by Diane Kochilas
I'm not big on preparing Greek food myself...other than Evelyn's Briami, which I would annotate with happy sparklers if I could. But I also can't resist any recipe that claims its secret ingredients somehow makes it more...more.
This is one of Those.
I'm posting it here now so it's available if I want to try later.
1/4 C EV Greek Olive oil
2 large red onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBL dried mushroom powder (she grinds up dried porchini)
Pinch of unsweetened cocoa powder
6 cups chopped or pureed canned tomatoes (good quality)
2/3 C white wine
1 large cinnamon stick
8 allspice berries
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2 bay leaves
2 C water
S&P to taste
1 to 2 TBL petimezi (grape molasses) or honey
1 to 2 TBL balsamic vinegar
Cooked pasta or rice
Grated Greek myzithra** or Kefalotyri cheese or greek yogurt.
Cook onions until wilted (10-15 min)
Add garlic (1-2 min)
Add mushroom and cocoa powder (1 min)
Add tomatoes and spices. Bring to simmer. Add water. Bring back to simmer. Taste for S&P. Cover. Simmer for 45-60 min or until sauce is thick (reduced from 8 cups to approx 5 cups (1.2 L)).
Add molasses and vinegar to adjust flavor. Add S&P again if necessary. Remove whole spices.
Use as basic sauce or as basis for pastiitsio or moussake.
** Marilyn's Note: I was SO tempted to write Mithrandir here.
https://www.amazon.com/My-Greek-Table-Authentic-Flavors/dp/1250166373/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548461497&sr=8-1&keywords=my+greek+table
I'm not big on preparing Greek food myself...other than Evelyn's Briami, which I would annotate with happy sparklers if I could. But I also can't resist any recipe that claims its secret ingredients somehow makes it more...more.
This is one of Those.
I'm posting it here now so it's available if I want to try later.
1/4 C EV Greek Olive oil
2 large red onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBL dried mushroom powder (she grinds up dried porchini)
Pinch of unsweetened cocoa powder
6 cups chopped or pureed canned tomatoes (good quality)
2/3 C white wine
1 large cinnamon stick
8 allspice berries
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2 bay leaves
2 C water
S&P to taste
1 to 2 TBL petimezi (grape molasses) or honey
1 to 2 TBL balsamic vinegar
Cooked pasta or rice
Grated Greek myzithra** or Kefalotyri cheese or greek yogurt.
Cook onions until wilted (10-15 min)
Add garlic (1-2 min)
Add mushroom and cocoa powder (1 min)
Add tomatoes and spices. Bring to simmer. Add water. Bring back to simmer. Taste for S&P. Cover. Simmer for 45-60 min or until sauce is thick (reduced from 8 cups to approx 5 cups (1.2 L)).
Add molasses and vinegar to adjust flavor. Add S&P again if necessary. Remove whole spices.
Use as basic sauce or as basis for pastiitsio or moussake.
** Marilyn's Note: I was SO tempted to write Mithrandir here.
https://www.amazon.com/My-Greek-Table-Authentic-Flavors/dp/1250166373/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548461497&sr=8-1&keywords=my+greek+table