“If someone were to ask me what my favourite pastime is, it is probably most truthful to say ‘wandering the aisles of different grocers looking for new things to cook and try’,” says Julia Busuttil Nishimura. “On this particular day, I was drawn to the pasta section of my local Greek deli and had an immediate craving for kotopoulo me hilopites (braised chicken with hilopites pasta). I almost always order this cinnamon- and bay-spiked braised chicken dish when I am at my favourite Greek restaurant; it’s just so simple and soothing. Hilopites, a small square Greek pasta made with egg, milk and flour, add the most wonderful creamy texture. If you can’t find hilopites, you can substitute it with orzo or risoni. The result will be a little different but still delicious.”
Ingredients
Serves 4–6
- 1 × 1.2 kg chicken
- Sea salt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Black pepper
- 400 g tin whole peeled tomatoes
- 250 g hilopites pasta
- Grated dried mizithra cheese or crumbled feta, to serve
Method
- Joint the chicken into six pieces, so you have two drumsticks, two thighs and two breasts. Cut the breasts in half so you now have eight pieces in total. Reserve the chicken frame for another use. Alternatively, use 1.2 kg of bone-in thighs and drumsticks. Season the chicken well with salt.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan over a medium–high heat. Brown the chicken, in batches if necessary, on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. Reduce the heat to low–medium, add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 8–10 minutes or until softened.
- Add the bay leaf, cinnamon and a good pinch of salt and pepper to the pan. Stir well, then return the chicken and any juices to the pan, followed by the tomatoes and 600 ml of water. Scrape the bottom of the pan to lift any browned bits and crush the tomatoes using the back of a wooden spoon. Gently simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the hilopites to the pan, stirring very well to ensure they are incorporated into the liquid. Cook, stirring frequently and topping up with water if the sauce begins to dry out, for 15–18 minutes or until the hilopites are al dente. There will still be some liquid left in the pan.
- Remove the pan from the heat, cover with a tight-fitting lid and allow to sit for 10 minutes to finish cooking.
- Season well with salt and pepper, drizzle with plenty of extra olive oil and finish with a scattering of cheese.
Simple Pleasures by Julia Busuttil Nishimura, published by Plum, RRP $44.99, photography by Armelle Habib. Simple Pleasures is out now and available at excellent independent Victorian bookstores such as Readings and Hill of Content.