“Tava is a traditional Cypriot peasant dish usually made with lamb or mutton. I have changed the recipe slightly and used chicken instead. I think it’s much lighter and is nice even on a hot day.”
George Calombaris: Kotopoulo tava
Australian Gourmet Traveller Cypriot recipe for kotopoulo tava by George Calombaris.
- 25 mins preparation
- 1 hr 15 mins cooking
- Serves 4
Print
Ingredients
- 1 tsp each cumin and coriander seeds
- 100 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 chicken Marylands, halved through the joint
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 cinnamon quill
- 400 gm (about 4) small Nicola potatoes, thickly sliced
- 1 lemon, finely grated rind only
- 200 ml chicken stock
- 500 gm cherry tomatoes (about 2 punnets)
- To serve: flat-leaf parsley and sage
- To serve: crisp green salad
Method
Main
- 1Preheat oven to 180C. Combine cumin and coriander on an oven tray, roast until fragrant (2-3 minutes), cool slightly then coarsely crush in a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
- 2Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a casserole over medium-high heat, add chicken in batches and cook, turning occasionally, until sealed and browned (4-5 minutes). Set aside. Add onion, garlic, cinnamon and reserved spices to pan, reduce heat to medium and stir occasionally until onion is soft (4-5 minutes).
- 3Spread potato in an ovenproof dish large enough to hold chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken skin-side up over potato, then scatter with onion mixture, lemon rind and 2 tsp sea salt. Add stock and tomatoes, cover with aluminium foil and roast for 45 minutes. Remove foil, roast until chicken is golden and tender (15-20 minutes), scatter with herbs and serve hot with a crisp green salad.
Notes
This recipe is from the March 2010 issue of .