Η συνταγή και στα ελληνικά στο τέλος της ανάρτησης.
Once upon a time an old peasant lady had a rooster. The rooster came to the lady and told her that he was leaving her, to go and make a fortune. Next day he started his long travel. As he was walking, he met a fox. The fox asked him where he was going. The rooster replied that he was trying to make a fortune. The fox asked him, if she could join him and the rooster told her that she could join, but if she got tired he would have to eat her. After walking quite a bit the fox was tired and the rooster ate her.
After a while he stumbled upon a wolf. The wolf asked him where he was going and the same conversation, as with the fox, took place. After walking for quite a while, the wolf got tired and the rooster ate him. Same story happened with a horse too.
While walking, the rooster arrived at a small creek. The creek asked the same question as the previous ones and the rooster replied in exactly the same manner. When the creek got tired, the rooster drank it.
Eventually, the rooster arrived at the king’s palace and started crowing, asking for golden coins. The king was irritated and ordered to throw him to the chickens and hens to make him quiet. When the rooster was among the chicken, let the fox out and she ate the whole coop. After that, he started crowing again asking for his golden coins.
The king started feeling angry and ordered to throw him to the horses to tromp him. The rooster released the wolf, who ate the horses. He started crowing again asking for money. The king, really angry this time, ordered to put him in the oven, but the rooster released the creek and it put out the fire.
The king realized that he would never get rid of the rooster, unless he gave him the golden coins. The rooster rolled into the tar so as to get as many coins as possible and then he took the road back. When the old lady saw him, she immediately started cleaning him. When she saw all these golden coins, she got crazy from joy and from then on they lived rich and happy.
This story comes from Souflí, an area in the northern part of Greece near Turkey. Naive and simple as it may seems, this fairytale talks about the long road one has to make in his life so as to gain money, how many people he has to overcome and “eat”, when climbing through work hierarchy and how many times he has to use his abilities, his experience, his “secret weapons” just in time so as to become a winner.
I stumbled upon this fairytale by accident and as we had this chicken yiaourtloù the other day I thought, I should share it with you as an example of how simply and accurately people used to teach valuable life lessons to children. Yiaourtloù is a dish very much influenced by Asia Minor and the Greek immigrants who came from there after losing the war to Turkey in 1922. If you wish to learn more about this you can check Imam Bayildì. It is made with pork souvlaki or with pork kebab. I had a lot of chicken in my fridge so I substituted chicken to pork which was also delicious. Plus I made my own pitas and let me tell you, they were a big success.
- 1 kilo / 2 lb. chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut in small cubes
- 2 small onions or one large, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- Salt, pepper
- ½ cup sweet wine
- 200 ml Greek yogurt
- 1 ¼ tsp dried mint
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- Salt, pepper
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp curry powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ kilo / 1 lb. all purpose flour
- 1 tsp dried yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cup warm water
- Start by preparing the chicken first.
- Put all the ingredients including the chicken in a non-reactive bowl, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours up to overnight.
- When you are going to make the yiaourtloù, take the chicken out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature about an hour.
- Next make the pitas.
- Put all dry ingredients in your mixer bowl and mix with the hook in slow for a few seconds.
- Add the water and turn on your mixer.
- Mix until a soft dough gathers around the hook.
- The dough will be somewhat sticky, this is perfectly fine.
- Take a glass bowl, flour it and put your dough to rest for an hour.
- During this hour the dough will double its volume and you can make your sauces.
- Mix all ingredients and place in the fridge until the time you serve.
- In a small pot add all the ingredients and bring to boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Turn off heat and let the sauce rest.
- Flour your hands and deflate the dough.
- In a floured bench take a dough ball equal to a small lemon or a lime and with a rolling pin make disks with diameter about 15 cm.
- Take a nonstick skillet and put it on the stove in medium heat.
- Bake the pitas on both sides until they start to take a golden color and at a few points a darker color.
- Remove and keep them warm.
- In a large skillet pour couple of tbsp. of olive oil and throw the chicken along with the ingredients of marinade in medium/high heat.
- Sauté until chicken is completely done and has taken a nice golden color.
- Take one pita and salt and pepper it.
- Add as much chicken as you like.
- Pour some tomato sauce and on top of these add some yogurt.
- Serve immediately.
- It goes perfectly with French fries.
