1 chicken, cut up (or separate parts as desired)
¼ cup butter
1 can large tomatoes (or fresh, skinned)
10-20 oz. frozen or canned green beans (amt. al gusto); or subst. mushrooms
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed (1 clove for WASPs)
4-5 teaspoons rosemary (fresh), chopped
1 large onion
white wine
salt/ground pepper

Polenta

2 quarts water
1 small potato (or dried potato flakes)
1½-2 cups yellow corn meal


Melt butter in roasting pan and sauté onion until lightly browned. Add tomatoes (puréed or cut up a bit). Bring to boil. Add garlic and rosemary, salt/pepper to taste. Place chicken in pyrex roaster and cover with stew. Bake at 350 for 1-2 hours. Add green beans and/or mushrooms at start or after an hour.

Polenta

Dice potato and let stand in cold water until soft, and then mash. Add corn meal slowly. When it settles at bottom, drain off a bit of the water and begin to boil, stirring constantly (it's a mess!) until it pulls away from pan.

EASIER: let dried potato flakes stand in water a while; add corn meal slowly as above until it settles at bottom. Drain off all but a half inch of the water and microwave in 5-7 minute bursts. Check after each burst until desired consistency is achieved.