Chicken Avgolemeno With Prunes

In the realm of Greek cooking, there’s a renaissance in motion. The folks in Greece are traveling more than ever and expanding their palettes. Greeks of the diaspora have substituted/compensated traditional Greek ingredients with what’s at hand and returning their focus to the classics, kicked up of course!

I’ll give the example of Italian-Americans using American ingredients to create new Italian-inspired dishes. The same experience has been underway with Greek cuisine. I’ve heard of Greek-Canadian hunters making a stifado with Canadian venison. What you have are a cross-pollination of ingredients and a return to traditional ingredients.

What again I ask is Greek food? In my dictionary, it’s like a Greek grandmother, embracing as many grandchildren as possible: if it can grow in Greece, it’s Greek; if a new taste is discovered by a Greek, it’s Greek; if non-traditional ingredients are used in Greek-inspired dishes, it’s Greek. I’ve heard people in Athens lament that when they have Chinese food, it tastes “Greek”!

It’s wide open for interpretation, as long as the emphasis is on quality and freshness. It’s an exciting time for Greek and largely for the whole Mediterranean basin. Scientists and doctors confirm over & over that the Mediterranean diet is a boon to the long life span of it’s people.

While I was in Greece, I noticed that they too have a “food thang” goin’ on. Each morning show on the major networks has a cooking segment, there are at least 3 tv shows dedicated to cookery and I even saw Food Network segments dubbed in Greek!

One such show is called Boukia and it’s host is the affable Ilias Mamalakis. His show travels around Greece and he discovers Greek dishes that are regional, family dishes and sometimes taverna editions.

Ilias Mamalakis has also endorsed the Greek version of BBC’s Olive magazine (which I picked up in Greece). I tell ya there’s some neat things goin’ on in Greece, like this new dish I’m presenting to you all here. It’s a chicken dish in an Avgolemeno Sauce With Prunes. It uses ingredients that are native to Greece but new to our palletes. Mark this one down as Nea (new) Greek Cuisine.

For this dish, I used a dry, Greek white wine and it comes from Santorini. Not only is Santorini popular amongst tourists and honeymooners but oinophiles boast that it’s volcanic, shale-like soil produces a unique dry wine. I used the Boutari Santorini 2006 dry white. It’s 100% Assyrtiko grape, only found in Greece.

Greece’s unique grape varietals are one of the reasons that the cradle of wine production is quickly earning it’s mark once again in the wine making industry and of course, creating a huge demand for a country that produces so little.

Here in Canada, The Kolonaki Group has brought this wine amongst others to your favourite dealer of wine & spirits. If you don’t see a wine you like on the shelf, orders can be made by the case and picked up at your nearest wine dealer. Furthermore, having just come back from Greece where you pay for everything in Euros, the price points of these Greek wines is competitive with Europe and, affordable vs. our local and other more popular new world wines.

The next time you’re out for Greek, try the Greek wine at the restaurant. Ask the waiter about the what region it’s from, the type of grape and if they can help you pair the right wine for the right meal.

Chicken Avgolemeno With Prunes (Κοτόπουλο Avgolemeno με τα δαμάσκηνα)

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
white flour for dredging
1/4 cup of sunflower oil for sauteeing
24 pitted prunes
1/2 cup of Boutari Santorini Wine
2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1/3 cup olive oil
1 large onion, pureed through a box grater
2 eggs
the juice of 1 1/2 lemons
salt and pepper

1. Cut your chicken into pieces. Wash and pat dry all the pieces. Season the pieces with salt & pepper and dredge them in flour.
2. Under medium-high heat, pour into a large skillet your oil and when it starts to ripple, brown your chicken pieces in batches and reserve on a plate.
3. Drain the oil and replace with olive oil. Now throw in your onions and let them cook for about 5 minutes. Now add your chicken pieces back, your wine and place the lid on. Turn the heat down to medium & allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Now add your chicken stock and prunes and bring back to a boil. Leave the lid off, reduce the heat to medium and allow the skillet to simmer for about 45 minutes or until the liquid had reduced to half. Take off the heat and place the lid back on.
5. Make your Avgolemeno Sauce by separating your egg whites from the yolks. Add a splash of water and beat your egg whites until stiff. Blend in your yolks, then add your lemon juice and beat until thick. With a ladle, add a small amount of the hot broth to temper the heat. Now add the egg/lemon/stock mixture to the skillet, cover with a lid and surely shake the skillet to complete your Avgolemeno Sauce. Serve with a side of rice pilaf.