Spetzofai (Greek Sausage and Peppers)
A bold, spicy Greek stew of village sausage, Florina peppers, eggplant, and tomato — the famous dish of Volos and the Pelion peninsula. Serve with crusty bread, feta, and olives. Also known as spetsofai.
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 1 lb rustic sausage sliced one inch thick
- 3 large green cowhorn peppers sliced thick
- 3 large red cowhorn peppers sliced thick
- 3 eggplants small-medium size, sliced thick and quartered
- 1 chili pepper seeds removed, thinly sliced
- 2 cups tomatoes grated on a box grater — or tinned crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- chili flakes (boukovo) to taste
- dried oregano
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat a generous amount of olive oil (enough to cover ⅓ of the pan base) in a deep frying pan over high heat.
- Fry the eggplant and peppers in batches for 3–4 minutes until golden and slightly charred on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Transfer the fried vegetables to a wide shallow pot, bringing as much of the cooking oil with them as possible. No additional oil is added from this point.
- Add the sliced sausage, grated tomatoes, garlic, chili, oregano, sugar, salt, pepper, and about 200ml (1 glass) of water.
- Do not stir. Cover with a lid and simmer over medium-low heat for 20–25 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- If you need to mix, gently shake the pot. Taste and adjust seasoning. If the sauce needs reducing, remove the lid and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
- Serve immediately with crusty bread, crumbled feta, and olives.
Notes
- The spicy chili is traditional and gives the dish its name . Adjust the quantity to your heat tolerance, or add one whole small chili and remove before serving for a milder result.
- Do not stir during cooking — shake the pot gently instead to keep the vegetables whole.
- Spetzofai tastes even better the next day. Make it ahead if possible.