The Arabs dominated Sicily in the 10th & 11th century, so it’s only natural that the Sicilian cuisine would be influenced. The use of saffron, citrus, sugar, cinnamon, raisins, apricots, pine nuts & couscous are some of the ingredients brought over from the Middle East & Northern Africa. Agrodolce sauce is one of the products that came out of these influences.
Agrodolce is a sweet & sour sauce traditionally made from mixing vinegar & sugar. Meat is then braised in the sauce, which gives it a briny, sweet flavor. When I was a kid, my mother made a dish similar to the one I posted here, except we just called it vinegar chicken…who knew?! It wasn’t until a few years ago that I found out that it had a proper name.
Recently, J & I went to a restaurant that gave me a squeeze bottle of agrodolce sauce to put on the dish I had ordered. I became addicted to the stuff. I could have happily pushed the food aside & drank the agrodolce & been quite content. There was something about that briny, sweet flavor that took me over.
Since I’m focusing on Sicilian recipes this month, I HAD to make pollo all’agrodolce. I loved the way this dish turned out, but I had to ask my panel of taste testers; my husband & my son. My husband said, “This is the best chicken you’ve ever made.” That was great feedback, but he says that about “almost” everything I make. My son was the true test. He looked up at me with a smile & a nod; I knew at that point “I done good.”
Gustatela!
D I V A
continuare per la ricetta (recipe)>>
