Rooster with pasta and tomato sauce (Kokora kokkinisto me makaronia)

Traditional Greek recipe of rooster with pasta and rich tomato sauce or Kokora me makaronia

📝 Ingredients

• 2 1/2 - 3 lbs rooster (see notes) (cut into 6 or 7 serving pieces)
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• olive oil to fry the rooster pieces (enough to cover 1/4 inch of pan.)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 3 1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 tsp cinnamon (heaping teaspoon )
• 500 grams pasta of your choice (we like to use bucatini for this recipe. )
• 1/2 cup grated mizithra cheese (or grated parmesan and/or romano cheese)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Season your rooster with salt and pepper.
2. 2Brown: Add olive oil to a large frying pan (enough so that you have ¼ inch of oil in pan) Heat over medium heat and add the rooster. Do not overcrowd your pan; you will likely have to do this in batches. Fry the rooster until browned on all sides (about 5 minutes per side). Transfer the rooster to a large pot.
3. 3Measure: Once all of your rooster has been browned, strain the olive oil that is left in the pan through a fine sieve to remove all the sediments. Measure the amount of oil you have and add enough to end up with 1/3 cup olive oil.
4. 4Combine: Add the olive oil to the pot containing the rooster. Add the tomato sauce, the boiling water and the ground cinnamon.
5. 5Boil: Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, shaking the pot every 5 - 7 minutes.
6. 6Cook: After 30 minutes, uncover the pot and continue to cook for another 30 minutes (60 minutes total) or until the rooster is cooked and the sauce has thickened.
7. 7Cook: If you notice that your sauce is getting too thick before the meal is done, add some additional water, ½ cup at a time.
8. 8Boil: When your rooster is almost ready, boil the water for the pasta. Cook as directed on package.
9. 9Drain the pasta and toss with the grated cheese. To serve, portion out the pasta and top with 1 or 2 pieces of rooster and the sauce.
10. 10Enjoy!