Armenian chicken and wheat porridge (Harissa)

1. Rinse the hulled wheat in cold water, then soak overnight in plenty of water.

2. Put the chicken in a large pot, cover with about 3 litres of cold water, bring to the boil, skim off the foam and simmer gently for 1 hour until tender; lift out and set the broth aside.

3. Cover the drained wheat with the chicken broth and simmer uncovered over low heat, stirring often; meanwhile strip the chicken meat from the bones and tear into fine shreds.

4. When the wheat is soft (about 1 hour), add the chicken, season with salt and cook for another hour, stirring and "beating" vigorously with a wooden spoon until the wheat and meat melt into a thick, creamy, smooth porridge; if it gets too thick, add hot water or broth.

5. Meanwhile finely chop the onions and fry slowly in the butter until golden brown.

6. Ladle the hot porridge into deep plates, make a small well in the centre of each and drizzle generously with the onion butter; sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

Tip: Harissa is the symbolic dish of Armenian Easter and of the memory of the Musa Dagh resistance – it's stirred all night in big cauldrons. At home you can also make it in a slow cooker: the longer it cooks, the creamier it gets.