Pollo Alla Cacciatora -Chicken cacciatora

My  cousin has just returned from 12 days mostly spent in the Tuscany region of Italy.  He came back totally enthralled with the food there! It seems to be mostly Atkins friendly and very healthy. They do eat pasta, but that region of Italy has one of the lowest rates of heart disease anywhere! He came back armed with luscious premesan and other cheeses bought dirt cheap, and recipes galore! I can hardly wait for the Tuscan cookbook he bought for me to arrive!

Anyway, he has already tried Pollo alla cacciatora since getting home, and said it was really delicious and easy to make. So, here it is:

Pollo alla cacciatora - Chicken cacciatora.

 

4 or 5 chicken thighs, skin removed and excess fat trimmed

1 medium onion, diced

1 stalk of celery thinly sliced

1 carrot diced

4 or 5 very ripe tomatoes or 7 or 8 Roma tomatoes chopped into medium dice 

Handful of pitted black olives, sliced.

2 or 3 cloves of garlic finely diced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Olive oil.

Sautee the vegetables all together in a medium skillet (except tomatoes.) When the vegetables begin to soften, add tomatoes and simmer gently until a little thickened. (20 to 30 minutes)until a sauce has been made. Salt and pepper the chicken pieces and arrange in a baking dish oiled with more olive oil. Pour the sauce over the chicken to coat it. Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about one hour. Makes very tender fall of the bones chicken with a nice sauce for pasta, if you are eating any pasta. You can shave some parmesan over the top at the last if you wish.