In the period of the feast of forgiveness when the chimes of the bell towers announce the time of lunch, the chicken valdarnese with the celery “rocchini” is the King of the tables. The dish is linked to the culinary tradition of the Arno valley. The celery rolls are similar to meatballs. The “Marconi celery” was used for this recipe, it has large soft stalks without strings but it is now extremely rare.

INGREDIENTS FOR STEWED CHICKEN

  •       1 chicken of Valdarno
  •       Garlic
  •         Parsley
  •         Carrot
  •         Tuscan red onion
  •         Tomatoes
  •         Tomato paste
  •         Red wine
  •         Garlic

INGREDIENTS FOR CELERY ROLLS

  •         Celery
  •         Flour
  •         Yolks
  •         Salt
  •         Valdarno extra virgin olive oil for frying

PROCEDURE

  1. Clean and cut the chicken into pieces. Finely chop garlic, parsley, red onion, celery and carrot. Put some extra virgin olive oil in an earthenware casserole and cook the chopped vegetables.
  2. Add the chicken and sauté gently. When the meat is golden brown add a glass of wine. Add coarsely chopped tomatoes and the tomato paste.
  3. Wash and clean the celery, cut it into pieces, boil them in salted water and drain them. Once cooled, chop them finely using a knife, and squeeze the celery mixture with your hands to remove the remaining water. The pulp  must be compact.
  4. Add the flour, the egg yolks, salt. At this point it is necessary to form many balls. Fry the celery balls in plenty of oil, possibly olive oil.
  5. When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the sauce, add the celery ”rocchini” to the remaining sauce for a few minutes to flavour. Serve them with the chicken.