Chicken Cacciatore with Peppers, Mushrooms, Raisins and Olives

It has been years since I have eaten this simple, quick but very satisfying Italian recipe my first boyfriend (that was last century!), used to make. And somehow looking at what I had available in the fridge and wanting something flavourful but fast it just popped into my head! The only prep involved is some cutting that doesn't need to be fine, on the contrary, this is a rather rustic dish so keep it that way. My personal touch is the use of raisins and olives to add a sweet and a salty bite to the aromatic wine sauce, and the mushrooms which make it all the more interesting (I used Shimeji but regular button mushrooms will do). The characteristic taste here comes from the red wine and the chicken braised in it, so these are the two ingredients you cannot substitute or skip. Otherwise play around with the vegetables, liquid and herbs.

In a deep pan, or a pot, over medium to high heat, add a generous amount of:

• Olive oil, or other oil or butter

• Onion, 1 large pc, cut in strips

• Red pepper, 1 pc, cut in strips - or any other colour

• Salt, to your preference

and sauté for a few minutes until they start to soften. Add:

• Red wine, roughly 200ml

• Bay leaf, 1-2 pcs

and let it bubble away for a couple of minutes. Add:

• Tomato passata, about 400ml

• Raisins, about 1/2 a cup

• Shimeji mushrooms, roughly 1 cup

Give it a good stir, turn heat down to half the intensity, and let it simmer for another 10 minutes. Add:

• Chicken fillets, thin slices, from one big or two small chicken breasts

• Green Olives, pitted

and let fillets braise in the sauce, this should take about 10 minutes, but it will depend on their thickness. Remove form heat, adjust salt and add:

• Dried Oregano

• Freshly ground black pepper

• A good pinch of olive oil