Sicilian Chicken, or Fish, Depending on Your Mood

The weather is cooler, finals over, Christmas still over a week away, all sick kids are back in school. The dishwasher is running. The house is quiet. It has been raining. This, to me, is bliss.

And time to blog!

Last night was Sicilian Chicken, and also some fish, because I had some basa in the freezer and Alex asks me to make more fish. Something anyone should keep in mind who has a picky eater that they think will never develop a palate. In time, in time.

The chicken/fish was warm and rustic and bone-warming with polenta and bread. I could eat this once a week, but if I don't blog it I will forget it. Another one of the main reasons for this blog. Along with the other reasons: A) Obviously, my quest to avoid corporate stores to the extent I can (and shop in small locally owned ethnic stores), B) to leave my kids with recipes and memories so that when they leave home or when I leave the planet they can still cook and remember what home was like and C) because I'm such a space-case that I forget what we like for years at a time.

But I digress, this is a really good dish that I stole from Lydia Bastianich of Lydia's Italy, one of the best cooking shows there is. She made it with grouper, but I had chicken breasts and some basa, and most of the family, sigh, doesn't like fish. Don't forget to serve with some homemade polenta:

POLENTA
1 cup cornmeal, 4 cups water, start with cornmeal in cold water, add some bay leaves, sea salt, olive oil, bring to a boil while whisking, bring it to the point where it starts "bumping" and be careful you don't get burned. Stir until it is nice and thick - you will have to turn down the heat for this state. Turn off the heat, cover with a lid and let sit until the rest of the dinner is ready. The steaming time makes the dish. Don't buy that crappy polenta that is ready made in the stores. This feeds five and costs about twenty-five cents to make for goodness sake.

SICILIAN CHICKEN/FISH

Chicken breasts
Fish Fillets (something sturdy, but not too oily)
flour seasoned with salt and pepper for dredging
Olive Oil
Capers - about 1/3 c. for enough chicken to feed a family of five with some leftovers
Green pitted olives - about a 1/2 c for the same amount as above
1 - 2 chopped onions
3-5 cloves garlic
3-4 stalks celery
1 big can stewed whole tomatoes, crush them with your hands, use the juice, too (I felt I needed a little more tomato and had a nice ripe one on hand and just grated it on the box grater and threw it in, too).
2-3 tbsp tomato paste.
Fresh basil

Dredge the chicken and fish pieces. Brown off in a heavy skillet with olive oil. Don't cook all the way through, they are still going to go into the sauce to cook for awhile. Take out of pan and keep on platter until sauce is made.

In the same pan, saute the onions, garlic and celery. When you have some slight browning on the edges of all the veggies add the capers and the olives (break them up). Fry the tomato paste in a spot you clear the veggies away from, for about a minute. Then add the tomatoes and all the juice. Season with salt and pepper. Also some dried red chili peppers if you like it spicy.

When it comes back up to a boil gently add your chicken and fish back in, lower the heat, and cook about another ten minutes. Tear up a nice bit of fresh basil over the lot. Serve with polenta, bread and the good old standby, leafy lettuce salad with olive oil and sherry vinager.

Rustic, easy, delicious. Tutti a tavola a mangare!