Chicken and porcini mushrooms

Early Autumn and mother nature is showing her hand with cooler mornings. In the garden the first of my bulbs are starting to shoot and the roses are putting on a show, having survived another Summer of heat and water restrictions. The afternoons are warm and the beach still beckons. What a lovely time. If you have to be in the kitchen then something simple is in order. I think this is ideal, though preferably cooked the night before, as the flavours and texture improves with time in the fridge. The polenta firms and sets. The chicken - at least the thigh parts, become more tender.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole medium chicken - jointed and cut into 10 pieces and seasoned.
  
• 20g of dried porcini mushrooms - soaked for 30 minutes in half a cup of boiling water.
• 400g of button mushrooms, cleaned and stalk trimmed.
• 3 cloves of garlic chopped.
• 125mls of dry white wine (eg chardonnay).
• 400g can of tomatoes.
• 2 sprigs of thyme.

How?
In a large pan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and cook the button mushrooms and garlic for a few minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
In the same pan add more olive oil and now seal the chicken. When the skin has taken on some gold, add the wine and let bubble before adding the tin of tomatoes, thyme, mushroom and garlic mixture and the porcini mushrooms and the porcini soaking liquid. Bring to the simmer, cover and cook for a further 20 minutes before removing the lid and cooking uncovered for another 10 minutes so that the sauce can thicken.
Serve on a bed of mashed potato or soft polenta. For the polenta add 110g of polenta to 1.5L of boiling water, and stir every few minutes for 25 minutes, or until the polenta is thick and creamy. Now add 70g of butter and a small handful of grated parmesan and stir in prior to serving.

Wine?
Doesn't mushroom = Pinot noir?
An aged and mellow shiraz or a 2-3 year old Chianti would also work.

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