This is a recipe that my Mamma used to do often and I miss her, so I decided to cook it for tonight, to remember her. It is a wonderful hearty dish, full of flavour!

• buy organic chicken breasts and thighs
• lightly brown them all over in a little butter and olive oil
• move the chicken pieces onto a plate

• in the same sauce pan, add diced
• 100gr pancetta
• 3 carrots
• 4-5 celery stalks
• 2 parsnips
• 1 large Spanish onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 chili, some seeds removed
• fresh sage,bay leaf and Italian parsley

• cook until the vegetables start to color, then
• add the chicken pieces
• now add one glass of dry white wine, mix well
• cook until the wine has evaporated

• mix in 2 tins of diced pelati
• cook on gentle heat for about half an hour
• stir from time to time
• add salt and pepper

• I like to serve the ‘cacciatora’ with polenta, but of course you can serve mashed potatoes instead

• in the last few minutes of cooking the chicken, add
• 3 hand full of baby spinach

to make the polenta you will need:
• 500gr coarse polenta
• 2 teaspoon salt
• about 2 1/2 litres of water
• bring water and salt to boil
• add polenta in a steady stream, whisking constantly
• turn heat right down and cook, stirring from time to time until the polenta comes away from the sides of the pan, about 40 minutes

• serve the chicken on top of the polenta, so all the juices will be absorbed

And here it is, perfect for a cold night, where body and soul need a bit of warmth.
Buon appetito!