Patsy's Italian Family Cookbook (15 page)

My dad Joe remembers being able to buy different kinds of tripe (each from one of the cow’s four stomachs, plus lamb tripe), but now you can only get the honeycomb cut without a search. Burt Lancaster (who spoke perfect Italian, by the way), used to love our tripe, cooked in this Old World way. One night, a difficult woman customer was loudly arguing with Joe, with the accusation that the signed celebrity photos hanging on our wall were forgeries. Dad pointed across the room to Burt. That shut her up.

2 pounds beef honeycomb tripe

⅓ cup olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, cut into ¼-inch-thick half-moons

2 ounces ⅛ inch sliced prosciutto, cut into thin slivers (about ⅔ cup)

1 cups
Tomato Sauce

2 cups
Chicken Stock
or use reduced-sodium store-bought chicken broth

⅔ cup dry white wine

1 cup fresh or thawed frozen peas

⅓ cup chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.
Place the tripe in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer until the tripe is tender but still has some resistance, 2 to 2½ hours.

2.
Drain the tripe, rinse under cold running water, and let cool. Slice the tripe into strips about 4 inches long and ½ inch wide.

3.
Heat the oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the prosciutto and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato sauce, stock, wine, peas, basil, and butter, then add the tripe. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes, adding a few tablespoons of additional water if the sauce gets too thick and the tripe sticks to the pot.

4.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon into deep soup bowls and serve hot.

Poultry

Anna’s Chicken Gravy

Chicken and Mushroom Bianco

Roasted Chicken with Rosemary-Garlic Sauce

Chicken à la Vodka with Asparagus and Artichoke Hearts

Classic Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Contadina with Sausage and Peppers

Chicken Pizzaiola

Chicken Breast with Prosciutto, Mushrooms, and Capers

Rose’s Chicken Legs with Peas and Marsala

Anna’s Chicken Gravy

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

I remember many family meals where my aunt Anna would simmer chickens in tomato sauce to serve a hungry crowd of relatives. Part of the fun of serving this dish is carving the falling-apart chicken and licking the sauce off your fingers.

One 4-pound chicken

½ cup extra-virgin olive

1 medium yellow onion, sliced into thin half-moons

½ cup ¼-inch dice prosciutto

One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice, undrained

2 tablespoons tomato paste

¼ cup dry white wine

¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus a few whole leaves for garnish

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound perciatelli or bucatini

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving

1.
Heat the oil in a medium Dutch oven (preferably oval) over medium-high heat until the oil is hot but not smoking. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

2.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and prosciutto. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes.

3.
Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, coarsely crushing the tomatoes between your fingers as they go into the pot. Stir in the wine and season to taste with salt and pepper. Return the chicken to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. The tomato sauce should come about two-thirds up the sides of the chicken; add water as needed. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover tightly. Simmer, occasionally turning the chicken and stirring the sauce, until the chicken is very tender and shows no sign of pink when pierced at the thighbone, about 1¼ hours. During the last few minutes, stir in the basil. Carefully transfer the chicken to a carving board (it will probably be falling apart, but that’s good!) and let stand for about 10 minutes.

4.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the perciatelli and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and return it to its cooking pot. Stir in half of the sauce and transfer to a large serving bowl. Carve the chicken and put the meat, remaining sauce, and whole basil leaves on the pasta.

Chicken and Mushroom Bianco

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

While the mainstay of our kitchen is a traditional red sauce, here is a great weeknight recipe for a “white” cacciatore with mushroom and herbs, but no tomatoes. Serve it over orzo, the rice-shaped pasta.

¼ cup olive oil

One 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1½ pounds white button mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus rosemary sprigs for garnish

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup dry white wine

1.
Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

2.
Add the onion to the fat in the skillet and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. In four additions, stir in the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, letting the first batch soften before adding the next, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and rosemary and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits in the pan with a wooden spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3.
Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover tightly and simmer until the chicken shows no sign of pink when pierced at the thighbone, about 45 minutes. Season again with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving platter, top with the rosemary sprigs, and serve hot.