Storm Food

So the Mistral that teased me with daydreams of the South of France is turning into another Seattle Storm. On the way home from work tonight all the doomsday weather forecasters are talking about a horrible storm for Thursday with high winds,rain and yes snow. So of course wanting to be prepared I make a stop at the market to gather my storm supplies. While everyone else might be gathering batteries,candles,toilet paper,flashlights and matches my thoughts are "what would feed my soul and keep me warm during a dark stormy night?" And the answer is one of my favorite Italian meals from "RAO'S Recipes from the Neighborhood" cookbook. It's so easy you really don't need the recipe for your shopping list. Once you cook this it's one of those wonderful recipes that stays with you. So while the storm clouds gather and the wind starts to pick up I will be in the kitchen preparing Chicken,Sausage,Potatoes and Peppers in the Oven. Of course it helps if you have a gas oven during a storm so that the incredible smells of this dish cooking permeate the house with garlic and tomato sauce and make you feel all warm and cozy inside while outside your door the storm is approaching.

Chicken,Sausage,Potatoes and Peppers in the Oven
Pollo, salsiccie, Patate e Peperoni al Forno
adapted from RAO's Recipes from the Neighborhood Cookbook

Preheat the oven to 450F
Set aside a large roasting pan

2 1/2 -3 lb chicken, cut into about 12-14 pieces
1 lb Italian hot sausage cut in half crosswise
2 large baking potatoes cut into eighths
2 large bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1 inch strips
1 large red sweet pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch strips
2 medium sweet onions,quartered
1 lb grape tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large can of Italian plum tomatoes, hand crushed with the juice
1/2-1 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the chicken in about 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan. Once browned set aside in the roasting pan.
Brown the sausage next and then set that aside in the pan with the chicken.
Add more olive oil to the the pan that you browned the chicken and sausage in as needed and brown the potatoes-again when finishing browning add them to the chicken and sausage mixture.
Brown the onions,adding more olive oil as needed until onions just start to caramelize then add a little bit of red wine along with the garlic to the mix to deglaze the pan -add this to the roasting pan with everything else.
Add fresh olive oil to the skillet and very lightly brown/roast the red and green bell peppers-once the skin of the peppers starts to brown/blister add them to the roasting pan with the chicken mix.
Add a little more olive oil to the frying pan and put the grape tomatoes into the pan and let them brown until the skin starts to crack,stirring or flipping occasionally. Once they are browned/roasted add them to the chicken mixture.
Take the crushed tomatoes with their juices and pour over the top of everything in the roasting pan. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of olive oil over it all.
Roast the dish for about 1hour and 15minutes,stirring about every 20minutes. The dish is done when the potatoes are tender and the chicken pulls away easily from the bone.

Serve with some delicious crusty Italian bread , your favorite red wine and candles . Then sit back and enjoy the storm.