Sort of Sicilian, sort of Greek, sort of American: Chicken and cauliflower stew

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8HMzPOaB10

Ciao ragazzi e buon giorno!.  And, if appropriate, HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Annalena welcomes all of you back to this wonderful, "perfect at just about any time of the year" recipe.  It is a dish which was described as "Greek," although it isn't, tasted Sicilian to Annalena, although it isn't, and is irresolutely American.  It's good, too, and you might even get a veggie hater to like cauliflower. And for Annalena's music fans, a video above relates to what happens in the recipe further on

On the "nationality" of the dish:  you HAVE noticed, haven't you (since Annalena essentially drives this spike into your eye, over and over again), that if there are certain ingredients in a dish, it almost always gets a geography attached to it.  This one is supposed to have oregano, black olives and feta cheese in it - which makes it.... GREEK!    Now, Annalena showed the recipe to her secretary, from Athens, who said  "PHEH.  There is nothing Greek about that dish but the name."    There are components of it which made Annalena think:  SICILY.  Except you won't find much in the way of chicken recipes in Sicilian cookbooks.  No, ragazzi, this one is resolutely American.  It is also resolutely good.  While we're in for a bit of time in the kitchen (maybe 90 minutes), we're getting a REAL GOOD supper dish that you will appreciate. And for that, Annalena gives an all American YEE HA.

So, let's get started. You need 8 pieces of dark meat chicken:  that means thighs and legs, amici, on the bone.  You can remove the skin, or not, as you please (Annalena pleases to leave the skin on):

You see in this picture, just about all of the ingredients you will need.  At the left is Annalena's jar of cinnamon - yes cinnamon.  Don't leave it out.  It WILL make a difference.  You will also see that Annalena has 6 whole legs of chicken.  That is because that is what her big skillet can handle.  If you have a pan that can hold more, make more: this dish is not sensitive to the amount of protein.    

So, we get started with prepwork:  salt those chicken legs, dice the onion (a big red one), and sliver 4 cloves of garlic (you can go low on this one, but why would you?)  Pour out a tablespoon of oil in your skillet,  and if you are so inclined (Annalena is not), pulse the contents of that can of tomatoes in a food processor .  You also see black olives in the upper right hand corner.  If you use them, use good ones, and, depending on who's eating, pit them or not.  You need about 20.   

You see that cauliflower on the right?  Annalena's favorite yellow .  Now, you break this into florets, and slice them thick:

And now, we cook.  Remember that tabelspoon of olive oil?  Heat it, and get as many pieces of chicken in the pan as you can. It will seem like insufficient oil.  It's not.  The legs of chicken contain a nice amount of fat, and you may very well have more at the end than when you began.  Sear the legs, on both sides, for 4-5 minutes, until you get really nice color:

When you're done, pour off that fat.  You really need to, because it has been, ahem  "used."  You will have a bit of fond in the bottom of your pan:

You want this.  So what you do is have two tablespoons of red vinegar at the ready and pour that into the hot pan, moving your face away, because the vinegar will evaporate , and it's not pleasant.  Scrape a bit as it does, and then add a second tablespoon of olive oil.   Add your chopped onion to this, together with salt and pepper.  Use a fairly high flame, keep the onions moving, and after five minutes you have:

Now, you cover that pan and lower the heat as far as it will go.  You come back in ten minutes:

See the difference?  Yes, Esther Philips sang of 'what a difference a day makes."  In the kitchen,  it can be ten minutes. 

Add your sliced up garlic, and cook it for a minute.  Now, add the can of tomatoes, put through the food processor not,  a healthy half teaspoon of cinnamon, and then a big tablespoon of chopped thyme, chopped oregano, or choppped marjoram.  (That's what Annalena had).  If you don't have fresh, why not?  If you are using dried, cut the quantities in half.   This is all going to simmer, covered for ten minutes:

Take a look at that color.  It won't stay.  After ten minutes,  uncover the pot, nestle the chicken in, cover it again, and cook for 20 minutes:

See how we've gone from red to a sort of burnt orange?  That's cooking, kids.    Now, take those slices of cauliflower, and the olives, and add them:

You cook this for another twenty minutes.    At the end of that, if you are so moved, stir in some chopped parsley, and perhaps some feta cheese (Annalena declined on both:  she had no parsley, and she was using cheese in her salad).   

This truly calls for something like rice, or noodles, or spatzle, or whatever your absorbing starch of choice is.  The chicken will be ridiculously tender, the veggies toothsome, and that little bit of cinnamon will keep you wondering :  "what is that? " and perhaps feeling a bit of exotica in your food.  We can all use that, ragazzi, can't we?