I stumbled (literally, my legs were tired, the day had been long, the sun was beating down, the steps were uneven, and the wine was very good) upon this in a small inn down a dusty trail in rural Italy. I was wowed by the fantastic taste, and asked the innkeeper how it was made. She told me the ingredients, and then told me you just cook it in a pan. Throw it all in! I could not believe it was so simple. How can such a simple recipe create the most amazing flavours?
So, for your pleasure I present “hungry cyclist stew”. A recipe of heritage and perfection, passed down from generation to generation, and then passed to a hungry squiffy cyclist who doesn’t speak Italian, by an old Italian lady who didn’t speak English. Hey… it’s close enough for jazz.
Ingredients:
- 2x Chicken Breasts, chopped into large chunks.
- 3x rashers of streaky bacon, chopped.
- A little plain flour.
- Salt and pepper.
- 2x red peppers, chopped.
- 12x small tomatoes, halved.
- 2x anchovies (a brilliant stealth flavour booster).
- 2 or 3 big sprigs of rosemary.
- 3x cloves of garlic.
- Handful of black olives with stones removed.
- White wine, one glass. Make sure it’s a good wine because you get to drink the rest of the bottle.
- 5x Small potatoes, chopped to bite size.
- Squirt of tomato puree.
Method:
- Pop your chicken chunks in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, add a little flour and toss around until coated.
- Take a big saucepan, add a little olive oil, and then fry the chicken until it starts to brown.
- Add the bacon, and fry until crispy.
- Now add almost everything else: tomatoes, peppers, garlic, anchovies, olives, potatoes, and rosemary.
- Once that lot is sizzling, add the glass of wine and cook for 2 minutes.
- Then add a small squirt of tomatoes puree (maybe two teaspoon’s worth), and top up with boiling water so everything is almost but not quite covered. But don’t overdo it. This is not soup, and you can always add more water later if needed.
- Simmer for 30 minutes. But don’t stir it up. You want the tomatoes to stay in one piece rather than get mushed in.
- Serve in a shallow bowl with some fresh bread and a sprinkle of chopped parsley. Or maybe pop it in a Klean Kanteen food flask and enjoy it with a nice white wine towards the end of a ride.
What do you think?
Give this recipe a try, and let us all know how you got on in the comments below. Post your pictures. Feel free to swap out a few things. You know what… I think this could be bloody amazing with rabbit.
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