tuscan pollo e salsicia

Literally, chicken and sausage, northern Italian style (no marinara sauce!), this dish is found in many Tuscan-style restaurants made with chicken breast and an herb-infused sausage. The breast is invariably overcooked and dry, a condition that is partly ameliorated and balanced by the presence of the juicy, high-fat-content sausage. The recipe below is a less caloric and more succulent version. You can leave out the beans, if you tend toward tumescence or if your guests are flatus-sensitive.

• 2 chicken thighs, skinned, deboned, and sliced into strips
• 1 link hot turkey Italian sausage, sliced into ½” rounds
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and diced
• ½ green bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeño chile, stem and seeds removed, diced
• 6 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp chicken base or 1 bouillon cube
• ½ tsp ground oregano
• ½ tsp ground thyme
• ½ tsp ground rosemary
• 1 (15-oz) can white great northern beans, drained
• <salt> and pepper, to taste

Sauté the chicken strips and sausage in a little olive oil until slightly browned over medium-high heat. Lower heat to medium, add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and peppers and sweat the vegetables a few minutes until the onion is translucent.

Add the white wine and chicken base, and stir to incorporate the brown residue at the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until the liquid portion is reduced to a glazing of the ingredients.

Serve as is, or perhaps over pasta if you omit the beans.