Clay Pot Chicken

The clay pot we're talking about here is an unglazed item modeled on that used by the Etruscans. Everything Etruscan that was any good was absorbed by the Romans, and the best-known brand of these today is the Römertopf. The unglazed pot is usually soaked for 20–30 minutes or so to absorb water, then filled with meat, stew, or bread dough, and placed in a cold oven; the oven is then turned on, heats up, and the food is baked and steamed to deliciousness.

• 2 lbs. chicken thighs, 2 Cornish game hens (halved lengthwise), or 6 quail
• Pepper
• Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 0.75 cup chopped onion
• 0.5 cup peas (fresh work even better than frozen!)
• 0.5 cup chopped red bell pepper (one whole pepper, roasted is best)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 0.5 tsp. salt
• 0.5 tsp. pepper
• 0.25 tsp. crushed saffron
• 14 oz. chicken broth
• 0.25 cup white wine

Sprinkle the meat with pepper and Old Bay seasoning and set it aside.

Soak the top and bottom of your clay pot in cold water for at least 15 minutes.

Depending on your rice, you'll need between one-and-a-half and two times as many cups of liquid as you have rice; I can't help you here, you just have to know what kind of rice you have. Put everything except the poultry in a bowl and stir it all up, then put it in the bottom of the clay pot and stir again to mix it thoroughly.

Place the hens on top, put the lid on the pot, and put it in a cold oven.

Set the oven temperature to 425 F and bake for 1.25 hours, by which time the rice should be tender, and the chicken cooked through. If the rice is very wet, you used too much liquid, so make a note to use less next time.

This is a whole meal for two hungry people (with maybe a little left over), or it'll feed four as part of a three-course dinner. The recipe can be halved for two not-so-hungry people.