This dish was inspired by 16th- and 17th-century Italian recipes, which often use citrus fruit unpeeled, a reminder of the combination of sour pulp, bitter pith and aromatic peel are all essential to the enjoy of the fruit, cooked or raw. The transformation of the combative garlic into a soft bitter-sweet accent to the chicken is magical. This recipe was given to me by my Yorkshire granny, Gillian Riley, who adopted me at the tender age of thirty-six. I've been thirty-six every since . . .

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

1 medium-size chicken, cut into pieces
olive oil for frying
3-4 heads of garlic (about 30-40 cloves, unpeeled)
5 bay leaves
5 ounces green olives
flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup white wine
1 large organic unwaxed lemon, as fragrant as possible, unpeeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sugar

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Fry the chicken pieces quickly in the oil in a heavy casserole. When they are nice and golden, take them out and turn the garlic cloves over in the casserole.

Put the chicken pieces back on top of the garlic, strew with the bay leaves, olives, and salt and pepper to taste. Tuck the cinnamon stick among the chicken pieces and splash over the white wine. Lay the lemon slices over the chicken, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar.

Cover and cook for about 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven, until the chicken is really tender and the garlic cloves nice and soft, ready to pop out of their (by now fragile) skins.

RECipes from "easy tasty italian"