I am going to plan a Valentine’s dinner for friends just so I can make this dish! It sounds very warming and homey. Alas, I will have to leave the sage out, as DH is allergic.

CACCIUCCO DI POLLO
(CHICKEN STEW)
Source: True Tuscan by Cesare Casella

1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
4 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
9 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Two 3-pound chickens, cut into 8 pieces each
2 cups chicken stock
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups canned plum tomatoes, with their juice, pureed
2 cups julienned carrot sticks, 1/2 by 1 inch
4 cups thinly sliced red onions
3 1/2 cups julienned celery sticks, 1/2 by 1 inch
3 cups julienned fennel
1/2 pound shiitake, oyster or cremini mushrooms, sliced thin (4 cups)
3 Tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley

For the marinade: In a bowl large enough to hold all the chicken pieces, mix together the cumin seed, crushed red pepper, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons of the garlic, rosemary, sage, thyme, 6 Tablespoons of the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken, coat well, and refrigerate at least 1/2 hour and up to 48 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and discard the juices that have collected in the bowl. Coat a large casserole with the remaining 3 Tablespoons olive oil and arrange the chicken in the dish. Bake for 20 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, lemon juice, remaining garlic and wine and bake for another 20 minutes, or until he liquid has reduced by half.

Toss the tomatoes with the carrots, onions, celery, fennel, mushrooms and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and arrange on top of the chicken. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour, basting occasionally with the pan juices.

Remove the chicken pieces from the baking dish and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the bones, leaving the meat in large pieces, and return the meat to the casserole. Stir the vegetables and chicken together and adjust the seasonings. Bake 20 minutes. Serve hot.