Pollo alla Cacciatora & Barbera del Monferrato

I found an easy recipe for this classic dish (aka chicken cacciatore) in Massimo Capra’s book, One Pot Italian Cooking. Cacciatore means “hunter style” (BTW, in case you’re wondering why I’d make a poultry dish right after Christmas, it’s because we don’t eat Christmas turkey in our house.) I braised the chicken legs and vegetables, and then stewed them with white wine, chicken stock, tomatoes and peppers. The stewing process softened the acidity of the tomatoes, and the various flavours blend.

For the wine, I wanted a medium-bodied red, from Italy of course. I rounded up the usual suspects: Sangiovese, Bardolino, and Barbera. I have a Barbera that I’ve wanted to try: Barbera del Monferrato DOC 2007, 13.5% ABV, made by Azienda Agricola Nuova Cappelletta in Vignale Monferrato (Piedmont). It’s certified Biodynamic! Aromas of dark cherry, plum, and raspberry, with floral, tobacco and dried herb notes. Medium-bodied, fresh and vibrant flavours with lighter-than-expected acidity and light tannins. It’s very smooth and round, which actually makes it a perfect compliment to the blended flavours of the pollo alla cacciatora.

Subscribing to this blog through RSS or email is easy! Just click on the subscribe link to the left ←