My dutch oven has been seeing a lot of action lately.  I suppose it’s just that time of year when you want to dig your heaviest pot out of the back of the cabinet and fill it up with wonderful ingredients and allow it to simmer away until its contents are tender, rich, and filling.  But what I love even more about these one-pot wonders is how forgiving the recipes are, which might explain why there’s as many versions of chicken cacciatore as there are cooks.  Although definitively Italian in origin, you’d be hard pressed not to know a soccer mom with a crock pot that doesn’t have her own take on this.

But back to those Italians.  Pollo alla cacciatora translates to hunter’s style chicken.  For that reason, I like my cacciatore sauce to be thick and rustic, paying tribute to vegetables and herbs that might have been foraged back in the day.  I skip the French mirepoix, no carrots or celery needed, and instead opt for some lovely Italian themed ingredients.  Sliced garlic cloves, red peppers, San Marzano tomatoes, capers, lots of fresh basil, and a crisp pinot grigio.  Ok, I made myself hungry again.

Pollo alla Cacciatora  (Chicken Cacciatore)
Serves 4-6

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup AP flour
1 whole chicken (5-6lbs), butchered into pieces (or about 8 whole chicken thighs)
1 onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise
1-12 oz pack of mushrooms, cut into thick slices
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
4 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
1 cup white wine, preferably Italian
1 26-oz can of whole or chopped San Marzano tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried pepper flakes
2-3 tbsp drained capers (go for 3 is you like them)
A large handful of basil, chopped
Parmesan cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

If you’re butchering a whole chicken, I recommend prepping two thighs, two drumsticks, and splitting the two breasts in half so that you end up with 8 similarly sized pieces total (freeze the wings, back, and innards to make nice stock in the future).  But if you’re a family that fights over the dark meat, go ahead and make this dish just with the thighs.  Either way, keep that skin on and the bones in, even if you plan to remove the skin when you eat.  The skin protects the meat through the long cook time, keeping it tender and preventing it from drying out.  Season your chicken well on all sides with salt and pepper, then dredge lightly in flour, shaking off the excess.

In a dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp olive oil plus 1 tbsp butter over medium-high heat.  Brown the chicken in two batches, about 4 minutes per side until the chicken is well browned and the skin is crisp.  Set aside.

Grab those lovely sliced onions, peppers, mushrooms and the fresh thyme and drop them into the drippings.  Saute for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften and pick up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.    Now add the garlic and saute an additional 2 minutes, just to take the raw bite out of it.  Go ahead and add some seasoning to the dish right now: a healthy pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper.

Pour in the wine, taking time to scrape the sides/bottom of the pan to pick up any more bits, and simmer just to let some of the alcohol burn off, about 3-4 minutes.  Now dump in the tomatoes.  If you’re using whole tomatoes, you should either chop them, or get into the rustic spirit by squeezing them whole straight into the pan. Either way, be sure to add all that wonderful juice as well.  Stir in the red pepper flakes and capers, then return the chicken to the pan, along with any juices that have accumulated while resting.  Bring the whole thing to a simmer.

When the dish is simmering, cover tightly and place into the oven.  It will only take 20-30 minutes to cook the chicken through, but I like to let this slowly simmer for at least an hour until the sauce has thickened, the chicken is very tender and the dark meat is beginning to fall off the bone.  If you’ve got a full hour and a half, go for it.  The dish will only get more flavorful.  Just check on it every 30 minutes to give it a stir to make sure nothing’s sticking or getting too dark on the bottom.

While the chicken’s in the oven.  Prepare your side dish.  We served ours over top some lightly buttered spaghetti squash that we quickly steamed in the microwave.  But this dish is delicious served over everything from egg noodles, linguine, creamy polenta, or even parmesan smashed red potatoes.

When the chicken comes out of the oven, stir in most of that chopped basil, reserving a little to top each plate.  Check the sauce for seasoning.  Mine needed a little more salt and pepper and just a touch of sugar to help bring out the tomatoes’ natural sweetness.  Pile a piece or two of chicken overtop your carb of choice and dress with lots of sauce, grated parm, and a touch more of basil.  Bellissimo!

If you’re cooking for two, I recommend taking some effort out of your leftovers.  Wait til the chicken cools down, then shred it by hand, discarding the bones and skin and return the meat to the sauce.  Stir to combine then scoop it over top your leftover pasta and dream about it all the way until lunch tomorrow.

It actually rained in LA today.  Seriously?  This came as an extra shock to Firat and I after our 95 degree weekend in Cabo.  So when dinner time rolled around we were looking for something warm and comforting and also wholesome to make up for our weekend of indulgence. So we figured, hey, let’s pick up a rotisserie chicken from Yummy and some veggies.  Alas, everyone else in Playa Vista had the same idea and our no-fuss dinner plans were foiled.  But have no fear, inspiration struck exactly when it was needed.

