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Pollo alla Cacciatora con Riso e Piselli:
A Jamaican‐Californian Interpretation
(from Italy)
Maggi Phillips
Abstract
Pollo alla Cacciatora con Riso e Piselli is presented here. The recipe is an interpretation of the classic
Italian dish by the author — a Jamaican by heritage, Californian by birth and primary residence, and
Italian by marriage.
Theory
Though the cacciatore can be accompanied by
polenta, pasta, couscous, spaetzle, or the like,
the author prefers to serve it with white rice
and green peas. These side dishes are both
complementary in flavor and patriotic in their
visual appeal, as will be evident in the culinary
rendering of the Italian flag presented in the
Discussion section below.
International Context
The dish considered in this manuscript, Pollo
alla Cacciatora (trans. hunter's style chicken),
is a traditional Italian chicken stew. 1 It is
known in English more colloquially as “Chicken
Cacciatore.” Here it is presented con Riso e
Piselli (trans. with rice and green peas) in a
variation on the Italian classic recipe as
interpreted by the author, a Jamaican‐
Californian with an Italian passport.
This dish is a family favorite in the author’s tri‐
national household. It is cooked not for any
special occasion, rather eaten on cool autumn
nights in Santa Monica, cold winter evenings in Milano, and even for suppers at sunset on the
veranda in Bluefields, Jamaica.
Ingredients are widely available and easily substitutable.
Methodology:
1. Prepare the ingredients, displayed in photo 1. A particular joy are the herbs from the
author’s own garden!
2. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large pot in which you plan to cook the cacciatora (Pot 1). Heat
the other 1/4 cup of oil in a large pot or skillet (Pot 2). Using both pots, brown the chicken in
the oil in a single layer. When the chicken is browned, transfer it all to Pot 2. Remove Pot 2
from heat and cover.
1 Readers conducting their own literature review will find evidence of and/or relevant arguments for the
traditional status of “hunter’s stew” in Italian cuisine in Il Cucchiaio d’argento1950, Bozzi 1975, Rombauer et
al. 1997, and Curti & Fraioli 2007.
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Ingredients (for 6 to 8 persons)
1/2 cup olive oil
5‐6 lbs. chicken, skinned and cut into pieces
(breasts, thighs, drumsticks, and wing drumettes
are best)
3 thick slices bacon, coarsely diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1/3 lb. fresh mushrooms, peeled, sliced thick or
coarsely chopped
leaves from 3‐5 stalks Italian parsley, chopped
2‐3 sprigs oregano, chopped
4‐5 large basil leaves, chopped
black pepper, freshly ground
1 cup dry white wine or light red wine
2 large (28 oz.) cans peeled Italian tomatoes,
drained and very coarsely chopped
1 small (6 oz.) can tomato paste, slightly thinned
with a little juice from the canned tomatoes
white rice, 6‐8 cups cooked
3 cups green peas, cooked