Stuffed chicken, cyprus style

6 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 Roasting chicken
3 tablespoons Vegetable oil or butter
½ cup Blanched, slivered almonds
¾ cup Raw long-grain white rice
½ cup Dry white wine Water
Salt
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
1 pinch Granulated sugar
½ cup Currants
Melted butter or veg. oil

Directions

Wash and dry the chicken, reserving the liver, and set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil or butter and saute the almonds and liver, then remove with a slotted spoon. Chop the liver and set aside with the nuts. Add the rice to the fat in the pan and saute over medium heat, stirring constantly, then pour in the wine, water, salt, cinnamon, and sugar. Cover and cook for 12 minutes, or until the rice is almost tender. Stir in the almonds, liver, and currants and remove the pan from the heat.

Spoon the stuffing into the large cavity of the chicken and close tightly with skewers. Truss the chicken and brush the surface lightly with melted butter or oil. Set in a baking pan, breast side up, and bake for 1¼ hours, or until tender, in moderate oven (350 F), turning with 2 wodden spoons every 20 minutes and basting frequently with drippings. Remove the stuffing from the cavity and transfer to the center of a warm platter. Carve the chicken and arrange around the stuffing. Serve warm.

Note: For a popular mainland version, substitute pine nuts, nutmeg, and a little chopped celery and parsley, and soaked bread for the almonds, cinnamon, and rice.

From: "The Food of Greece" by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles. Avenel Books, New York.

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