I’ve been known to whip up some spaghetti squash on occasion and lately I’ve been dressing it with pesto sauce.  So I took the same concept and prepared it with zucchini noodles.  The bright, sweet flavor of the basil is such a perfect compliment to the fresh, summery zucchini.  I rounded out the meal with some quick chicken paillards.  Let me tell you, not only was the pasta not missed, I truly believe the zucchini elevated the dish with its gentle flavor and crisp al dente texture.  Plus, you get all the comfort of a bowl of pasta with none of the heaviness associated with a carb-heavy meal nor the giant pot of scalding water.  The real trick to making this a weeknight meal is having a mandolin with a julienne blade attachment or a julienne peeler.  That will make extremely quick work out of an otherwise tedious job of slicing the zucchini noodles.

Chicken Paillards and Zucchini Noodles with Pesto Sauce
Serves 2

2 chicken breasts, butterflied open
5 smaller zucchinis, about 2 lbs
1/4 cup homemade pesto
1/4 cup half and half
1.5 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

To make zucchini noodles, run your zucchini through a mandolin with its julienne blade attached.  Alternatively, cut zucchini into slices lengthwise, then stack and slice into thin long strips.  Uniformity is key here to make sure the noodles cook quickly and evenly.

Place a large skillet over high heat and add oil.  Season your chicken well with salt and pepper, then coat in flour.  Cook quickly over high heat, allowing chicken to brown nicely before flipping, about 5 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the 2nd.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium-high then toss in all the zucchini noodles.  Saute about 4 minutes, tossing the zucchini regularly to ensure even cooking.  Add in the pesto and half and half and stir gently until the sauce is blended and evenly coating the noodles.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Allow to cook 1-2 minutes more, just until the zucchini starts letting off some of its water.  For a thicker sauce, remove noodles from pan and allow sauce to continue simmering 1-2 minutes more until reduced.  Place chicken over the stack of noodles, then drizzle the pesto sauce over the dish.  Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

You can easily trade out the chicken in the recipe for shrimp, or lose the meat all together and reduce the oil to 1 tbsp, serving as a side dish instead of a main.  Either way, I really hope you give this recipe a go.

Sometimes all you want is a simple spaghetti! However, if you are my boyfriend, you tend to be very, very picky about the sauce, how it’s made, and especially how it tastes. He does not like any store bought sauce. I guess peoples of Italian descent feel the same. And now I have been schooled in the ways of sauces!

The following recipe is a Bolognese Meat Sauce via the boy’s mom with a little bit of my own addition and experimentation.


- 1 Large Can of Diced Tomatoes
- 1 Small Can of Diced Tomatoes
- 1 Small Can of Tomato Paste
- 2 Pounds (give or take) of Ground Beef
- Half a Very Large Onion
- 3 Sticks of Celery
- A Handful of Baby Carrots
- A Handful of Baby Portobello Mushrooms
- Wheat Pasta
- Cayenne Pepper
- Crushed Chili Flakes,
- Sweet Basil

It does take quite a long time for the sauce to stew. So if you’re planning on having it for dinner, I would recommend starting it around or after lunch so it can brew and stew and get into a lot of yum.

First, dice up all the onion, celery, and carrots.
The mushrooms I left a little chunkier and less dice-e-er.
If you don’t like a particular item in this list, you can totally substitute whatever veggie you want! It will still be yum. I just happen to super love onions so I put a lot of that in.

Next in a very large pot, I add about 1/3th cup of Olive Oil. Give or take. And put in a lot of garlic. I just rampantly throw it in cuz I loves the garlic, but if you don’t, you can use less.
Let that badboy cook and get all scented garlicly in yo face, yo!

Throw in the diced veggies (except the mushes) and let it cook for about 10 minutes or until the onions start to get clear.

Now throw in the mushes!
Cook for 3-5 minutes, until they’ve soaked in some of the juices.

Then we throw in the meat! ALL at once, oh yeah, bebe, just like that!

Also add the basil and a dash of the spices.

When the meat is about 75% cooked, and looks like this, throw in the tomato cans, minus the cans!

Mix it around for a while and let it cook on a low heat for about an hour. Stir occassionaly. This if my favorite part cuz it requires little attention.

After an hour, turn off the heat and mix. Allow it to sit there until it’s time for dinner! It will still be warm, but if you want it hotter, turn the heat to low and let it get hotter.

So when dinner comes around, time to make zee pasta!

Boil water, add salt, add pasta!
The salt will help keep the pasta from sticking together while cooking. No fancy salt is needed, regular girl with umbrella in the rain salt shall do!

Next, dump the pasta into some cold water and strain it. Wash the salt off good. (:
Put in a bowl and pour a little olive oil onto it. The olive oil will keep the pasta from sticking together while it sits on the counter, in your refigerator, tummy, loved one.

Plate, bowl, and serve!