Cerkes Tavugu

Name: Cerkes Tavugu (Circassian chicken)
Yield: Serves 6 as a main course or 12 as part of a first course
Ingredients: 250 g (9 oz) walnut halves, almonds or skinned hazelnuts; 1 large chicken, about 2 kg (4½ lb) in weight, with giblets (minus the liver); 2–3 × 15 ml spoon (2–3 tablespoons) nut oil (walnut, almond or hazelnut as appropriate) or groundnut oil, if required; salt and pepper; 125 g (4½ oz) outer celery stalks; bouquet garni; 125 g (4½ oz) carrot, quartered; 15 ml spoon (1 tablespoon) paprika; 60 g (2 oz) bread, crusts removed; 375 g (13 oz) onions, complete with skins

Circassian chicken

Preparation info

Serves
6
as a main course

Difficulty
Complex

Appears in

The Cooking of the Mediterranean

By Jane Grigson

Published 1991

About

Usually served cold, as part of the meze course, though it can quite well he eaten as a main dish, hot or cold. The important thing is to find a well-flavoured chicken. In practice this means the larger the better: I have sometimes used half a huge capon or small turkey. The ideal is a plump boiling fowl.

Ingredients

1 large chicken, about 2 kg (4½ lb) in weight, with giblets (minus the liver)

Main course
Mediterranean

Method

Put the chicken and its giblets in a large pot or pan, together with the onions, celery, carrot and bouquet garni. Add enough water to cover the legs if it is a roasting bird, or to cover it completely if a boiling fowl. Bring to simmering point and skim. Adjust the heat to maintain a low simmer, 190°F/90°C, and cover. A roasting chicken will need an hour or so, a boiler anything over 2 hours.