This is one of the most classic dishes in Greece, a specialty of the mainland area around Mt. Pelion and Volos. There are many different kinds of sausages in the Greek kitchen. The ones from Thessaly are usually made with beef and flavored mildly. Look for something similar when making this.
Spetzofai is great party food. You can also morph this into a kid-friendly Sunday lunch, by serving it with pita bread or fajitas.
6 servings
1 ½ pounds fresh beef sausage
Sauce
1/2 cup/120 ml extra-virgin Greek olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
10 green bell peppers, each cut lengthwise into 4 strips (or, alternatively, 5 green and 5 red bell peppers, cut the same way)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups/525 g chopped peeled and seeded plum tomatoes (canned are fine)
1/2 cup/120 ml water
1 tbsp tomato paste
Salt and pepper
2 tsp chopped fresh oregano, or more to taste
1. Cut the sausages into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces and cook in a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned. Remove from heat. Remove from heat and remove sausages from skillet. Pour off the fat.
2. In the sane skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onions for about 8 minutes, until soft. Add the sausages back to the skillet. Add the peppers and cook all together until the peppers are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, stir to soften for a minute or two, and add the tomatoes. Add the water and tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer the sauce until thickened, about 30 minutes. Add the oregano and remove from the heat.
