Fowl alla Cacciatore Recipe

Origin: Italian      Period: Traditional

Ingredients

This works with just about any game or domestic bird, but the bird should not be too fatty (duck and goose are therefore not good choices).

1 bird (chicken, pheasant, partridge, grouse etc), dismembered
extra virgin olive oil
100g pancetta, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
1 onion, cut into thin half-rings
1 carrot, finely diced
1 celery stick, finely diced
2 ripe bell peppers, de-seeded and cut into thin strips
1 can chopped plum tomatoes
240ml dry red wine
450g chestnut mushrooms, finely sliced
large handful of dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated (reserve the soaking liquid)
12 juniper berries, crushed
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp fresh calamint leaves
generous pinch of fresh marjoram
bay leaf
finely-chopped flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Fowl alla Cacciatore Preparation:

Method:

Heat two tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan and gently sauté the pancetta. After about 90 seconds add the garlic. Cook for a further two minutes than add the onion and fry for a further two minutes. At this point add the celery, bell peppers and carrot and continue frying until the onions become translucent. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl.

If required, add some more oil to the pan and fry the mushrooms along with the calamint. When the mushrooms are done tip into the bowl with the vegetables, along with any juice in the pan.

Add two tablespoons of oil to a large casserole pot and fry the bird sections until they are coloured on each side. When done, add the vegetables, along with the juniper berries, the reserved porcini mushroom juices, the tomatoes, wine and the herbs.

Bring to the boil then simmer over low heat until the meat is cooked (some 40 minutes). Season and transfer to a serving dish. Finish with chopped parsley and serve with polenta or a risotto.

Read: Recipe Articles and Reviews

More European recipes...

More main course recipes...

More Traditional recipes...

More recipes for Stews...

More recipes for Meat...

More recipes using Wild Foods...

More recipes for Fowl...

More recipes for Game...

More recipes for Mushrooms...

Are any of the terms used here unfamiliar, do you want to translate from British to American cookery terms? If so then this Glossary of US and UK Cookery Terms will help you.

Need to convert any units on this site?

As a guide 1 US cup of flour = 4 1/2 oz = 140g (this applies to breadcrumbs, ground almonds etc
1 US cup of butter/margarine or sugar = 7 oz = 200g

For temperature conversions (Celsius, gas mark, Farenheit) go to the Temperature conversion page.
For mass conversions (grammes, cups, spoons, ounces etc) go to the Mass/Weight conversion page.
For temperature conversions (litres, cups, spoons, fluid ounces etc) go to the Volume conversion page.
You can also see more cookery terms and meanings as well as ingredient descriptions at the Cooks' glossary