30 minute sausage and pepper stew (Spejofae)

Very simple and quick Greek traditional stew with pork sausages, horn peppers and wine.

This recipe is very easy and tasty, requires only 10 ingredients, most of them you probably already have, and takes less than 30 minutes. The star of this dish is (of course) the sausage. This means you should pick a good quality one, made of pork meat and preferably a spicy one, with a kick. In Greece, it is called spejofae, which means hot pepper food. (Hm… So is it possible that the real stars are the peppers? I wonder). No, for me it’s the sausage.

This is a signature dish of Pelion, a wonderful mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in central Greece, that was believed to be the summer residence of the Olympian Gods and the home of Centaurs (!!!). The area surrounding the mountain is literally a magical place filled with old, almost forgotten, traditional villages and shallow streams that flow through the thick forests of oak and plane trees. But Pelion is mostly known for its stone bridges. Made out of big blocks of stone, these bridges not only manage to blend perfectly with the natural environment, but they also contribute to a unique, picturesque scenery that will make you believe it’s escaped from some kind of fairytale. OK, so Pelion is known for two things; Stone bridges and Spejofae.

I became familiar with this kind of stew during my first trip there, and since, I make it whenever I find some good sausages. Just as my mediterranean vegetable orzotto with marinated cheese cubes, this recipe is perfect for anyone who’s not very experienced in the kitchen. You don’t have to finely chop anything or cut it into even pieces, and the steps are very simple and easy. Just roughly chop everything with a kitchen knife, cook the sausages for a few minutes with the olive oil and add the rest of the ingredients according to the execution.

And please, don’t omit the wine! During the cooking process all of the alcohol gets evaporated (since alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water) and only the taste remains! And this dish has a very rustic, traditional taste!

Best served with some rice or mashed potatoes

Note: For gluten free option, make sure that the sausages are GF.

30 minute sausage and pepper stew (Spejofae)

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Very simple and quick Greek traditional stew with pork sausages, horn peppers and wine.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1½ pounds (rustic) pork sausages, cut in 2-inch pieces.
• 1 large onion in big slices
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 cup dry white wine
• Few drops of tabasco sauce (or some cayenne pepper) to taste
• 1 tablespoon bukovo (sweet pepper flakes – you can skip this if you don’t have it)
• 2 sweet red horn peppers (or bell peppers), roughly chopped
• 1 sweet green horn pepper (or bell pepper), roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a pot over medium high heat, sauté olive oil and sausages until slightly browned.
2. Add the onion and stir until translucent.
3. Add tomato paste and stir for 30 seconds.
4. Add the wine, Tabasco and peppers, let boil and reduce heat to a gentle simmer.
5. Simmer uncovered until almost all the liquids have evaporated and sausages are left with a glossy sauce (about 15-20 minutes).
6. Serve with mashed potatoes, fluffy rice or some french fries. And a few thick slices of bread!
7. Eat.

Notes

For gluten free option, make sure that the sausages are GF

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