I know it seems strange to be sharing a chicken recipe with you the day before Thanksgiving, but I just couldn’t resist. It’s that good. Technically I suppose you could use turkey instead of chicken, but today let’s just stick with the chicken.

In this dish the chicken is cooked smothered in red cabbage. By the time the chicken has finished cooking the cabbage has broken down into a sweet, dense sauce. We served it over polenta and it was heaven.

Chicken Fricassee With Red Cabbage
Adapted from Essentials of Italian Cooking

1 cup onion sliced very thin
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
4 cups red cabbage, shredded fine (about 1 pound)
3-4 pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup dry red wine
Fresh ground black pepper
Salt to taste

Put the sliced onion, 1/4 oil, and the garlic in a sauté pan and cook over medium heat until the garlic turns a deep gold. Add the cabbage, sprinkle with salt, and stir thoroughly until well coated. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cover. Cook cabbage for about 40 minutes, turning occasionally, until it becomes tender and has reduced.

Wash the chicken pieces and pat dry. In a separate pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once oil is heated add chicken skin side down. Once browned, turn to brown the other side. Transfer all pieces, except for the breasts, to the cabbage pan. Turn the chicken over in the pan with the cabbage, add the wine and pepper. Place the lid on the pan, leaving it slightly askew to allow steam to escape, and continue cooking at a slow simmer. Turn the chicken occasionally, sprinkling once more with salt. After 40 minutes ad the breasts. Cook for about 15 minutes until tender and the meat comes easily off the bone.

Transfer everything to a warm platter and serve immediately.

Serves 4

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I know I’ve talked to you about polenta before, and specifically an exotic mushroom polenta, but before you ask me to apologize for what appears to be blatant redundancy let me just explain that this recipe, although similar, is actually quite different. You see, the last one was firm and grilled, and yes, quite tasty if I do say so myself. But this one…oh! this one is soft and creamy goodness.

If the angels above had a charming little café this would surely be a standard on their menu.

Creamy Porcini Polenta

1 cup polenta
4 cups water
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup porcini mushrooms (dried or fresh)
1/2 cup heavy cream (or until desired consistency)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or more to taste)
salt to taste
In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, season water with salt and bring to a boil. Quickly whisk in the polenta until fully incorporated.

Lower the heat to a simmer, add the butter and porcini and allow the polenta to cook, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes. Finish by stirring in the cream and Parmesan cheese. If necessary, add salt to taste.

Yields about 8 side servings (or 4 if you really like polenta).

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Polenta is one of my favorite comfort foods. Nothing beats a heaping bowl of this peasant food made rich with cream, parmesan or gorgonzola (to name a few!). But when in its cooled and solid form, it’s perfect for grilling.

Making polenta can be a long, arduous, and painful process. If you’re not careful it will bubble and burst in molten eruptions, so if you want to keep it quick and simple – and your arms free of burn blisters – I recommend using the premade polenta “logs,” which can be found in most supermarkets.

In our pantry we have a stack of Seattle restaurateur, Tom Douglas‘, wonderful Rub With Love spice rubs. The one I reached for to rub on my polenta was his Exotic Mushroom Rub, which consists of porcini mushrooms, garlic, herbes de Provence, smoked paprika, and a few other tasty ingredients. This rub is fantastic on vegetables, meat and chicken, and was heavenly on grilled polenta.

Grilled Polenta With Exotic Mushroom Rub

Slice polenta into 1/2 inch rounds and generously rub the mushroom blend on both sides. Drizzle or spray with olive oil and place on a medium-high grill for about 4 minutes on each side. Remove when slices lose their firmness and feel soft.

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