Greek Chicken Kapama With A Kick

When I was a little girl, I would visit my grandparents in Chicago for a few weeks every year.  My Papou (grandfather  – in Greek)  owned and operated a beautiful produce market and was famous for his fruit baskets. He loved to garden, and he was known to grow the most amazing, and beautiful raspberry bushes.  He would wake up at 4:00 am and my Yiayia (grandmother – in Greek) would drive him to work. My Papou, an immigrant from Laconia of Peloponnese, he never got his license and could not drive in this country.

Like most immigrants, he worked extremely hard to provide for his family and would rarely be home. Except for lunch, often known as a midday meal or pre-siesta in Greece. One of my more prominent memories was the scent of his hard work and sweat when he came home for lunch. My Yiayia, was also working. She not only raised eight children, she was a “Martha Stewart” before her time.  She was famous for making a meal stretch… which essentially, made her notorious for feeding more than a typical family of four… every night. My grandparents found great joy in inviting those less fortunate in for not only a meal, but also into their lives. They had a makeshift soup-kitchen of their own.

Today, when I made Chicken Kapama, I had my Yiaiya on my mind. She made this dish often, the scents and herbs deeply touched me as I picked through them at the store. One major difference between my recipe and hers, was that my Yiayia used to placed the raw noodles within the boiling pot of sauce. This would create a starchy, yet extremely rich texture from both the sauce and noodles, marinating, together.

Chicken Kamapa — it’s tastes, it’s smells, and the process of making it, somewhat defines home. I find the most beautiful and raw aspect of recreating memorable meals comes with the person creating it or enjoying it. I hope my Chicken Kapama will spark or create a beautiful and full memory from within you and your home.