Chicken with Peas (Chicken with Pees)

Chicken with peas (a.k.a. Pollo con i piselli)

Preparation: 15 mins
Cooking: 1 hour - 1 hour 10 mins

Difficulty: Easy

This is a wonderful recipe, easy to prepare and it could be the ideal choice for a Sunday lunch. I usually use chicken thighs but you can use any part of chicken you like, but remember to leave the skin on during the cooking. I like to prepare this recipe during the winter time and if you know how to make a real Italian polenta (not the already made one you can buy at the supermarket!) you, then, will make your guests very happy. Do not forget the red wine!

SERVES 4

Ingredients:

• 4 Chicken thighs
• 1 Onion (finely chopped)
• 1 Potato (sliced - about 3 mm thick)
• 300 g (11 oz) Peas (I usually use frozen peas)
• 250 g(9 oz) Chopped tomatoes
• 2 Bay leaves
• 15 ml (1 tbs) Tomato purèe
• 60 ml (2 fl oz) Extra virgin olive oil
• 450 ml (¾ pint) Vegetable or chicken stock (hot)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

Directions:

First and foremost, before you start cooking, be sure that the first thing you do is to prepare the stock so that it is readily available when required. The best thing to do is to have the stock just simmering, and no more, on the cooker.

Put the olive oil into a casserole and sets to medium heat. Add the onion and sweat off for a couple of minutes.

Then, add the chicken to the pan.

Be sure to have a large pan so it can accommodate the chicken.

Cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes.

Then, turn the chicken over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Our aim is to turn the chicken thighs golden.

Then, before adding the peas (especially if the are frozen) turn the heat to high and after about a minute add all the peas.

With a wooden spoon set the peas evenly around the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes.

Then, turn the heat to medium and add the chopped tomatoes.

With a wooden spoon move things around a bit, so that the chopped tomatoes are evenly distributed and continue cooking for 10 minutes.

Then, add all your stock. The stock should be enough to nearly cover the chicken.

Add the bay leaves.

Season with salt according to your taste.

Season with black pepper according to your taste.

Add the potato slices. If the slices are too big, half them.

This is what you should have at this stage.

We add just a bit of tomato purèe as flavour enhancer.

We take the lid and cover the pan, but not completely.

Leave a small opening on one side. Now, turn down the heat to low and simmer for 40-50 minutes. During this time turn the chicken twice.

Simmering will cook the chicken to perfection and will also help to reduce the sauce. After 50 minutes you should have what is featured in the picture.

Serve accompanied with few slices of warm country bread or, ideally, with Italian polenta.

Italian Sausages With Lentils (Italean Sausagges with Lentels)

Ingredients

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• - 1 Onion finely chopped
• - 500g Lentils - either Puy or red
• - 3 Large cloves Garlic
• - 8 Italian Sausages
• - 100ml Red Wine
• - 50ml Water

Method

Put 2-3 tablespoons of oil into a good-sized saucepan (and one which has a lid that fits) on the heat and when it's warm add the chopped onion and pancetta. Sprinkle with salt and cook over a low to medium heat till soft (about 5 minutes).

Add the lentils, stir well and then cover generously with cold water. (If using our Cirio lentils which come in a light tomato sauce to cook this recipe you can use this liquid and just add to it at this point but do not worry about needing to cook them.) Bring to the boil then cover, and let simmer gently for half an hour or so until cooked and most, if not all, the liquid's absorbed. I don't add salt at this stage since the sauce provided by the sausages later (and which will be poured over the lentils) will be pretty salty itself. So, wait and taste. And remember, you can of course cook the lentils in advance.

Anyway, when either the lentils are nearly ready or you're about to reheat them, put a heavy based frying pan on the hob, cover with a film of oil and add the bruised garlic. Cook for a few minutes then add and brown the sausages. When the sausages are brown on both sides - which won't take more than five minutes or so - throw in the wine and water and let bubble up. Cover the pan, either with a lid or tin foil and cook for about 15 minutes.

Using a fork, mash the now-soft garlic into the sauce and taste for seasoning, adding a little more water if it's too strong. Remove the lentils to a shallow bowl or dish then cover with the sausages and their garlicky winey gravy. Sprinkle over some flat-leaf parsley.