Food from Cyprus - Chicken in Rich, Aromatic Tomato Sauce.

This is one of my favourite dishes, Warm, hearty and absolutely delicious. I just love the combination of the slightly sweet, cinnamon scented tomato sauce, topped with grated halloumi / helim cheese and fresh mint, served on a bed of pasta.

Lots of childhood memories of summer days playing in the garden, with Mum cooking this dish, its wonderful aroma's drifting through the kitchen window, and the gentle sounds of Melina Mercouri's Never On A Sunday playing in the background.

Serves 4 - 6

1 whole chicken
(you can buy ready cut up chicken pieces if you prefer. Allow enough for 4-6 people).
2 medium to large onions
2 x 400 gm Tins chopped tomatoes
1 - 2 tbls Tomato puree
Halloumi or helim cheese
2 tbsp Fresh mint or 1 tsp dried mint
¼ tsp Cinnamon
5 fl oz (150 ml) Cooking oil
Salt and Peper
½ Lemon

Cut up the chicken into 8 – 10 pieces, rinse and pat dry.
Pour the cooking oil into a large saucepan and heat on a stove until hot. Add the chicken peices to the pan in batches of three at a time. Fry until golden and really crispy all over. Place the fried chicken onto a plate and set aside.

Peel and slice the onions, add to the saucepan and fry until dark brown in colour.
Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for a further five minutes, then stir in tomato puree and fry for two minutes. Season with salt, pepper and cinnamon.

Stir the chicken into the tomatoe sauce, bring to the boil, add the squeezed lemon juice, cover pan and simmer for 45 minutes. Be sure to check the sauce while it is cooking and give it a stir. This will prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add a little water if needed.

While the chicken is cooking, grate the halloumi / helim cheese into a bowl and mix in the finely chopped fresh mint or dried mint.

Serve chicken on a bed of pasta, topped with a generous sprinkling of grated halloumi and mint.

* Photos and drawings to follow plus recipe for Spinach, Sultana and Bulgur Wheat 'Boreks' pastries.