Proud Italian Cook

I love how Lidia always gets her grand kids cooking in the kitchen with her, in hopes that the memories and smells, and taste’s, will be something that they can always recall when they are adults.

This is my grandaughter “B” Isn’t she cute? making some garlic bread for our dinner, a little picky in the food department right now, but we’re working on it!!

Here’s the recipe:

CHICKEN WITH ARTICHOKES
1 lemon for acidulated water (see below)
1 1/2 pounds baby artichokes
1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1/4 teaspoon peperoncino flakes, or to taste
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups (28 ounces) canned Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand (reserve the juices)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
To prepare the artichokes, fill a large bowl with a couple of quarts of cold water, and squeeze in the juice of a medium lemon (drop in the cut lemon halves too). Trim the artichokes one at a time, first snapping off the thick outside leaves, until you reach the tender, pale inner leaves. Trim the tip of the stem, but leave most of it attached to the base. With a sharp paring knife or vegetable peeler, shave off the dark skin of the stem, exposing the tender core. Peel around the globe of the artichoke too, removing the dark-green spots where the tough leaves were attached. Cut across the leaf tips with a serrated knife, removing the top third of the artichoke. Slice the entire artichoke in half lengthwise, splitting the bulb and stem and drop the pieces into the acidulated water.
Rinse the chicken, and pat it dry. Cut it into 10 or 12 pieces (including backbone), and season with one-half teaspoon salt.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, and lay the chicken pieces in it without crowding — cook them in batches if necessary. Brown the pieces for about 3 minutes on each side, until each is nicely colored on all sides. Remove the pieces to a platter or bowl.
When all the chicken is out of the pan, drop the crushed garlic into the hot fat and cook for a minute or two, until sizzling. Lift the artichokes out of the water, and drop them, still damp, into the saucepan. Stir well, and season them with one-half teaspoon salt and the peperoncino flakes.
Cook the artichokes for 4 or 5 minutes, tossing them often and deglazing the browned bits in the pan bottom. When the artichokes are dry and starting to take color, carefully pour in the wine and cook over high heat, stirring, until it is nearly evaporated, about 3 minutes longer.
Pour in the tomatoes with juices and 3 cups water; slosh the tomato container with some of the water to rinse juices into the pan. Cover the pan, and bring the liquid to a boil. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady bubbling, and cook the artichokes and sauce for about 15 minutes.
Return all the chicken pieces (and any accumulated juices on the platter) to the saucepan, submerging them in the sauce. Cover the pan and cook the chicken and artichokes together for about 40 minutes, after which the chicken should be nearly done, the artichokes tender and the sauce somewhat reduced. Set the cover ajar — or remove it altogether — and continue cooking 15 to 25 minutes or more, until the sauce has thickened and coats the chicken and artichoke pieces. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Serve immediately, or, for best flavor, let the chicken cool in the pot and reheat later. If the sauce has thickened, stir in a bit of water. Serve hot from the pan, or from a big bowl. Sprinkle parsley over it just before serving.
Serves 6.
— Adapted from “Lidia’s Italy“

Buon Appetito!!!