Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Chicken Romana & The WellFed Network Blog Awards

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

The time for hope and change is upon us. Yours truly, your fearless leader and his peerless blog have been nominated for a Blog Award. The brilliant, beautiful and artistic people at the WellFed Network, have chosen CrabbyCook as a finalist for Best New Food Blog of 2008. Clearly this is a stupendous honor and I am humbled by their faith not only in myself, but in the wisdom shown by the regular members of Crab Nation.

But crablings, I need your help. This award will not be bestowed by the wise men and women of the WellFed Network. No, it is up to you, the voting members of the blogosphere, to make yourselves heard. You must all rise up as one and vote.

We live in a world where nouvelle cuisine is no longer novel, where fusion food is only confusing and where raw veganism is called cooking. With your vote
, you are not just voting for me but you are voting for yourselves. You are voting for your belief and commitment to good food, good wine and good times.

Now the road will be long and the battle fierce, but we must not tremble before the challenge. I promise to all members of Crab Nation that I will not falter in my duties. I also promise to run a clean campaign. I will not traffic in the increasingly unsettling but, as of yet, unstated, unsupported and completely untrue rumors of moral turpitude and financial chicanery soon to be dogging my opponents.

Finally, as you go to the voting page, remember that Crab Nation is about inclusion and empowerment. Everyone is welcome at Crabby's table; everyone is encouraged to learn to be a better cook. With that spirit filling our hearts, today I offer you a simple but flavorful meal appropriate to feed a multitude. Please enjoy...


Chicken Romana
by Mario Batali plus some Crabby add-ons

1/4 cup olive oil
2 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 (3 1/2 - 4 pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (28 oz) large can whole tomatoes and their juices (San Marzano if available)
1 yellow pepper, seeded and cut into strips
3 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
Salt & Pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 TBSP capers, drained

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.

Add the pancetta and cook slowly to render out the fat.

Remove all but 4 TBSP of the fat-oil mixture from the pan and add the garlic and chicken pieces, cooking until the chicken begins to change color and the garlic browns, 10 -12 minutes.

Add the wine and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and peppers, season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer, uncovered for 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Just prior to serving, sprinkle with capers and parsley. I like to serve this meal with roasted potatoes and cipolline onions.


There you have it crablings, a repast fit for an inauguration. The original recipe didn't have the capers or the parsley, but SSSal and I think they add a little something to the dish. So, until next time, remember, you can do it, you can cook.

Oh, and remember, in that great Chicago political tradition, vote early and often!




6 comments:

WineWizardBob said...

I should be shocked, yes, shocked that you asked us to vote early and often, but then again, I am from Massachusetts and I didn't see a Kennedy on the ballot, so I guess it's ok.

Romana means from Rome, but Rome has crappy wines with the exception of that perfect light summer sipper for people watching, Frascati.

So move to the East Coast of Italy for the perfect white wine for this dish. The Verdicchio grape grown in the Marche is perfect. Serve chilled it has just enough flavor to add zip to the dish. Although Fazi-Battaglia is the most popular Verdicchio in the US, look for either Bucci or Umani Ronchi for top quality at similar prices.

Anonymous said...

Hey Crabby - we know you are the best!...chicken is pretty good too!!

Donna-FFW said...

I havenever tried a Mario Batali recipe. But after reading through and seeing the pictures of this one, this will be the first! Thanks!

Grapeshot/Odette said...

Yowza! Looks and sounds yummy. I love capers (in moderation) in many dishes. Just discovered your blog. Used to live in Chicago and remember the voting mantra.

Good luck with the voting.
Grapeshot

SusieQ said...

Taking WWB's comment to heart, I can now say that I've at least voted often, if not early! Crabby, your wry humor always brings a smile, & the recipes aren't half bad, either! Good luck & thank goodness for multiple computer households!

Anonymous said...

So Crabmeister,
The site won't let me vote more than once - how unfair is that? Instead, will make sure the Butter Pats vote.

Ceres,mother of Butter Boy's progeny