Grazie, Artusi

While Italy's celebration of unification was rather lackluster, something the whole nation can get behind is the 100th anniversary of Artusi.  Every household has a copy of the book that brought the country together more surely than politics or paper-signings every could.  The legendary cookbook author served up a collection of recipes that spanned the peninsula, the first of its kind.

I'm an Artusi devotee, so in honor of this anniversary I'm offering one of my favorite Artusi recipes.  Enjoy!

Here it is, in Artusi's words (as translated by Kyle Phillips):

Pollo alla Marengo

On the eve of the battle of Marengo, Napoleon's cook was unable to find the chuck wagons in the confusion and was forced to improvise, using stolen hens.  The dish became known as chicken Marengo, and it's said that Napoleon always enjoyed it, less for itself than because it reminded him of a glorious victory.

Chop a young chicken into pieces.  Saute it with 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 of oil, seasoning it with salt and pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.  Once the pieces are browned on all sides, drain off the fat, dust the meat with a level tablespoon of flour, and sprinkle it with 1/2 cup of dry white wine.  Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of broth over the chicken to keep it from drying out, cover it, and simmer it until done.  Before serving, sprinkle it with minced parsley and squeeze half a lemon over it.  This is an appetizing dish.

Buy the Artusi from Amazon:


Try this other Artusi recipe from my archives:  Maccheroni alla Napoletana