This is an intriguing dish I came across while reading Aldo Santini’s Cucina Maremmana, a collection of recipes from around Maremma. This book is a wonderful resource of traditional dishes recounted by chefs, home cooks and others, where many recipes of oral tradition have finally been written down.
Santini describes this dish as an ancient one, derived from a method commonly used to cook game, such as wild boar or guinea fowl (the vinegar was not only for flavour, but also preserved the meat). In fact, along with the vinegar, the use of juniper, bay leaves and so many herbs is reminiscent of many traditional wild boar dishes (see Cinghiale in dolce-forte), and they all help to make this sauce so very special. It has become one of my favourite dishes.
The recipe that Santini recounts comes from Igino and Eloge Niccolucci from a hotel and restaurant in Pitigliano called Guastini, where you can dine while overlooking a stunning view of the valley and Pitigliano itself. After the vegetables are cooked, they’re puréed to create a creamy sauce to serve over the chicken. It’s a more elegant way to have this, but I quite like it rustic and simple, as it is.