Last Tuesday, a meeting of Sonoma Soroptimist International of Sonoma Valley filled Fiorini’s Bakery & Cafe nearly to overflowing. While the members attended to business, chef Raquel Arroyo put the finishing touches on lunch: chicken cacciatore with rigatoni, a slice of foccaccia and a salad of tangerines and arugula.
The menu reminded me of a day a few years ago when my friend Jeanette Barekman invited several tennis mates for lunch at her home in Sobre Vista. She had prepared quiche lorraine and a knock-out salad of spinach, orange wedges, sliced apples and sweet roasted pecans in a poppy-seed dressing.
In both cases, the combination of small servings of protein, starch, fresh fruit and greens seemed ideal for a midday meal. The plate was beautiful and could be eaten daintily with a knife and fork. Unlike sandwiches, which can be clumsy to handle when you need to take notes, make a speech or tell a joke, a composed plate makes for a tidy placemat.
It’s also key that everything can be served at room temperature – no last-second dashes to fetch something out of the oven or, god forbid, the freezer. A sweet bite at the end, such as the mini-éclairs made and served at Fiorini’s, strikes the perfect ending note.
“Chicken cacciatore is a hearty food for the wintertime,” said Arroyo, who has spent considerable time in Europe. “People here in the U.S. don’t seem to know that the thigh meat is best. It’s so moist, it’s the best part of the bird.”
Thighs get additional moisture in Arroyo’s recipe, which recommends marinating not only the chicken but also the tomatoes. “You marinate it in lime juice, capers, salt and pepper for two or more hours. Then you keep it in the Frigidaire,” she said. “Chicken – especially organic chicken that hasn’t been treated with chemicals – is very sensitive to salmonella.”
In the recipe below, Arroyo uses pasta, but suggests alternatives such as garlic mashed potatoes, mashed turnips or sweet potatoes would work as well. For the accompanying salad, she recommends other combinations, such as spinach and pears, that have enough sweetness to offset the acidity in the tomatoes. Everything can be prepared as much as a half-hour before lunchtime.
Suggested wine pairing: a dry white, such as Trebbiano d’Abruzzo from Bosco.
Chicken cacciatore
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 chicken thighs and 4 small chicken breasts
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
10 ounces white mushrooms, cut in quarters
3 medium shallots, cubed
3 tablespoons capers
½ red bell pepper cut in small strips
½ cup dry white wine
½ teaspoon fresh oregano or thyme
½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, sage or tarragon, chopped
1 to 4 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
1 ½ tablespoons flour
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup low-sodium organic chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
In a Dutch oven or other large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 or 3 minutes. Add the pieces of chicken and cook for 5 minutes on one side; using tongs, flip pieces and brown on second side for 5 minutes. Transfer browned chicken to large plate and set aside.
Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pot. Add shallots, mushrooms, bell pepper, capers and salt to taste. Sauté mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until moisture evaporates and vegetables begin to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic to pot and sauté until fragrant, about 25 or 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook, stirring pot bottom with wooden spoon to loosen brown bits, add the wine, stirring constantly for about 1 minute. Stir in broth, tomatoes and herbs; add black pepper to taste.
Submerge chicken pieces in liquid and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 40 to 50 minutes, using tongs to turn the chicken pieces halfway through cooking.
~from Raquel Arroyo, the art and soul of Fiorini’s café. Bon gusto.
