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New Canaan's Ann Depuy is an excellent cook. Just ask her son. The 6'4" New Canaan High School student has been known, while visiting the homes of friends, to politely pick around the food he's served. "My Mom's a caterer," he shrugs when asked about his bird-like consumption. "But thank you!"
While Depuy humbly claims he's finicky at home as well, it's apparent that the teen has simply become used to a higher level of home cooking than the average boy. "I still do small jobs, but I've actually slowed down with my catering business," Ann says. "I had a few clients for whom I cooked on a regular basis for several years, but it's a challenging business to maintain and grow."
Depuy's interest in cooking began when she was in her 20s. "I worked at Fat Tuesday in New Canaan, a high end Northern Italian restaurant that's no longer in business. I was always fascinated by what was going on in the kitchen and the chef would let me watch him prepare dishes. One of the most popular items on the menu was Chicken a la Romana. So I learned to make it and, to this day, it remains one of my favorites.
"What's great is that you can make it ahead, then reheat it and it gets a beautiful golden crust," she continues. "No one else makes it anywhere that I've seen and the combination of rosemary, artichoke hearts and prosciutto is really wonderful."
Chicken a la Romana
2 pounds boneless chicken cut into small chunks1 cup of flour2 Tbls. butter2 Tbls. olive oil1 1/2 Tbls. fresh chopped rosemary1 can of quartered artichokes, drained3 slices cooked, crumbled or 3 slices chopped procuitto (either is delicious!)1 cup of white wineIn a large bowl, combine flour and chicken, turning pieces until thoroughly coated. In a large saucepan, saute the chicken in 2 tbls. butter 2tbls. olive oil. Cook in batches so that the flour gets brown and crusty on the chicken. Put the batches back into the pan and add wine, chopped rosemary, quartered artichokes, and chopped procuitto or crumbed bacon. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice. Voila!For information on catering, contact Ann at anndepuy@optonline.net.Click here to follow Daily Voice Norwalk and receive free news updates.
