Wessel Best Recipes

From Lynne Rossetto Kasper Sunday Suppers, February 2000 – NPR’s Splendid Table Show    http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/

Serves 4 with leftovers

This main dish in a roasting pan is an oven-cooked version of my grandmother’s chicken cacciatora, minus the messy stovetop. Use the largest shallow pan your oven can hold. If the list of ingredients looks long, don’t worry. Much of it is simply tossed together and roasted – easy. Spreading out all the ingredients as much as possible is the trick to getting the deepest, lushest flavors. Everything has a better chance to brown this way. Serve with Salad of Winter Greens.

* Leaves from 4 branches of parsley

* Leaves from 6 branches of fresh basil

* 8 large cloves garlic, peeled

* 2 medium red onions, cut into sixths

* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

* 3 1/2 pounds cut-up chicken (antibiotic and hormone free, preferred)

* salt and freshly ground black pepper

* 2/3 cup oil-cured or Kalamata black olives (available in jars in supermarkets)

* 4 medium-sized red-skinned potatoes, cut into 6 pieces each

* 2 large sweet red peppers, cut into 2-inch wedges

* 6 canned tomatoes, drained and crushed

* 1 cup dry white wine

* 1 large lemon, halved

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mince together the herbs and garlic. In a large bowl, toss them with all the other ingredients except the wine and lemon. Spread everything on a large, shallow pan (a half-sheet or jelly-roll pan).

Roast 30 minutes, moisten everything with the wine, and continue roasting another 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees on an instant reading thermometer. Baste everything with pan juices and turn pieces several times during cooking. To serve, pile on a platter, moistening the chicken vegetables with pan juices. Then squeeze the lemon over the chicken and serve it up with salad.