Chicken That Bites Back

In her recent cookbook, “A Fresh Taste of Italy” (Broadway Books, $30), Michele Scicolone shares many of her favorite Italian recipes. Some are regional classics, others are imaginative restaurant specialties and still others are old family favorites.

Her grandmother’s recipe for Chicken With Vinegar and Hot Pepper, Scicolone writes, “is a Neapolitan-style recipe passed down from my grandmother and a dish she remembers fondly from her childhood.”

The recipe stands out as much for its taste as for its simplicity of preparation. I like it served with green beans and oven-browned sweet potato slices. The sweet potatoes help balance the acidity of the vinegar, and the green beans add a soothing, almost cooling, touch.

For dessert, serve a lemon or orange Italian ice with a plate of whole strawberries with stems.

Simmons is the author of “Fresh & Fast” (Chapters Publishing, 1996).

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MICHELE SCICOLONE’S CHICKEN WITH VINEGAR AND HOT PEPPER

(Pollo al Aceto)

1 chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds), cut into 2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

Scicolone suggests having the butcher at the meat counter cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces for you. She also prefers red wine vinegar to balsamic in this dish. Balsamic, she says, “will add too much sweetness” and upset the balance of flavors.

Rinse chicken well in cold water to remove any small splinters of bone. Dry well with paper towels so chicken will brown properly.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken in single layer and brown on all sides. Do not crowd pan; cook in 2 batches if necessary. Tip pan and spoon out all but 1 tablespoon fat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper to taste.

Scatter garlic and red pepper around chicken pieces. Add vinegar and stir chicken, scraping up browned bits on bottom of pan with wooden spoon.

Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is tender and most of vinegar has evaporated, about 15 minutes. If there is too much liquid left at end of cooking time, remove cover and simmer until reduced. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water if sauce evaporates too much.

Spoon chicken pieces into serving dish and pour pan juices over all. Serve hot or at room temperature.

4 servings. Each serving:

504 calories; 217 mg sodium; 152 mg cholesterol; 37 grams fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 38 grams protein; 0.10 gram fiber.

OVEN-ROASTED SWEET POTATOES

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil to coat. Arrange potatoes in single layer on large nonstick baking sheet and sprinkle with salt to taste. Bake at 400 degrees until bottoms are lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Carefully turn with spatula and brown other side, 15 to 20 minutes longer.

4 servings. Each serving:

128 calories; 82 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.55 gram fiber.

BOILED GREEN BEANS

1 1/4 pounds green beans

1 to 2 teaspoons coarse salt

Bring large pan of water to boil. Add beans and salt and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender but still bright green, about 8 minutes. Drain and serve at once.

4 servings. Each serving:

44 calories; 735 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 1.56 grams fiber.