This is a dish you may find in villages of Greece. Quite wintry really. It is lovely with homemade noodles (or bought dried ones). It is also often served with chips instead of noodles. You can use a chicken here in place of the rooster, but the cooking time will be shorter.
Serves 4 – 6
Method:
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 rooster with skin on about 2.25 kg, cut into 10 pieces
2 red onoins chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste (concentrated puree)
400 gms tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 cinnamon roll
2 bay leaves
hilopites, or 400 gms dried flat pasta pieces to share
grated firm myzithra (or hard salted ricotta) to serve
Method:
Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan with high sides and fry the rooster pieces until golden on all sides. Add the onion around the rooster and fry, stirring often, until it is golden, then add the garlic. Season well with salt and pepper on both sides. When it smells good, add the wine.
Simmer uncovered and when much of the wine has evaporated, add the tomato paste, the tomato and a tomato tin of water. Add the cinnamon, bay leaves and allspice, and a little more salt. Bring up to the boil, cover, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 2 hours or until the bird is very tender but not falling off the bone. Add a little more water towards the end if the sauce needs loosening up – there must be some nice thickened sauce to serve with the noodles. Turn off the heat and leave, covered.
Cook the hilopites in boiling salted water until soft, a couple of minutes, or follow the packet instructions. Drain and toss with a little of the sauce. Serve straight away, with pieces of rooster on top of the pasta, a little more sauce over and a scattering of cheese.
