Tag: Speck

CHICKEN WITH SAUERKRAUT, from the Carso, in north eastern Italy, near Trieste

Chicken with Sauerkraut is a simple dish with flavours from the Carso region of northeastern Italy, near Trieste. The Carso is a mountainous area between Slovenia and the Adriatic Sea, south of Monfalcone.

Cultural History

The recipe’s simple ingredients reflect the flavours of Hungary, Germany, Russia and Eastern European countries. These are also the flavours of Trieste: chicken, sauerkraut, onion, lardo and white wine. This is not surprising as Trieste was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

I first came across a version of this recipe in Fred Plotkin’s book, La Terra Fortunata, (published in 2001). I

I have previously made this dish using chicken with bones as the recipe suggests. However, I have used boneless chicken and some fatty bacon this time. Having lived in Trieste, I am well-acquainted with sauerkraut and cooking with smoked pork and pork fat. I always have jars of sauerkraut at home, particularly in winter for making dishes such as iota.

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Lardo

Lardo is an Italian salume that is eaten and widely used in Italian cuisine especially in northern Italy; it is made from the thick layer of fat from the back of a pig and cured with a mixture of salt, herbs, and spices;  the most esteemed Italian lardo is aged in the warm, fresh caves in the area of Carrara (famous for its marble) and no additives or preservatives are used.

Lardo Affumicato is Speck. This also is used widely in cooking of Trieste and Italian regions that used to be part of the Austrian- Hungarian Empire.

The rendered fat from the  lardo or bacon is the fat used in this recipe. (Pork fat, or rendered pork fat is also called lardo in Italian and is lard in English).

THE RECIPE: Chicken with Sauerkraut

INGREDIENTS

This recipe does not require specific quantities as it relies on estimations and personal preference. I used approximately 1 kg of chicken, 5 rashers of fatty bacon and 500 g of drained and squeezed sauerkraut.

Feel free to adjust the quantities to suit your taste.

Fry the bacon/lardo in a heavy bottomed saucepan

PROCESS

Gently fry the bacon or lardo in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat and when there is sufficient melted fat in the pan sear the chicken pieces till golden.

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Fry the chicken in batches.

Fry the chicken in batches so as not to crowd the chicken pieces in the pan while searing.

Do not to crowd the chicken pieces in the pan while searing.

Once you have seared the meat, add a sliced small onion and cook it gently till softened and golden.

Seared Chicken, onion and sauerkraut .

Add some peppercorns , bay leaves and the sauerkraut and cook it gently for about 10 minutes.

Mix the ingredients together.

Add the chicken, some white wine (about 1/2 cup) and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and cook gently for about 20 minutes. If necessary add more wine or water to keep it moist while it is cooking,

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Add white wine, bring to a boil, cover and cook gently.

If you are using chicken with bones cook it for longer (30-40 mins, depending on the size of the chicken).

RISI E BISI (Risotto with peas)


Today in Venice, Venetians are celebrating the feast day of their patron saint (25 April, the date of the death of San Marco).

Risi e bisi the classic Venetian dish was traditionally offered to the Doge (do not know which one) on April 25, the feast of Saint Mark. This is not surprising, it is spring in the northern hemisphere and peas are one of the symbols of the season.

It is a public holiday in Venice and all sorts of events take place.

Although Venetians celebrate his feast day they also celebrate Liberation Day (liberation from the Nazis at the end of 2nd World War) and Festa del Bòcolo (is a rose bud) and it is customary for all women, not just lovers, to be presented with a bud. The very old legend concerns the daughter of Doge Orso Partecipazio, who was besotted with a handsome man, but the Doge did not approve and arranged for the object of her desire to fight the Turks on distant shores. The loved one was mortally wounded in battle near a rose bush. There he plucked a rose, tinged with his heroic blood and asked for it to be given to his beloved in Venice.

I grew up in Trieste (not far from Venice and in the same region of Italy) and risi e bisi is a staple, traditional dish.

The traditional way of cooking it does not include prosciutto but prosciutto cotto, what we call ham in Australia. Poor tasting ingredients will give a poor result; use a good quality smoked ham. As an alternative some cooks in Trieste use speck, a common ingredient in the region (it tastes more like pancetta). Some of the older Triestini use lard and only a little oil.

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My mother also added a little white wine to the soffritto of onion and the ham, but this also would have been a modern addition. The butter is added last of all for taste. Use parmigiano – parmigiano is the cheese used in the north of Italy, pecorino in the south.

The secret is in using good produce, preferably organic, young and freshly picked peas (for their delicate taste) and a good stock.

My mother made chicken stock. If she had no stock, she used good quality broth cubes- very common in Northern Italian cooking. Use as much as needed.

INGREDIENTS

peas (young, fresh), 1 kilo unshelled
rice, 300g vialone nano preferably,
ham, cubed 50-70g,
onion,1 finely cut (I like to use spring onions as well)
parmigiano (Reggiano), grated
50g
extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup
dry white wine, ½ glass (optional),
parsley, finely cut, ½ cup
butter, 2 tablespoons
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 
PROCESSES
Shell the peas.
Heat the olive oil, add ham and onion and over medium-low heat soften the ingredients. Do not brown.
Add the shelled peas, parsley and when they are covered in oil, add very little stock (to soften the peas), cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the rice, and stir, add the wine (optional) and evaporate.
Keep on adding the hot stock, stirring the rice and adding more stock as it is absorbed. End up with a wet dish (almost soupy and all’onda as Italians say) and with the rice al dente. In fact, the dish should rest for about 5 minutes before it is served so take this into consideration (the rice will keep on cooking and absorb the stock).
Add parmesan and butter, stir and serve.
 
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