Braised Chicken and Porcini with Chestnut Polenta(Pollo e Poccia di Porcini, con Polenta di Castagna)

Serves 4

The locals raise chickens in their backyard, but most likely in the fall will they sacrifice one of them to make this tasty dish. They don’t eat chicken very often, because the eggs are more valuable to them than the meat. Since it’s autumn, the chestnuts are milled and smoked and ground into flour. The first milled chestnut flour is available at this time, and this dish celebrates that.

Ingredients:

2 pounds chicken, cut in pieces, bone in

½ cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 rib celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 cup red wine

1 cup beef broth

4 cups fresh porcini mushrooms, sliced  (you may substitute dried porcini, and rehydrate them;

    if you do, use the warm rehydrating water in place of the beef broth)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Dry the chicken pieces and dredge them in the flour. Shake to remove any excess flour.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven on medium heat, and sear the chicken pieces in batches about 3 to 5 minutes on each side until browned. Remove them from the pot and set aside.

 In the same pot over medium heat, sauté the  onion, carrot, and celery 3 to 5 minutes, until transparent and soft add porcini mushrooms. Add the rosemary, sage salt, pepper, red wine, and stock (or porcini water if using dried porcini), and return the chicken to the pot. Cover and bake for 2 hours until tender and fragrant.

Once the chicken is ready, prepare the polenta.

Chestnut Polenta

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

 4 cups lukewarm water

4 cups chestnut flour

1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Add 4 cups water and the salt to a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Slowly whisk in the flour into the pot in a steady stream until level with the water. With a spoon, create a well in the center. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, then stir constantly until you have a creamy polenta-like texture.

The polenta will thicken and bubble, resembling a porridge-like consistency. If there are any lumps, break them up and continue to stir until creamy.

On each of 4 plates, place a dollop of polenta and top with the braised chicken and mushrooms ,spoon the sauce over all. Serve immediately.