Chicken with grapes, olives and sage

Pollo con uva, olive e salvia

There is something quite satisfying about combining the two main fruit crops of the region — grapes and olives — and using them in the same dish. There’s a winning contrast between the sweetness of one and the brackish tang of the other. I think it looks more impressive to leave the grapes attached to the fine stems of the small bunches, but only if they are not too twiggy. If they are, pick the grapes off and discard the stems. Ask your butcher to cut the whole bird into eight roughly even pieces.

For four:

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, finely sliced

1 small carrot, peeled and finely sliced

1 celery stalk, finely sliced

1 large free-range chicken, around 1.5kg, cut into 8 pieces

Flaky sea salt

Black pepper

A large bunch of small, sweet, seedless grapes A large handful of Taggiasca olives, pitted

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half lengthways A large handful of sage leaves

200ml white wine

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Heat several good glugs of olive oil in a very large, cast-iron, ovenproof casserole dish. Soften the onion, carrot and celery for about 10 minutes. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add to the pan.

Cook for another 12–15 minutes until the chicken is nicely golden brown. Reduce the heat and add the grapes, olives, garlic and sage leaves. Stir for a few minutes. Pour in two-thirds of the white wine and place the casserole dish uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes.

At the 30-minute point, check the contents and, if still too wet, turn the oven up to 200°C for a further 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken, olives and grapes to a large serving dish with the garlic and sage leaves and cover.

Place the casserole dish on a high heat and deglaze the cooking juices with the rest of the white wine for a few minutes until reduced to a sticky sauce. Pour it over the chicken and serve.