Serves 4

750g chicken thighs and drumsticks
salt and freshly ground black pepper 
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
1 large onion, finely sliced 
1 garlic clove, crushed and left whole 
1 small red chilli, sliced
2 sprigs of rosemary 
2 sprigs of thyme
a handful of parsley, roughly chopped 
2 bay leaves 
4 sage leaves 
125ml cup dry white wine 
1½ tbsp tomato paste, dissolved in 3 tbsp lukewarm water
175g cherry tomatoes, halved 

Rub the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the chicken and seal well all over.

Add the onion, garlic, chilli and herbs and cook for a couple of minutes on a medium heat. Add the wine, increase the heat and allow the wine to evaporate slightly. Add the diluted tomato purée, then stir in the cherry tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook gently for 1¼ hours, until the chicken is cooked through; the flesh should come away from the bone and there should be no sign of pink when you pierce the thickest part. Serve hot.

For a slow cooker: Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan and cook the chicken as above. Continue as above, add the tomatoes, plus 300ml/1¼ cups chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then transfer to a large slow cooker pot. Cover and cook on low for seven to eight  hours or until there are no pink juices when the chicken is pierced with a small knife.  

Almond tea cake
(Ciambella alle mandorle)

Serves 6-8

1 x 7g sachet of dried yeast 
200ml lukewarm milk 
600g strong (bread) flour, plus extra to dust 
½ vanilla pod, split lengthways and seeds scraped out 
100g caster sugar 
100g ground almonds 
100g sultanas 
125g butter, melted
60g flaked (slivered) almonds 
a little icing sugar, sifted, to dust 

Check the instructions on the packet of yeast; if necessary, dissolve the yeast in the milk.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, vanilla seeds, sugar, ground almonds and sultanas. Make a well in the centre and gradually add the yeast and milk followed by 100g/7 tbsp of the butter, mixing with your hands to form a dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about five minutes, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for two hours.

Divide the dough into three equal parts and roll each into a long sausage shape, roughly 55cm in length. Plait the dough and join at the end to make a round cake. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment, put the ciambella on top, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Bake the ciambella for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, brush the top with the remaining melted butter, sprinkle with flaked almonds and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Leave on a wire rack to cool slightly and dust with icing sugar before serving.

Beetroot and celeriac soup
(Zuppa di barbabietole e sedano rapa)

Serves 4

500g celeriac, peeled and cut into large chunks 
150g beetroot, peeled and cut into large chunks 
1 large potato, peeled and cut into large chunks 
1 celery stalk with leaves, roughly chopped 
1 onion, roughly chopped 
1.3 litres vegetable broth (see below)
salt and freshly ground black pepper 
a handful of parsley, finely chopped 
natural yoghurt, to serve (optional) 

Put all the vegetables in a large saucepan together with the broth, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, partially cover with a lid and simmer gently for one hour, until tender.

Remove from the heat and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in individual bowls, sprinkled with parsley and a swirl of yoghurt if desired. 

Vegetable broth
(Brodo di verdure)

Serves 4

1 onion, peeled
1 courgette 
1 carrot
1 celery stalk with leaves
1 leek
1 potato, peeled
2 cherry tomatoes
a handful of parsley, including stalks
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt

Put all the ingredients in a large saucepan, add 1.5 litres water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 1¼ hours. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Remove from the heat and strain the broth through a fine sieve, pressing down well on the vegetables with the back of a spoon. Serve hot, or reheat, adding some small pasta shapes to cook in the broth if you like.