Hunter stew, tomato sauce or gravy?

Grandma was Sicilian and made a thin, soupy sauce. Like most Americans, I like mine thick. A very liquidly stew is a soup; a stew poured over a starch is a gravy or sauce. Stretching one ingredient and pulling back on another creates a different dish, but why bother with a different recipe?

1. Preliminaries Optionally cut up a chicken (or buy it that way), cut Italian sausage into chucks (or leave whole, but larger pieces take longer to cook.) The image below includes a precooked “Italian-style” chicken sausage–tasty and quick.
2. Heat pan Use this time to pull out the olive oil and perhaps butter. A bit of pancetta can be added for flavor.
3. Heat oil And start to rummage for the veggies.
4. Brown meat Review Step 4 of the stew-cordion
   

   Cacciatore preparation

5. Sauté onion and garlic As usual, the onion is first. Saute till translucent, then the garlic. While those are cooking, chop a carrot and some tomatoes (canned or fresh). Other suggestions: red or green peppers, Italian pepper, mushrooms.
6. Sauté veggies, spices Continue to sauté veggies and chop more as the harder ones cook. While the veggies are finishing up, find these spices: fennel seed, red pepper flakes, rosemary, sage, oregano, marjoram, parsley and/or pepper. (The bay leaf is added add after the wet ingredients.)
7. Add the wet ingredients Lots of chopped fresh or canned tomato and red wine.
8. Return meat to pan, simmer
   

   Cacciatore, Italian Sauce or Gravy

   Add the meat from Step 4 to the lightly bubbling pot. Partially cover and simmer gently.   The chicken should be tender, not stringy.   If the sausage is precooked, 20 minutes should be about right for both.  Find the Parmesan cheese, chop some Italian parsley.

9. Add garnish, serve Stir in the parsley. Ladle over pasta and pass the cheese.