Name: Pollo alla Cacciatora (Braised Chicken with Tomatoes)
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper; 250 milliliters (1 cup) dry white wine; 450 grams (1 pound) porcini, shiitake, oyster, cremini and/or white mushrooms, stemmed and sliced 6 millimeters to 1¼ centimeters (¼ to ½ inch) thick (5½ to 6 cups); 4 cloves garlic, peeled; 125 milliliters (½ cup) olive oil, plus extra for serving; 750 milliliters (3¼ cups) whole, canned Italian plum tomatoes, with their juices, puréed through a food mill; 1 chicken, about 1⅔ kilos (3½ pounds), quartered; 1 lemon, cut in half; Pinch of red pepper flakes; 250 milliliters (1 cup) water or chicken stock; Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving; 3 sprigs fresh rosemary

The chicken for this hearty rustic stew—called “hunter’s style”—is braised (see “Le Tecniche: Brasare il Pollo”) in a mixture of puréed tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, and rosemary. As with many braises, creamy polenta makes an excellent accompaniment.

When browning the chicken, make sure the oil in the pan is hot; if it is too cool, the skin of the chicken will stick to the bottom of the pan and will not brown well.

Braises may be cooked on top of the stove, as in this