Saturday Beefcake: Thighs Redux

If you're going to have a re-do it might as well be this little ditty. Any excuse to have pics of those who only have thighs for you.

Pollo alla Birra di Giovanni [working title]

Chicken Thighs, six
Newcastle Brown Ale, twelve fluid ounces (355 ml)
Red Onion, one medium, thin slices
Garlic Cloves, four, whole, peeled
Lemon Rind, from an entire lemon
Basil, dried, to taste
Coarse Salt, to taste.
Broccoli di Rape, one bunch, about 500 grams (one pound, ends removed, ready (mondati)




1. Brown the thighs in a deep sauce pan. Turning them from time to time.
2. Salt to taste. Oh, what the hell, throw some black pepper in there.
3. Add the garlic and lemon. Toss the pan to get the ingredients distributed evenly.
4. Add the basil. Toss and distribute.
5. Then add the beer. Turn the heat up and bring to a brief boil. Then simmer.
6. At this point the recipe can go in one of two directions, both delicious. You can cook it down to a sauce or you can reduce it even further making the resulting sauce thicker and richer. The onion caramelizes quite nicely in the Newcastle. You could also remove the thighs at this point.
7. If you're going the sauce route, throw the broccoli on top of the mixture and cover. The greens pick up an almost sweet counterpoint to their natural bitterness. Cooking them to personal level of tenderness. When you've finished, remove the rind.
8. The difference in time for the two versions varies from twenty to thirty minutes.
9. The sauce version would be perfect for rice or pasta perhaps adding some peas.


It makes for a batch of delicious thighs.