A classic combo

Twelve, A Tuscan Cook Book is a lovely part of my Tessa Kiros collection. I pulled the book from the shelf as I felt like some home-style cooking. Albeit not my home, but someone's home would satisfy my desire today for a cook ahead recipe that was easy to do.

The title of the book refers to the months of the year. Such is the way of cooking in Italian households. It's rather easy to forget the seasons when cooking here, and, it's nice to be reminded there are for many ingredients a time to find them at their best. 'May' when it is November, sounded about right for someone living on the other side of the world. The recipe selected Pollo al Limone. Lemon and chicken, a combination I never tire of, and love that just about every country has their own version. I've never gone down the Italian chicken and citrus route. Shouldn't have left it so long I think.

Pollo al Limone

1 chicken, about 1.5kg (though I just went with Marylands), skinned and cut into pieces (thighs and drumsticks for me)
5 tbsp olive oil
1 large white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, trimmed and roughly chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
salt
pepper
250ml (1 cup) white wine
2 bay leaves
500ml (2 cups) hot water
juice of 2 lemons
3 tbsp chopped parsley

Heat half the oil in a large frying pan, and brown the pieces until they are browned on both sides seasoning the meat as you go with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat the remaining oil and add the chopped vegetables, cook them off until they start to soften. Add the chicken to the vegetables, along with the bay leaves and wine. Let the wine cook off almost completely before adding the water and the juice from one of the lemons.

Reduce the heat to the lowest of low temperatures and cook for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is very tender.

Remove the chicken and set aside. Put all the vegetables into a blender and whizz up along with the cooking liquid. Add the juice of the second lemon, and taste and adjust seasoning in need (I think you will need to add more salt and pepper), before adding the chopped parsley.

Serve with plenty of crusty bread, or steamed potatoes.

Serves 4-6

This sauce was incredible. The dish is not served hot, but rather warm. It's creamy without cream, it's lemony, but not at all astringent. My photo doesn't do it justice, you have to believe me. It was delicious, and so lemony, yet mildly citrussy. Three very satisfied children and two contented adults. I made this ahead of time, it didn't suffer for the reheating.

Couldn't get enough of that sauce, it tasted decadent, yet it was really just vegetables and lemon juice. Not even any skin on the chicken and it's not missed.