Sunday, June 23, 2013

Vegan Roman Chick'n Cacciatore

I usually do not put recipes on this blog since there are only a gazillion vegan and vegetarian recipe blogs out there but I wanted to share a recipe I recently veganized and made my own, because, frankly, it was delicious back in the day when I was sadly still eating chickens.  Cacciatore is the Italian word for hunter, and traditionally this dish has contained chicken or rabbit meat (AARGH! I know, I know...) Per Wikipedia, in cuisine, alla cacciatora refers to a meal prepared “hunter-style” with tomatoes, onions, herbs, often bell pepper, and sometimes wine.  So while this recipe is indeed alla cacciatore, happily no hunters, chickens or bunnies were involved in the making of this dish.

The Hoppy Vegan's Vegan Roman Chick'n Cacciatore

1 pkg Gardein chicken scalloppini, thawed, cut into pieces
1 8 oz package Portobello mushroom slices
2 green bell peppers, sliced into strips
1 onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
olive oil to saute
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (Tuttorosso or other Italian brands are the best!)
½ tsp oregano
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
¾ cup dry sherry or other white wine

Heat olive oil in pan (just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.)  Saute chicken pieces till lightly browned. Remove. Add mushroom slices.  You may need to add oil as you go. Saute till mushrooms are soft and browned. Remove from pan and set aside with the chicken.  Deglaze the pan with a little of the sherry.

Add peppers, onions, and garlic slices (and if needed, more olive oil). Saute till softened.

Add can of tomatoes, stir and simmer for 5 minutes. Add seasonings, stir, then return chicken and mushrooms to the pan. Stir, cover, and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, till chicken pieces and veggies are tender. Add ¾ cup of dry sherry, stir, cook for 5 more minutes, uncovered.

Serve over spaghetti and/or with crusty bread.  This serves 4 people.
 
Possible adaptations/notes:
 
If you’re not a fan of faux meat, double the amount of mushrooms, and add more green peppers.

Dry sherry works best for this sauce but you can use white wine as well. HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting the sherry (the drinking kind, do NOT get the cooking sherry—that stuff is crap.)

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