I found this recipe in a cookbook my mom gave me years ago. The cookbook is Elodia Rigante’s Italian Immigrant Cookbook and it is filled with many wonderful recipes. She also shares stories and pictures of her family throughout the book. Many of the dishes are from her mother, whom she calls Mammanon. She says Giambotte is from Bari, her father’s hometown in southern Italy.
The word Giambotte means mixture and is a peasant dish. The original recipe calls for boneless chicken breasts, but I like to use bone-in pieces as they tend to stay moist when cooking. I also add chicken stock to the recipe, which creates a delicious sauce. If you use sweet sausage, you may want to add hot red pepper flakes to make a spicy Gambotte. If you use hot sausage, the dish will be spicy enough. Either way, it is a great dish to make on a cold night!
INGREDIENTS
1 lb sweet sausage
1 lb hot sausage
or
2 lbs of either hot or sweet sausage
4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in 2 inch pieces
or
2 whole chicken breasts, bone in, skin removed, cut in half, then each half cut again
4 to 6 drumsticks
¼ cup olive oil
1 bag small yellow creamer potatoes, halved
1 red pepper, sliced
2 Italian green peppers, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
chicken stock (optional)
1 teaspoon oregano
½ cup each chopped fresh basil and parsley
2 whole bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
hot red pepper flakes (optional)
Serves 4 to 6
In a large skillet, add some of the olive oil. Add the sausage and sauté over medium heat until browned. Remove the sausage and set aside in bowl.
Sauté the chicken pieces in the oils from the sausage in the skillet. Season with black pepper and cook until brown. Reduce the heat to low; add the sausage back to the skillet and simmer.
In a separate skillet, heat up some olive oil and add the peppers, onions and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper, brown the vegetables and cook until tender. Transfer the vegetables to the skillet with the sausage and chicken. If using the chicken stock, add to the mixture. Add the chopped parsley and basil, the whole bay leaves, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until all flavors are mixed together. For additional spiciness, add ¼ tsp of hot red pepper flakes; adjust accordingly. Remove whole bay leaves before serving.
Serve the Giambotte with warm, crusty Italian bread and your favorite salad!
Cover images courtesy of Burpee