Traveling to Greece: Kefalonia Island

A magic lake & a delicious local recipe!

Are you ready to explore this breathtaking island? Get your hiking shoes, a hat, a good sunscreen, and let your journey begin! Kefaloniá

is the biggest of the Ionian islands and one of the most beautiful ones. There are, of course, manygorgeous beaches (Myrtos and Skala are the most famous),charming, well-kept villages filled with bougainvillea (Fiscárdo being especially popular for its astakomakaronáda, aka lobster pasta!), andmountains to explore. A truly special place is themagic lake cave of Melissáni, a unique natural wonder that will make you think you're in paradise! Hop on a little tour boat that goes into the cave and enjoy this miracle of nature. Crystal clear, turquoise waters are surrounded by lush, green trees that seek the sun through the cave's opening above the lake. It's a peaceful place that will make you forget your busy daily life here in the States. 

I cannot say enough about the food from Kefaloniá (aka Cephalonia...the setting for Captain Corelli's Mandolin!). Here's one local dish for you to try at home: Kókoras krasátos with hilopites pasta! This is a delicious dish that women would traditionally make on Sundays and serve with their homemade pasta (you can skip that part, we've got the pasta  ready for you!), a summery tomato sauce, and farm-fresh rooster. If your own tomatoes are already coming up, this will be even tastier!

Kefalonia summer stewed rooster with hilopites egg noodles

Ingedients for the Kefalonia stewed rooster

1 Rooster 2-4lb, cut into pieces (you can get by with a chicken if needed)

1 cup of olive oil from Tragano Greek Organics

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

1/2 tablespoon tomato paste

4 tsp finely chopped garlic

2 medium onions, finely chopped

10-12 white pearl onions

1 package hilopites egg & milk noodles from Agrozimi 

1 bay leaf

2-3 cloves

1 small cinnamon stick

salt, pepper

5-6 cups of water

How to make Kefalonia stewed rooster 

Heat 2-3 tsp olive oil in a frying pan and brown the rooster pieces for about 10 minutes. Then put them in a deep pot.

Brown the pearl onions in the same oil as the rooster and transfer to a plate. Sauté the chopped onion and garlic in the same oil/frying pan until translucent.

Add the chopped tomatoes and the tomato paste dissolved in the wine. Boil the sauce for 5-7 minutes and then pour into the pot with the rooster. Add salt, pepper, bay leaf, cloves, and cinnamon.

Add the water little by little and simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes.

Add the pearl onions and keep simmering for another hour. Usually, rooster takes about an hour and a half to cook.

When the rooster pieces are almost cooked, boil the hilopites, following the instructions on the package, and drain (adjust your cooking time if you prefer your noodles more or less al dente). Drain the hilopites and place them on a large platter, adding the rooster pieces and sauce on top. Be sure to serve any extra sauce in a gravy dish...and have plenty of crusty bread on the table to dunk!

Shop the ingredients to make Kefalonia's stewed rooster recipe