Growing up, we spent many an “out to dinner holiday” (i.e. This version of cacciatore has really won me over. Perfect chit chat for your next dinner party where this impressive yet easy recipe is the centerpiece. The hunter’s catch could be rabbit, chicken, lamb, guinea fowl (which is our favorite as it has so much flavor) or even a meaty fish such as swordfish or monkfish.” There you have it. This dish probably dates all the way back to ancient Rome when tomatoes had not been brought ashore from South America and often foods were flavored with herbs, vinegar and a dash of garum, the pungent anchovy sauce. In Rome, however, ‘alla cacciatora’ implies meat stewed with rosemary, vinegar and anchovies, with not one tomato in sight. Over the years it became an expression for a stew of mixed meats, usually cooked with tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Where does the naming convention cacciatore, which in Italy is more traditionally referred to as “alla cacciatora,” come from? The authors explain that “cacciatora” means ‘hunter’s wife,’ and in times past she would have had to rustle up a bubbling hot-pot from anything her hunter hubby dragged home from a hunt. An Italian classic, right? With chicken and tomatoes, right? – Renee Schettler Rossi What Does The Name Cacciatore Mean, Anyways?!
Still want a tomato-based dish? Here you go.Īdapted from Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi | Rome | Hardie Grant, 2015
Rather, the bird (commonly guinea hen) is simmered with garlic, rosemary, white wine, and a wee bit of anchovies for umami. You know chicken cacciatore–chicken made with vegetables, herbs, and tons of tomatoes–right? Well, this is Roman-style chicken cacciatore, with not a tomato in sight.