Florentine Chicken

Though this method of frying chicken is said to originate in Florence (Tuscany) it is used all over the world. It is said that an American on holidays in Florence tried the fried chicken there, found out the secret of marinating in lemon, went back home and started a fast food empire with this inspiration.

Although the method originates in Tuscany (where olive oil is plentiful), Silvana advocates the use of vegetable oil for the frying. Good olive oil has a strong distinctive taste and it will dominate the delicacy of the chicken flesh. She finds Salvo works well for this recipe. But before she cooks anything at all in vegetable oil she puts a piece of bread soaked in wine vinegar (not balsamic) into the hot oil. After frying the bread in the oil, the smell of the oil disappears ‚ a really old fashioned way to purify oil. This frying oil can then be used one more time but will need re-purifying each time. Silvana believes that all vegetable oils need to be purified before using for cooking.

The other important aspect with this chicken dish is the crumbing. For this you should use the whole egg. Though many recipes will suggest just using the white, the flavour is much better with the yolk included. You should beat the egg with a tiny bit of water in a mixer so as to aerate the coating. The crumbs should be made from old bread not fresh.

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 kilo chicken on the bone
juice of 2 lemons
plain flour for dipping chicken and artichokes
2 eggs lightly beaten
dry white bread crumbs
approx. 1 litre Salvo vegetable oil
3 globe artichokes blanched and quartered
seasonal green vegetables (could be asparagus stalks, green beans) fine spring onions
batter of warm water, yeast and flour

Cut the chicken into joints (the classic Italian method yields 8 pieces but the breasts can be cut in half to make 10)

Marinate in lemon juice, salt and pepper for at least 2 hours.

Prepare batter for frying green vegetables by combining dry yeast in warm water with a little flour and a pinch of salt. This should be done half an hour before you need it. If you use spring onions don't dip the green part in the batter in order to keep a nice colour contrast.

Drain in a colander to dry the flesh, then dip in flour, eggs and bread crumbs.

Get oil (enough to cover the chicken) very hot in a deep, heavy pot then purify (see above)

Put chicken in and lower heat.

Chicken needs about 8 minutes cooked slowly. Test with a skewer to see if the flesh is cooked. If you fry too quickly, the crumbs will brown too much, but you can take out and finish in oven.

Drain well on paper

Crumb the artichokes (in same way as chicken) , fry and drain

The othee vegetables are used raw and are dipped in the yeast batter, then fried, drained and served immediately with the chicken.

Can be accompanied by lemon wedges

Note ARTICHOKES fried by the method above are delicious as a dish on their own, just golden fried with sliced pecorino cheese on top. They make a lovely aperitif.