Pollo alla Marengo – poultry ragout with tomatoes and scrambled eggs

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 chicken(s), approx. 1.2 kg
• 4 prawns, unpeeled
• 500 g tomatoes, ripe
• 200 g onion(s) (pearl onions), alternatively very small onions
• 250 g mushrooms
• 1 bunch parsley, flat
• ½ bunch basil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 lemon(s), the juice
• 4 eggs
• ⅛ liter white wine, dry
• ⅛ liter chicken broth
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 slices of white bread
• Salt
• Pepper from the mill

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 55 minutes

Recipe from Piedmont, Aosta Valley

Cut the chicken into 6-8 pieces using a sharp knife. Rub with salt and pepper. Heat 5 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan or casserole dish and sear the chicken pieces all over for about 10 minutes. Then remove only the breast pieces and set aside. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes in a bowl. Wait a moment until the skin peels off easily. Then skin, deseed, and roughly chop. Add the tomatoes to the pot with the chicken. Pour in the white wine and chicken stock. Press the garlic cloves through a press. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Trim the mushrooms, halving the larger ones if necessary. Peel the pearl onions. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan. Add the mushrooms and onions and fry gently for about 10 minutes, stirring. Season with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Bring the remaining lemon juice and 1/8 l water to a boil in a saucepan. Simmer the 4 prawns in it for 6 minutes until they turn reddish. Remove the cooked poultry pieces from the pot. Simmer the sauce until creamy and season to taste. Add the poultry pieces back in together with the breast pieces and bring everything back to a good heat. Add the mushrooms and onions and stir in. Melt 1 tbsp butter in the mushroom pan. Crack the eggs one at a time and add them. Lightly beat with a fork until scrambled and let set over low heat. Season with salt and pepper. Chop the parsley. If desired, toast slices of white bread in the toaster. Serve the poultry ragout with the prawns, scrambled eggs and toast. Sprinkle with basil and parsley and serve.