Chicken Veneto has long been regarded as a treat in our household. Chicken is cooked uncovered on the stove with onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, mushrooms, cinnamon, and cloves. Rome and Florence had similar uncovered dishes, using different flavorings.

These dishes are not the ultimate in convenience. As they are cooked uncovered, time is somewhat longer than with covered braising; in fact dark quarters are too large to be used. Also, uncovered cooking means that the chicken won’t hold more than 30 or 45 minutes. It will still be quite good, but off the bloom, the meat no longer quite so moist, the sauce losing its cohesion somewhat.

Nevertheless, uncovered chicken can be worth the trouble on occasion. It has a slightly different quality from the braising method described elsewhere.

If you are not yet a convert to the mirepoix triumvirate of vegetables, try this to see how important a contribution they can make.

Cinnamon and cloves let you know that this comes from Venice. Mushrooms are important here also.

Serves 4

Heat oil and butter in pan. Gently sauté onion, carrot, and celery 5 minutes.

Rinse chicken in cold water. Pat dry on all sides. Add chicken, raise heat slightly, and brown lightly, 5 minutes on each side.

Drain tomatoes and reserve juice. Add wine, tomatoes, cinnamon and cloves to pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Simmer uncovered at moderate heat until chicken is done, about 45 minutes. Chicken is done when pieces on a white plate drain yellow juices with no trace of rose.

Add back tomato juices, or water, as needed to keep tomatoes simmering. Turn every 10 to 15 minutes or so. Sauce at the end should be sparse and somewhat thick.

Add sliced mushrooms 20 minutes before the end.

Deoil and remove skin before serving.

Variations

With the vegetables, add some chopped sweet red bell pepper.

Venetians used 1 ½ tablespoon oil and 4 (!) tablespoons butter. Also 1 pound of mushrooms.

Deoil and use oil to fry the mushrooms.

Serves IV

Heat oil and butter in pan. Fry chicken pieces until golden brown all over.

Sprinkle with marjoram, salt, and pepper. Add chopped garlic to pan. Pour in wine and boil until it evaporates.

Peel the tomatoes and discard seeds. Chop them in quarter inch pieces and add to the pan.

Bring to simmer and simmer until chicken is done, about  XLV minutes.

Ada Boni (Italian Regional Cooking) describes the desired result: "The chicken should not be overcooked, and the sauce thick and dark, not too plentiful, a typical feature of any dish styled alla Romana."

This is similar to the above, using mushrooms, salt pork or ham, onions, Marsala, tomatoes.