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Italian Food Opens Doors, Professional And Personal

Photo by MICHELLE BAKER

This Chicken Cacciatore dish is classic Tuscan, delicious and very inexpensive.

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By GREG and MICHELLE BAKER

Tribune correspondents

Published: February 11, 2009

It's funny what life throws at you. One day you're expecting to be foreclosed on, and the next you're eating foie gras hoagies with Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud.

Greg is building quite the reputation as of late. He's cooked for some well-known names and some unknown names (equally important to us). He recently pulled off a double-booked night as the guest chef for a local charity event and a swinging private dinner party for the cutest couple. (Uh, swinging as in good-time fun, not key-party-swinging.)

He also is filming a television show called, creatively, "The Culinary Sherpas." (Networks, please call!) This all has taken place during the past month and a half.

And now, Tampa Bay, you can have a chance to grade Chef Greg. He's decided to let you be the judge of how he's doing. Kind of like when Anthony Bourdain went back to Las Halles for a night of dinner service and he totally got his butt kicked.

For one night only, on Feb. 27, you can be Greg's dinner guest. He's agreed to cook a five-course meal for anyone who will show up with $55 dollars. Hey, he hasn't made it big yet; the food and venue cost has to be covered. The menu will be classic Tuscan, the cuisine that he cut his teeth on in his first executive chef position; just to make sure he's still got it … Bourdain style.

The menu: Antipasto Platter, Caprese Salad, Wild Mushroom Risotto, Tuscan Grilled Flank Steak with Wilted Greens and decadent Tiramisu to finish the night. The mozzarella will be made that day by Greg, and the mushrooms will really be wild. A traditional menu, but with Greg's fresh twist.

The dinner will be held at 7 p.m. at Chefs On The Loose, 3401 W. Bay to Bay Blvd., Tampa. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (813) 835-7300, or visit our Web site at www.chefsontheloose.net. Seating will be limited to 36 guests.

The first dish Greg ever made for me was Chicken Cacciatore, because well, that was all he could afford. He wanted to impress me and he knew he could with classic Tuscan. At first sight, I was aghast and then I tasted it. It's more than delicious and very inexpensive. We hope to see you on the 27th!

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (or your choice of precut parts, amounting to 8 pieces)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion sliced

1 green pepper, seeded and sliced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine

1 29-ounce can of good quality canned tomatoes, crushed (not store brand, please)

1 quart chicken stock (preferably homemade)

Handful of green olives

2 teaspoons capers

1 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped

1 teaspoon Italian parsley, chopped

Sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pat the chicken dry with a towel and season well on all sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a pot large enough to hold all of the chicken over medium heat, along with the olive oil. Working in batches, brown the chicken well on all sides. The fat from the chicken skin will spatter, so be careful to dodge the grease missiles that will inevitably fly at your face.

Place the chicken aside, and add the onion, green pepper, and garlic. Sautee these for 3 to 4 minutes, just until they begin to soften a bit, then add the wine and cook until it has decreased by half in volume — another 3 to 4 minutes.

Return the chicken to the pot and add the tomatoes, chicken stock, olives and capers. Bring to a simmer and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and let this whole mess simmer for about an hour and a half. The chicken is done when it is fall-off-the-bone tender.

Remove the chicken from the pot, increase the heat, and reduce the sauce to the thickness of your liking. Add the herbs, adjust the seasoning, and pour the sauce over the chicken.

Serves 4

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