Pollo Alla Senese

This recipe is from Cuisine May 2005   

Matt selected this one, and I'm not sure how I'm going to vege it yet...

8 organic chicken legs
1 cup halved pitted prunes
zest of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
75g prosciutto, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
large pinch ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
8 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 fresh bay leaf
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for frying
50mls grappa
100mls sweet Vin Santo or other dessert wine
150mls dry white wine
250mls beef stock (I used Essential Cuisine beef stock because it is rich and thick)
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 200°C. Put the chicken and remaining ingredients apart from the beef stock and butter into a large non-reactive bowl, mix well, cover and set aside (this can be done up to 1 day in advance). Heat a frying pan with a little more oil, take the chicken out of its marinade and fry until well browned. Remove the chicken from the pan and place in a roasting tray in the oven for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Add the marinade and the stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Boil until slightly syrupy, add any juices from the chicken and stir in the butter. Serve the chicken with the sauce over the top. Serves 4-6.

Traditionally the dish is served on pieces of toasted bread for mopping up the sauce. However, it is also good with roasted potatoes.