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03.06.2014

3 ratings, avg : 5.00
2-3

Anyone who knows a bit about Greek food has probably heard of yiouvetsi. For those of you who haven’t, yiouvetsi is a casserole usually made with chunks of beef in tomato, to which orzo pasta is added at the end and cooked in the sauce. This is a somewhat different version of the same principle with beef sausage and hylopittes.

Yiouvetsi is definitely a favourite for many people. This version is the same idea, but it’s quicker and easier to make. The beef sausage is very tasty, and you only need a little bit to infuse the dish with smoky meaty goodness. I’ve used hylopittes, which is a traditional Greek type of pasta that’s cut into little squares. I’m lucky enough to have a huge and constant supply of hylopittes coming from the village, since the Mister’s mum knows how much I love them! You should be able to find them in shops with Greek food, but if you can’t, use orzo pasta instead, it will be just as tasty.

The most convenient way to make this is in a dutch oven or casserole dish that can be used on the stovetop before being put in the oven. Just make sure it has a lid. If you don’t have one that’s suitable for a hotplate, use a large frying pan then transfer everything to the casserole dish. It’s lovely served with feta cheese and fresh crusty bread.

Ingredients

2 Tbs oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

200 gr country/village style beef sausages, sliced

150 gr (about 3/4 cup) Greek hylopittes (the small square ones)

1 tin (400gr) chopped tomatoes

1 cup stock (vegetable or chicken) or water

1/2 cup water + 1/2 cup more water later if necessary

1/2 tsp oregano, dried

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp paprika, sweet

1/2 tsp sugar (I used brown)

1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

feta cheese to serve

Show me more ideas and suggestions

You can easily switch up your beef sausages for turkey, chicken or pork country style ones. Try and remove the casings if that’s possible (as long as the meat isn’t crumbly inside, you want slices of sausage).

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 180C (170C fan). Warm the oil over medium heat, in the dutch oven on the stovetop. Lower the heat, add the onion and cook gently for 2-3 minutes till is starts to soften. Add the sausage and cook till browned all over, stirring frequently so the onion doesn’t burn (about 4-5 minutes).

Step 2

In the meantime mix the oregano, salt, paprika, sugar and pepper in a small glass.

Step 3

When the sausage is browned, add the hylopittes to the pan and stir well so they get coated with oil. Add the tomatoes, stock (if using) and water, mix and if necessary turn up the heat so it all comes to a boil.

Step 4

When it boils add the seasonings, stir, cover and place in the oven. After 30 minutes check it by opening the lid and stirring it. The pasta will have absorbed a lot of the liquid. Add another 1/2 cup of water if necessary (for mine it was) and stir again. At this point I took mine out, as I like the hylopittes to hold their shape. However, this will depend of the quantities you are using, as well as the size of dutch oven/casserole dish. Try the pasta at this point and see if it’s cooked through. Remeber that it will continue to asborb liquid for a few minutes after it comes out of the oven. Also, remember it’s best to add water a little at a time, because you can always add, but you can’t take it back out if it’s too much.

3 ratings, avg : 5.00

So, what do you think? Leave me a comment!

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