James's Chicken Tomatoes Onions Mushrooms
1 chicken, (3 3/4-pound) cut into 10, pieces
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp (1/4 stick) butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb mushrooms, trimmed
2 cup chopped seeded tomatoes
1 1/2 cup dry white wine
1 container (10-oz) pearl onions, blanched 1 minute
1 chopped fresh Italian parsley
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour; shake off
excess. Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium-high
heat. Working in batches, add chicken to pot; cook until golden on
all sides, about 6 minutes total. Transfer to bowl. Add mushrooms to
pot; sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, wine
and onions. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Reduce
heat to medium. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
Uncover pot and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10
minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving
bowl. Sprinkle with parsley.
On June 14, 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte defeated the Austrians at
Marengo, a village in southeast Piedmont. The town has given its name
to this chicken dish, which was cooked on the battlefield by Dunand,
chef to Napoleon. It is still served throughout the area-as well as
in France-and is often made with veal. Serve with lots of bread to
soak up the juices; uncork a velvety red Barbaresco.
Once Chuang Chou dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting
and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't
know he was Chuang Chou. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and
unmistakeable Chuang Chou. But he didn't know if he was Chuang Chou who had
dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Chuang Chou.
- Chuang Tzu