Spetsofai is a rustic stew-like Greek Meze dish featuring country-style sausage, browned and lightly cooked in tomato sauce with red wine, green peppers, onions, and fresh tomatoes. It's hearty and bold, seasoned with fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, and paprika.
This flavorful Greek sausage dish was born in the mountain villages of Pelion. Meant to be shared with a glass or two of red wine and a loaf of crusty bread to mop up the juices. And when the weather gets cooler, some spicy paprika or hot red pepper flakes turn this dish into pure magic.
Ingredients
- Olive oil: It's just for searing, so it doesn't have to be extra virgin.
- Loukaniko: In Greek means sausage. And we refer to the Greek pork sausage that's filled with spices, herbs, and usually also leeks. If you can't find Loukaniko, then use Italian sausage; they're very similar.
- Red onion
- Green bell peppers: Or any other type of peppers, even sweet red peppers, or a mix.
- Tomatoes: Fresh, juicy, and ripe tomatoes are used to make the sauce. However, if it's winter, use canned diced tomatoes.
- Sweet red wine
- Fresh parsley: If you want a stronger herb flavor, you can use fresh oregano or thyme.
- Red pepper flakes: Sweet or hot, whichever you prefer!
- Paprika: Again, sweet or hot depending on your liking.
How To Make
To make Greek sausage in tomato sauce, first you sear the cut sausage in hot olive oil. Then drain most of the oil and keep the sausage aside. While in the same non-stick pan, saute the onions and peppers to soften without losing their bite.
Next, add the tomatoes and sausages back into the pan and pour in the wine. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until it stops smelling of alcohol, and finally stir in the parsley, paprika, red pepper flakes, and a small amount of water. Simmer covered for 10 minutes.
Cooking Sausage In Sauce
Sausage doesn't require much cooking. To retain its body and texture, cook it lightly and for no more than 10 minutes in the sauce. Just give it a good sear and let it brown first; this will make its flavor much stronger!
Other Sausage Dishes You May Like:
- Sausage And Potato Casserole
- Scrambled Eggs With Sausage
- Trahana Soup With Sausage
- Caul Fat Pork Sausage- Sheftalia
Storing
Spetsofai keeps well both in the fridge and the freezer. You can store it in an airtight food container and refrigerate for 4-5 days (depending on the temperature of your fridge). Or for up to 3 months in the freezer. Reheat in a saute or frying pan with a splash of water on low heat or microwave covered. If frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight first.
Serve With
Serving this delicious sausage dish with a glass of red wine is almost a must! The bread for dipping is a must for Greeks. Moreover, you can serve it with some plain steamed rice or cooked pasta, or even try it with these Oven Greek Fries With Feta to enjoy it as a main dish.
As for other Greek side dishes to pair it with, try: Creamy Yogurt Cabbage Slaw, Saucy Cabbage Rice (Lahanorizo), Greek Eggplant Fritters, Roasted Eggplant Dip (Melitzanosalata), or Spicy Whipped Feta Dip (Tirokafteri).
Recipe
Greek Sausage In Sauce (Spetsofai)
Ingredients
- 450 grams ( 1 lb) Greek or Italian pork fennel or leek sausage sliced into 1-inch /2.5 cm-thick pieces
- olive oil
- 100 grams (1 small) onion cut into 1-inch /2.5 cm-thick pieces
- 200 grams (1 large) green bell pepper cut into 1-inch /2.5 cm-thick pieces
- 400 grams (3 small) tomatoes cut into 1-inch /2.5 cm-thick pieces
- 80 ml sweet red wine
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon sweet or hot red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
Instructions
- Heat a good splash of olive oil in a skillet or frying pan over high heat.
- Add the sausages and brown well all around.
- Remove the sausages (and any browned bits) with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl. Drain most of the oil from the pan. Leave only a small amount to saute the vegetables.
- Toss in the onions and cook for a minute over moderate heat stirring, and scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon.
- Add the bell peppers and cook for a minute more.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for another minute. Season lightly with salt and generously with ground pepper.
- Transfer the sausages back to the pan and pour in the wine.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes on high heat without stirring until the wine evaporates.
- Stir in the red pepper flakes, paprika, and parsley.
- Pour in ¼ cup hot water.
- Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes over moderate heat.
- Serve warm with some crusty bread and red wine on the side.
Hey Fotini, just tried another of your recipes. Followed the steps, although I used a yellow pepper and used two cans of tomatoes, I also added two garlic cloves. The result was amazing!! Thank you so much for putting it out there.
Thank you Alan, glad you enjoyed it!