44 FT.COM/MAGAZINE APRIL 4/ 52020
S
ausagesusuallymakeforaquick,
low-effortworkadaydinner–
apacketgrabbedontheway
home,itscontentschuckedin
theoven,amealonlyslightly
moreinvolvedthanorderinga
pizza.Nothingwrongwiththat,
ofcourse,butifyoucaretospend
afewmoreminutesinthekitchen,thiseveryday
staplecanbecomesomethingquitespecial.
Spetzofaiisadishofsausagesstewedinasauce
ofpeppersandtomatoes.Nowadays,it’scommon
throughoutGreecebutit’sassociatedmostwith
themagicalPelionpeninsula,whichiswhere
wefirsttriedit.Thisisaregionofsnow-capped
mountainsrisingfromtheMediterranean,clad
inforestsofpineandoak,andlushwithorchards
ofolives,apples,chestnuts,quinceandpears.
Housesinthemountainvillageshavewindows
withwoodenshuttersoverlookingtheseaand
roofsofslateinshadesofpurple,greenand
grey.Thesteepcobbledstreetsrunparallelto
mountainstreams,theirwatericyandsweet.
Inwinter,theairsmellsofoakburninginevery
fireplace–andofspetzofai.
Ourkitchenoftenhaselementsofthat:
peppersfrying–theredonessweet,thegreen
onesslightlybitter–meltingintoathicktomato
sauce,enrichedbythesausages.InPelion,
theyusealocalcountrysausage.Athome,
whenwe’refeelingfancy,weusebeeforvenison
sausagesmadebyourbutcher.Butovertime,
wehavetriedthisdishwitheverytypeofgood
qualitysausage,suchasspicymerguezorthe
coarseItalianfennelones–onmorethanone
occasion,we’veusedgoodoldsupermarket
Cumberlandsausagestoexcellenteffect.
DoastheydoinPelionandservevermicelli
noodlesonthesideor,ifyoucanorderit,
hilopites–tinysquaresofdriedpastacookedin
saltedwaterandservedtosoakupthesauce.
Steamedricewillworkaswellorindeedanything
elseyouliketoservewithsausages.Greek sausage stewwith
pepperand tomatoesDon’tfear
thewurst
ByItamarSrulovich.RecipebySaritPacker
[email protected]Dinnerforfour•6goodquality sausages
(beef orvenisonwork
well) cut into 5cm pieces
(about 60 0g)
•Oliveoil
•2redonions, peeled,
quartered theneach
quarter halved into large
chunks
•3-4redand green
peppers, deseeded and
cut into 4cm cubes
(about 60 0g)
•4clovesofgarlic,peeled
and halved lengthways
•1redchilli, deseeded
and sliced thinly
•5-6 tomatoes, diced into
big chunks(about 50 0g)
•1tspsugar
•1tbs flakyseasalt
•200mlredwine orwater1 —Heatyouroven
to 20 0C (fan assist).
Place the cut sausages
intoalarge sauté pan and
drizzlewith oliveoil.2 —Pourfourtablespoons
of oliveoil intoalarge
frying pan set onahigh
heat.Addthe onions and
sauté onahigh heatfor
about fiveminutesbefore
adding the diced pepper.3 —Keep the heat high
and sautéforanextra
eight minutes, letting the
pepper scorchalittle.4 —Whilethe peppers
arecooking, pop the
sausagesinto theoven
for10minutes.5 —Add the garlic,chilli
and tomatoestothe
peppers and stirwell.
Addthe sugar,salt and
redwine(orwater).6 —Bring toaboil,
thenreduce the heat
to medium. Continue
cookingforanother eight
minutesuntil the
tomatoeshavebroken
down toformathick
sauce.Pourinto the sauté
pan containing the
sausagesand pop back
into theovenfor 10
minutes.Removeand
servewith some breadto
mop it all up.44
PhotographsbyPatricia Niven