These days, most parents are on their own without the resources of a village, tribe, or even extended family to help raise their children. In many cases, that means primarily it is mothers, who still do the vast majority of child care and home keeping whether they work outside the home or not, who are the ones bearing the brunt of this burden.
In many ways they are the backbone, doing uncompensated work that is vital not just to their families but to society as a whole, but that is also looked down upon as requiring no skill or expertise, mostly because it doesn’t earn money. A lot of the time mothers are also holding up the center tent poles of their whole family unit, doing the unpaid job of managing the entire family’s lives — often with little recognition for how taxing and difficult this sort of emotional labor truly is.
We put mothers on a pedestal only in the abstract — in real life, they are overworked, overlooked, under-compensated and, in many cases, essentially excommunicated from the adult sphere. Our society depends on women to bear children; our law requires us to care for them. But mothers are supposed to do this alone and out of the way.
To all the mom’s out there who are out there fighting the good fight without a whole lot of societal respect or recognition, you deserve more than you get from our culture and I hope that you’ll at least get treated right by your family — not just on Mother’s Day, but every day.
Kampa Greek Braised Cinnamon Chicken
This traditional Greek recipe, known as Kapama, is essentially chicken stewed in garlic and cinnamon, and onions, which creates an aroma just as knee-wobblingly enticing as you can imagine. Almost as compelling as the aroma is its rustic taste and the fact that you can toss it together with ease from inexpensive pantry staples. What results is meltingly tender onions, a sauce that boasts beguilingly smoky sweet flavors, and chicken thighs that are fall-apart tender. Served over pasta or rice for an easy, flavorful meal in less than 45 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 1/4 cup red wine or chicken stock
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 28 ounces canned tomatoes, unflavored and pureed
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- ½ to 1 teaspoon sugar, optional
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- zest of one lemon, juice of half
- 2-4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1-pound pasta, cooked al dente
- ½ cup grated Parmesan or Kefalotyri cheese, for serving
- Remove the chicken thighs from their package and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and pepper. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Rub the chicken thighs with the cinnamon so they’re coated on both sides.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, lidded pot over medium heat. When shimmering, add the chicken thighs and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until browned. Transfer to a plate.
- Add the onions to the pot and sauté over medium heat for 4-6 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, sugar (if using), oregano, cloves, and tomato paste. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the red wine or stock to deglaze the pan, scraping up any caramelized bits on the bottom. Then add in the crushed tomatoes, cinnamon stick, lemon zest, and juice of half the lemon. Salt to taste. Bring to a boil, nestle in the chicken thighs, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until the chicken is fall-apart tender.
- Serve over cooked pasta or rice with a garnish of chopped parsley and cheese. Enjoy!
