Chicken Cacciatora with Eggplant

Name: Chicken Cacciatora with Eggplant
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients: 2 or 3 small firm eggplants (1 pound total); 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or to taste; 3 1/2-pound chicken (preferably organic), trimmed and cut in pieces; 1 cup vegetable oil; 1 or 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1/2 cup finely chopped bacon (2 thick-cut strips); 6 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled; 1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes, or to taste; 1 cup dry white wine; 3 cups (or a 28-ounce can) canned Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley; A heavy-bottomed skillet for frying the eggplant and chicken, 12-inch diameter; A heavy-bottomed saucepan or sauté pan, with sides 3 or 4 inches high and 12 inches in diameter or wider, with a cover

December 14, 2011

Manfredi’s version of chicken cacciatora was chock-full of delicious Sicilian eggplant. Indeed, the vegetable chunks shared the spotlight with the meat and made it more bountiful and satisfying. Undoubtedly, I realized, this dish must reflect the resourcefulness of cooks in Sicily in generations past. With many mouths to feed, and a limited supply of chickens (or money to buy them), they could extend the dish with the sweet tomatoes and meaty eggplants that grow so prolifically in every small garden patch. I hope you’ll be creative with this recipe too: if your chicken is smaller than the one called for here, or if you want to serve more people, fry up more eggplant and cook up more tomatoes for sauce. From one small chicken, you’ll have prepared a feast, all in one pot. Serve this with panelle (page 281) or polenta (page 109), or dress a bowl of pasta with the sauce and eggplant. Rest assured, no one will leave your table hungry.

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