Italian actress Sophia Loren, 1954. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Sophia Loren's Chicken Cacciatora
In her 1971 cookbook, In the Kitchen with Love, Sophia Loren says that it is sweet red peppers that make Chicken Cacciatora really Neapolitan, although no true Neapolitan would agree with this. Sophia Loren was from the town of Pozzuoli, a town adjacent to Naples.
Authentic Italian Chicken Cacciatora (serves 4)
Ingredients
1 chicken (about 1.4 kg), jointed
45 ml extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
1 small sprig rosemary
120 ml dry white wine
400 g canned plum tomatoes, lightly crushed
(1 Large red pepper optional)
Salt and black pepper
Optional: a few olives or a pinch of chilli flakes
Method
Heat the oil in a wide pan. Season the chicken and brown well all over.
Add the garlic and rosemary; cook briefly until fragrant.
Deglaze with the wine and let it reduce.
Add the tomatoes and pepper, cover and simmer gently until tender, 30–40 minutes.
Adjust seasoning, remove garlic and rosemary, and serve with bread or polenta.