Dad's Chicken Cacciatore(3)

　　Cut up chickens into serving pieces; discard skin and wing tips. Pour olive oil into a large frying pan. Brown the chicken in batches, adding more olive oil as necessary. Transfer the pieces as you brown them into a large pot. To the pot add tomatoes and tomato paste.

　　Prepare vegetables as follows: slice carrots and mushrooms, chop onions, celery, green and orange bell peppers. Add the vegetables to the pot with the chicken and tomatoes along with minced garlic, salt and pepper. Stir, and if the liquid does not cover the ingredients, add some chicken broth as needed. Cover, and simmer over very low heat while you spend a lazy afternoon doing nothing in particular, or until the chicken is tender and begins to fall off the bones.

　　To serve, remove the chicken bones from the pot. Stir in the minced fresh basil. Serve in bowls, accompanied by warm homemade corn bread. Give thanks before eating.