- 1 κιλό φιλέτα στήθη κοτόπουλου, κομμένα σε μικρούς κύβους
- 2 μικρά κρεμμύδια ή ένα μεγάλο, σε φέτες
- 2 σκελίδες σκόρδο, λιωμένες
- 1 κ.γ. ρίγανη
- 1 κ.γ. βασιλικό
- 1 κ.γ. πάπρικα
- 1 κ.γ. κύμινο
- Αλάτι, πιπέρι
- ½ φλ. γλυκό κρασί
- 200 ml γιαούρτι
- 1 ¼ κ.γ. ξερό δυόσμο
- Αλάτι και πιπέρι
- 2 κ.σ. ελαιόλαδο
- 1 φλ.σάλτσα ντομάτας
- 2 κ.σ. πελτέ ντομάτας
- Αλάτι, πιπέρι
- ½ κ.γ. κύμινο
- ½ κ.γ. ζάχαρη
- ¼ κ.γ. κάρι σκόνη
- ½ κ.γ. σκόνη σκόρδου
- ½ κ.γ. κρεμμύδι σε σκόνη
- ½ κιλό αλεύρι για όλες τις χρήσεις
- 1 κ.γ. ξηρή μαγιά
- 1 κ.γ. αλάτι
- 1 κ.γ. ζάχαρη
- 1 ¼ έως 1 ½ φλ. χλιαρό νερό
- Ξεκινήστε την προετοιμασία από το κοτόπουλο πρώτα.
- Βάλτε όλα τα υλικά και το κοτόπουλο σε ένα μπωλ γυάλινο ή ανοξείδωτο, καλύψτε με διάφανη μεμβράνη και αφήστε στο ψυγείο για τουλάχιστον 2 ώρες μέχρι και 12 ώρες.
- Όταν πρόκειται να κάνετε το γιαουρτλού, βγάλτε το κοτόπουλο από το ψυγείο και το αφήστε να έρθει σε θερμοκρασία δωματίου για μία ώρα.
- Στη συνέχεια κάντε τις πίτες.
- Βάλτε όλα τα ξηρά συστατικά στο μπολ του μίξερ σας και αναμείξτε με το γάντζο στο αργό για λίγα δευτερόλεπτα.
- Προσθέστε το νερό και ξεκινήστε το μίξερ σας.
- Ανακατέψτε μέχρι μια μαλακή ζύμη να αρχίσει να συγκεντρώνεται γύρω από το γάντζο..
- Η ζύμη θα είναι κάπως κολλώδης.
- Πάρτε ένα γυάλινο μπολ, αλευρώστε το και βάλτε τη ζύμη να ξεκουραστεί για μια ώρα.
- Κατά τη διάρκεια αυτής της ώρας θα διπλασιάσει η ζύμη τον όγκο της και εσείς μπορείτε να κάνετε τις σάλτσες σας.
- Ανακατέψτε όλα τα συστατικά και αφήστε στο ψυγείο μέχρι τη στιγμή που θα ετοιμάσετε το γιαουρτλού.
- Σε μια μικρή κατσαρόλα προσθέστε όλα τα υλικά και φέρτε σε βρασμό.
- Μειώστε τη θερμοκρασία και σιγοβράστε για 15 λεπτά.
- Σβήστε τη φωτιά και αφήστε το.
- Ξεκινήστε κάνοντας τις πίτες πρώτα.
- Αλευρώστε τα χέρια σας και ξεφουσκώστε τη ζύμη.
- Σε έναν αλευρωμένο πάγκο πάρτε μια μπάλα της ζύμης ίση με ένα μικρό λεμόνι ή ένα λάιμ και με τον πλάστη κάντε δίσκους με διάμετρο περίπου 15 cm.
- Πάρτε ένα αντικολλητικό τηγάνι και βάλτε το στο μάτι της κουζίνας σε μέτρια φωτιά.
- Ψήστε τις πίτες και από τις δύο πλευρές, έως ότου αρχίζουν να παίρνουν ένα χρυσό χρώμα.
- Βγάλτε τις και κρατήστε τις ζεστές.
- Σε μεγάλο τηγάνι ρίξτε δύο κουταλιές ελαιόλαδο και ρίξτε το κοτόπουλο μαζί με τα υλικά της μαρινάδας σε μέτρια/υψηλή θερμότητα.
- Σοτάρετε μέχρι το κοτόπουλο να πάρει ένα ωραίο χρυσό χρώμα και να μαγειρευτεί εντελώς.
- Πάρτε μία πίτα και αλατοπιπερώστε.
- Προσθέστε το κοτόπουλο.
- Ρίξτε σάλτσα ντομάτας και από πάνω προσθέστε γιαούρτι.
- Σερβίρετε αμέσως.
