From "Bottega Favorita" this week's featured cookbook with Amical, Traverse City's Downtown Bistro!
Chicken Cacciatore
4 Chicken Legs
4 Chicken Thighs
3 T. Olive Oil
1 Onion, cut into 1 inch dice
Kosher Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
3 Carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch dice
2 Celery stalks, sliced
2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 Juniper Berries, toasted
1 oz Porcini mushrooms, dried (a small handful)
1 can Whole tomatoes (28 oz), drained and coarsely chopped
Bouquet garni (thyme & marjoram sprigs, bay leaf)
2 c. Red wine, dry
4 c. Chicken stock
1 lb Fresh cremini mushrooms, quartered
½ Shallot, finely chopped
2 Thyme Sprigs
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven over high heat, add the olive oil and then add the chicken. Reduce heat to medium, cook to a golden brown crust on one side, then turn to cook the other side (about 8 min per side). Remove from heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook until tender. Add the garlic. Add the juniper berries, dried porcini, tomatoes, bouquet garni and red wine. Boil and reduce wine by half. Preheat an oven to 350. Add the stock to the vegetables and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken back to the pot, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until tender (about 45 min.)
Transfer chicken to a platter. Skim off fat that has accumulated at the top of the liquid. Heat a large sauté pan, add olive oil and sauté the quartered mushrooms, shallot and thyme. Remove bouquet, add chicken back to the pot, cover with mushrooms and serve family style. Pair with rice, polenta or boiled potatoes.
Crabmeat and Avocado Bruschetta
8 slices Foccacia or Baguette slices ½ in thick
1 clove Garlic, halved
2 each ripe Hass avocados
½ lb. jumbo lump crabmeat
Kosher Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
1 Lemon, grated and juiced
¼ c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 c. Arugula
1 pinch Cayenne pepper
Grill the bread slices. Rub the bread with the cut half of the garlic clove. Halve and pit the avocados, scoop out the flesh and cut into a ¼ inch dice. Place in a small bowl and season. Combine the crabmeat, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in another bowl and season. Arrange the toasted bread on plates, spoon a layer of avocado, then top with crabmeat. Garnish with Arugula, a few drops of olive oil, the lemon zest and a sprinkle of cayenne.
