CHICKEN-LEMON FRICASEE (ITALIAN) Short on time tonight, I threw together an easy'n'delicious Northern Italian chicken fricasee tonight, flavored with garlic, lemon and rosemary, a combo made to go with just about any dry white wine. Fire up a black-iron skillet over medium-high heat, and when it's plenty hot, toss in four chicken thighs that you've rinsed under the faucet and left dripping. The combination of the water that clings to them and their own fat will provide plenty of liquid, requiring no additional sauteeing medium. Once they start to brown, add in just a taste of butter and/or olive oil to add flavor and keep them from sticking; then toss in a couple of smooshed garlic cloves, a good-size sprig of fresh rosemary or a teaspoon of dried, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir it around and add 1/2 cup dry white wine; turn heat down to low, cover, and let simmer, turning the thighs occasionally, for about 30 minutes. When the thighs are done, remove them to a warm serving platter. Skim off any floating fat, raise heat, and stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice and the zest of half of a lemon, cut into julienne strips. Reduce a bit, pour over the thighs, and serve. We served it with hot steamed rice and a mound of chopped spinach tossed with a taste of olive oil and garlic. The entire meal was easily accomplished in well under an hour.
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