
• This dish can be made up to a day ahead; if so, store in covered container in refrigerator; warm in covered skillet before serving, adding a little water if needed.
• Serves 4.
. Thanks for posting.
