DAY 4- PEPPER CHICKEN

Another dish that’s traditional in my hometown. It’s mostly cooked in Summer (July and August) when peppers are (used to be?) at their best. Don’t be tempted to use chicken breasts instead of thighs because the fatty meat makes all the difference. What I like the most about this dish is the pepper-favoured juice that I would normally mop up with plenty of sourdough… Not this month!

Ingredients (for 2):

E. V. Olive Oil, enough to cover the bottom of your skillet

Garlic clove, 1

Fresh oregano, a few branches

Giant peppers, 2 (one red, one yellow)- or up to 6 smaller ones

Chicken thighs, 4-6 depending on the size of your pan and the size of the thighs

Salt and black pepper to taste

Vegetable stock as necessary

Rinse the peppers, remove the seeds and cut them in long slices no more than 3 cm wide.

In a pan heat the olive oil and fry the garlic clove until golden brown, then remove it.

Add the peppers to the pan and let them brown lightly stirring frequently so they don’t stick to the pan, once they start looking tanned add a bit of stock, cover the pan with a lid, and let them soften on a medium heat. Once the stock has been absorbed, lay the chicken thighs in the pan skin down. Leave them for about 5-7 minutes until the skin becomes a golden brown too, then turn them around. Cook for another 5 minutes stirring the peppers around if necessary, then add a finger of stock, cover and leave to simmer placing the lid back on. Check every now and then and keep adding stock whenever necessary (you never want the pan to be liquid-free). The thighs will cook approximately 20-25 minutes on each side

At the end of the 40-50 minutes, the peppers should be softened to exhaustion but will have wonderfully flavoured the stock.

The thighs can keep for 2-3 days but they usually disappear fast. Enjoy!