Last week Maggy Reynolds of Islesboro asked for chicken cacciatore and-or chicken fricassee recipes. She remembered one was in a tomato sauce and the other had a creamy sauce. The cacciatore has the tomato-based sauce.

At its core, it’s an Italian recipe that is sometimes called Hunter’s Chicken. One source says hunters seem always to have tomato sauce and mushrooms handy. (Really? Do they? )

Diane Winiecki of Islesboro offered this cacciatore recipe along with advice from a French woman who taught her how to make it. “That woman,” Diane said, “told me two important things: one is to make sure the surface of the chicken pieces is dry to the touch so they will brown in the oil. And the other is to use tomato paste to thicken it up if the sauce seems too thin.”

I tried it with chicken thighs, bone in, and skin on. It took about an hour prepare in all.

Looking for…

Cindy Dines of Rockland wants to know the recipe for a caramel taffy that her aunt from Portsmouth, N.H., used to make. Cindy recalls: “It was a buttery, soft caramel. She would wrap small, bite-sized pieces in waxed paper. It was soooo good!”

Chicken Cacciatore

Serves four on pasta or polenta (fried mush to us Yankees)

2 pounds of chicken pieces

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 green pepper chopped (about a cup )

1 medium onion chopped (about a cup)

1 cup of sliced mushrooms

1 cup chicken stock

? (one half) cup of red wine

? (one quarter) cup of tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon basil

? teaspoon thyme

A few grinds of black pepper

Salt to taste

Pat the chicken dry and dredge it in the flour. Get the olive oil hot in a heavy-bottomed pot or deep fry pan over a medium high flame. Drop in the chicken pieces skin side down, browning them until the skin is golden, turning them once. Takes about 5 minutes. Remove them and keep warm. Turn all the vegetables into the oil, and cook them for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the stock, wine, and tomato paste. Combine it all well, then return chicken to the pan. Add the herbs, and simmer covered for about 30 minutes, then uncover and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes to thicken the sauce somewhat.

Send queries or answers to Sandy Oliver, 1061 Main Road, Islesboro 04848. For recipes, tell us where they came from. List ingredients, specify number of servings and do not abbreviate measurements. Include name, address and daytime phone number.