Chicken Marengo with tomatoes and mushrooms (Pollo alla Marengo)

1. Cut the chicken legs in two at the joint, season with salt and pepper and dust lightly with flour.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan and brown the chicken on all sides for 8-10 minutes until golden; remove from the pan.

3. In the remaining fat, soften the finely chopped onion for 5 minutes, then add the crushed garlic and quartered mushrooms and fry for another 5 minutes.

4. Pour in the white wine, bring to the boil, then add the chopped tomatoes and stock; return the chicken, cover and simmer over low heat for 35-40 minutes until tender.

5. For the last 5 minutes, add the peeled prawns to the sauce and cook until pink; meanwhile toast the bread slices in a pan with a little oil.

6. Serve the chicken with the sauce and prawns, the toasted bread and plenty of chopped parsley.

Tip: Legend has it that Napoleon's cook made this dish after the Battle of Marengo from whatever was at hand - which is why prawns and toast belong to the original version.