Decided to do another twist on a traditional Greek dish. Spetzofai is a spicy sausage and pepper stew cooked in a tomato sauce on the stovetop that originated in Thessaly. It’s quite rustic and really warms you up in the cooler months. Usually it’s eaten as a main dish with some crusty bread. It is also served as a meze with some other nibbles and wine. Sometimes, it’s made quite saucy and served over noodles or rice even. My batch wasn’t as saucy.

It’s normally cooked in about 30 minutes on the stovetop. I had a few hours before my family came home. I wanted to watch some football on television. I decided to try making it in the oven where it can all roast together. This lets the flavors all meld in a slow roast. It’s not going to be quite as saucy as normal, but the result is fantastic.

It’s one of the spicier Greek dishes. The heat comes from some hotter pepper varieties and some pinches of red pepper flakes.

I’ve had a bumper crop of peppers growing this year and this was a perfect vehicle for this dish. One of my pepper plants, the Anaheim, is a whole lot spicier than I expected. It is producing some of the hottest Anaheim peppers I’ve ever had. IT made me wonder if they are actually Hatch peppers. I also grew a pimento, a yellow bell, and a small red.

Normally is made with pork sausage, especially loukaniko. I couldn’t find any loukaniko where I live. I was about to use mild Italian sausages. Then I ran across some chicken, spinach, and feta sausages. Had to try it with that.

Here’s the recipe:

OVEN ROASTED SPETZOFAI

• 8 sausages, preferably Loukaniko, left whole
• 8 peppers, a mix of bell and spicier varieties, sliced
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 lb fresh tomatoes chopped
• 1/2 cup of tomato puree or passata
• a couple sprigs of fresh oregano or small handful of dried oregano
• 1/2 cup red wine or sweet vermouth. Even a splash of ouzo would be good for this.
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss the peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, oregano, and oil together.

Pour onto a large baking pan or sheet pan. Place sausages on top. Add the wine and tomato puree and stick in the oven

Toss every 15 minutes or so to evenly cook. After about an hour, check to see if the sausages are cooked through. It take closer to 90 minutes depending on the density of the items.

Serve with a nice salad and BAM! Dinner. The sausages can be cut into coins or left whole.

OPA!