073Rooster in wine

Method

Peloponnesian village style. Ladle generously over thick macaroni or handmade hilopites topped with grated aged mizithra.

You will need

• heavy-bottomed casserole or Dutch oven
• wooden spoon
• tongs

1. Season the jointed rooster pieces generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 5 min Ready when: Pieces evenly seasoned.
2. Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed casserole over medium-high heat, then brown the bird pieces in batches for 8 to 10 minutes until deeply golden on all sides, removing them to a plate. 10 min Ready when: Deep golden crust on the skin.
3. Lower the heat to medium, add the chopped onions to the remaining oil, and cook gently for 6 minutes until soft and translucent. 6 min Ready when: Onions softened and fragrant.
4. Add the sliced garlic and tomato paste, stirring constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw paste until it darkens slightly. 2 min Ready when: Tomato paste turns brick-red.
5. Pour in the red wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and simmer vigorously for 5 minutes until reduced by half. 5 min Ready when: Harsh alcohol aroma dissipates.
6. Return the rooster pieces to the pot along with any resting juices, then stir in the canned tomatoes, cinnamon stick, allspice berries, bay leaves, and warm water. 2 min Ready when: Liquid reaches halfway up the meat.
7. Bring to a gentle boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid, turn heat to low, and simmer for 60 to 75 minutes until the rooster is thoroughly tender when pierced with a fork. 70 min Ready when: Meat is meltingly tender and comes away easily from the bone.
8. Uncover the pot and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce to a rich, glossy coating, discarding the cinnamon stick and bay leaves before serving. 10 min Ready when: Sauce clings to the back of a spoon.

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Make ahead and storing

Improves substantially if made a day ahead, allowing the flavours of wine and spices to meld.

Keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat gently over low heat with a splash of water.

Substitutions

• corn-fed mature chicken or hen for free-range rooster (or mature chicken). Standard broiler chicken will cook faster (45 minutes) and yield a lighter sauce.

Common mistakes

• Using a young broiler chicken and cooking it for the full rooster time. Standard shop-bought chickens disintegrate into stringy fragments if cooked for 90 minutes.
• Not reducing the wine before adding the tomatoes. Failing to burn off the alcohol leaves a sharp, raw acid flavour in the braise.

Regional variants

• Kokoras pastitsada style with cloves and nutmeg
• Kokoras kokkinistos cooked purely with sweet onions and minimal wine

About the dish

Kokoras krasatos is an enduring Sunday centrepiece across rural Greece, especially renowned in the Peloponnese and mountainous inland villages. Traditionally, an older free-range rooster was slaughtered for feast days, requiring long, slow braising in sturdy local red wine to soften its dense, muscular flesh. Spiced with allspice and cinnamon, the rich, deeply coloured sauce is customarily served over thick pasta or hilopites with a grating of salty local hard cheese.

Found in Peloponnese, Central Greece, Thessaly. Cooked for sunday lunch, autumn, winter.

Cousins elsewhere

• Coq au vin (French). Both dishes braise tough cockerel meat slowly in dry red wine until tender.
• Gallo al vino rosso (Italian). A similar rustic braise of mature rooster in red wine sauce common in central Italy.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

705 kcal · protein 67.8 g · fat 36.5 g (saturated 8.6 g) · carbohydrate 11.7 g (sugars 5.1 g) · fibre 2.5 g · sodium 308 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Rooted in rural Peloponnesian farmstead cooking, balancing sturdy local red wine with warming sweet spices..