This recipe is very popular in northern Italy, although crayfish are often removed and other marine crustaceans such as prawns or prawns are added. In any case, it is a very forceful stew and attractive enough to be part of our Christmas table.
INGREDIENTS (4/6 people):
- A chicken of at least 1.5 kg / 3.3 pounds
- Half a kilo (1.1 pounds) of tomatoes
- 6 crayfish
- 6 eggs
- 6 slices of bread
- 200 grams (7 oz) of mushrooms
- 2 cups of white wine
- 1 clove garlic
- Parsley
- White wheat flour
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Chicken soup
- Extra virgin olive oil
First we cut the chicken into pieces if we have it whole. Cut it first in two halves lengthwise, then every half in another two parts. With thighs and wings we will have 6 pieces. We salt and pepper it, flour it and fry it in a pan with oil where we also fry the garlic clove.
When the chicken has browned, pour in one cup of wine and the chopped tomatoes without skin or seeds. We cover the casserole and let it cook for about ten minutes.
While we wash the mushrooms and slice them. After the aforementioned ten minutes we add them to the casserole and let the stew cook for a quarter of an hour.
In another casserole, pour the second cup of white wine with the salt and the crayfish (or prawns, shrimps, etc.) and boil it for about five minutes. We extract the crayfish and reserve them.
In another pan we fry the eggs and remove them carefully. Lightly toast the slices of bread on the same oil.
Now we are going to assemble the plate. We place a slice of bread and the egg on it. Next to it a piece of chicken is placed with the sauce and the crayfish on top. Sometimes the ingredients are also mounted one on top of the other.
At least you can't deny that the visual impact is considerable.
Legend tells that Marengo chicken was invented by Napoleon's cook. Bonaparte asked him for a quick meal after the battle of Marengo and in the absence of ingredients, he collected what he could. The emperor was so happy that from that moment on he made this recipe his favorite food.
