She bites into the pepper, then, satisfied by its sweetness, buys four kilos. Later in the same short film, she almost throws the most enormous knife at the chicken, then joints it with abandon, at one point nearly taking the fingers off Gigi Ballista, who is interviewing her like an impassioned bear with gravel in his throat. I am not sure how many times we have watched Sora Lella, playing a rumbustious Roman matriarch, cooking pollo alla Romana on YouTube. It must be 10 times. On each occasion my five-year-old, half-Roman son snorts with laughter at this black and white film made in 1967. Is it that his habit of taking a bite from vegetables on the market stall is now vindicated, or is it the ever-exciting knife, or perhaps the familiarity with the broad Roman dialect he is delightedly absorbing at his school in Testaccio – which makes him shake his pinched fingers at my Italian dressed in an English accent?
“Pollo alla Romana, il piatto piu forte di Roma.” Chicken Roman style, the strongest dish in Rome, she says. It is a strong dish, chicken with a stew of tomatoes, red peppers and olive oil which is as rumbustious as Sora Lella herself. It is a dish that tastes of Roman summer: sun-soaked, fullsome and a bit much if you are not in the mood. But if you are, it is gorgeous, the stewed tomatoes and peppers like a well-matched couple, balancing each other out, acidity tempered by sweetness and vice-versa, smothering the chicken.
In Rome, pollo alla Romana is often eaten on 15 August, Ferragosto, a holiday that dates back to 18BC when Emperor Augustus added a day of ferie (holiday) to the other ancient festivals Vinalia (in honour of the grape harvest), and Consualia (in honour of harvest and stored grain). This allowed a longer August rest after the backbreaking agricultural labour of the previous weeks. In the past the whole city would shut down to celebrate. Nowadays the city, already quiet and parched in August, becomes even more subdued, as those who can head to the beach or the hills, while those who remain enjoy a good lunch.
I am going to avoid the word authentic here, because authenticity is a tricky notion, and to use it here anyway seems at odds with the joyful anarchy of home cooking, in which there are as many recipes as there are cooks. Sora Lella’s recipe though is an iconic way to make it. The chicken, once jointed, is browned then cooked with wine and tomatoes until tender. The peppers are cooked separately with more tomatoes and onion, then mixed with the chicken at the end. My friend Alice, who makes a mean version, cooks all the ingredients together, the peppers and tomato collapsing into a scarlet stock in which the chicken simmers. I like both these ways. My version lies somewhere inbetween, with a roasted pepper twist, which I think is my invention but isn’t. Isn’t the smell of roasting peppers drifting through the kitchen a sultry one? You want the flesh to char and blacken, then, after a steam, the thin skin should pull away easily but messily to reveal sweet, velvety flesh that wraps around your fingers. Just before the end I add the roasted peppers to the tomato and chicken. I let the dish sit and sit – until the next day if I can.
Chicken with peppers transforms after a rest, the flavours deepen and sink into the chicken flesh, which becomes rosy. In Rome, pollo all Romana is usually served for lunch, as most Romans can’t digest peppers after 4 o’clock – something they may well mention in conversation with you. Bread is essential to mop up the juices. I also like boiled potatoes, cooked until soft and blurred at the edges, so easily mashed into the red juices. To follow, green salad perhaps or green beans with olive oil and lemon, then sliced white peaches dropped in the end of your wine so they too are a bit drunk. Then a long nap.
Chicken with peppers
I think it is worth peeling the tomatoes, but it is up to you. Tinned plum tomatoes also work.
Serves 4
1.5 kg chicken, jointed into 8, or 8 thighs
60g pancetta or bacon
Extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
A sprig of rosemary, finely chopped (optional)
Salt and black pepper
150ml dry white wine
800g ripe, fleshy tomatoes, peeled and chopped
4 large or 6 small red or yellow peppers
1 Joint the chicken, making sure the pieces are at room temperature and dry. Cut the pancetta into short batons. In a large deep frying pan or heavy casserole, warm 2 tbsp olive oil, then fry the pancetta until the fat has rendered. Working in batches, if necessary, add the chicken pieces skin-side down and cook until a light golden crust has formed – about 8 minutes – then turn and brown the other side.
2 Assess how much fat is in your pan, adding more olive oil or pouring fat away. Peel and gently crush the clove of garlic and add to the pan along with the chopped rosemary, if using. Season with salt and pepper.
3 Add the wine and let it bubble away for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes. Cover the pan for 10 minutes, lifting the lid to stir halfway through. Then half-cover and cook over a medium-low heat for 45-60 minutes or until the tomatoes have reduced to a rich sauce and the chicken is tender. If the sauce looks dry, add a little water.
4 Meanwhile, prepare the peppers by roasting them whole at 200C/400F/gas mark 6 until they are charred and floppy. Tip them into a bowl and cover with clingfilm for 10 minutes, by which time the skin should pull away. Discard the skins and pips, then rip the pepper into thick strips.
5 In the last 10 minutes of cooking time, add the peppers to the pan so the flavours can mingle. Allow the dish to sit for at least an hour – overnight even. Eat room temperature or re-heat gently.
