Focus, what?

My inability to follow directions is affecting, (among other things) my picture taking. I was comfortable with my old camera, knew how to do enough with it to produce a decent food shot and that was about it. It died a while ago and it has taken me some time to replace it. I looked at a variety of digital cameras and as much as I ooed and awed over a DSL camera, there was no way I could justify the cost. There’s also that matter of me not having any clue how to make a fancy camera like that function properly. I eventually decided on a Canon Powershot SD800 as I got an amazing deal on it through ebay, (oh how I love ebay!) but now I have to learn how to use a new camera and that’s not going so well. A smarter person would read the manual. I don’t like to read manuals because I’m convinced I should just intuitively know how to use things. Funny thing is, I don’t. So the focus is off in all my pictures recently. I know this camera should be letting me do macro shots, but it never chooses the focal point I want it to. My camera and I both lack focus, what are the odds? This chicken cacciatore is good, the picture is not, my apologies.

Chicken Cacciatore (Adapted from Gourmet, January 2006)

1 (3 1/2- to 4-lb) chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
2 chorizo sausages, cut into chunks
1 3/4 teaspoons table salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 ½ cups chopped mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 sprigs thyme
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice
1 can tomato paste
Herb and sun dried tomato pasta

Pat chicken dry and sprinkle on all sides with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and pepper. Heat oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken and chorizo in 2 batches, turning over once, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Reduce heat to moderate and add onion, mushrooms, thyme and garlic to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any brown bits, until onion and garlic are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add wine and simmer, scraping up brown bits, until liquid is reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice and paste and simmer, breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon, 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and nestle chicken pieces in sauce.

Simmer, loosely covered with foil, until chicken is cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes. Season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. For a thicker sauce, transfer cooked chicken to a platter and keep warm, covered, then boil sauce until it reaches desired consistency.

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Chicken + Pasta