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In this blog post, I’ll share an insight into the background and history of authentic Greek spetzofai, before going on to share my personal recipe for this classic Mediterranean dish, using Edwards of Conwy Cumberland Sausages.

Authentic Greek spetzofai (or 'spetsofai') recipe

Contents

1 What is Spetzofai?
- 1.1 How to pronounce Spetzofai
- 1.2 History of Spetzofai
2 Edwards of Conwy Cumberland Sausages
- 2.1 Where to buy
- 2.2 How to store and cook
3 Quick and easy Greek Spetzofai
4 Greek Spetzofai

What is Spetzofai?

Packed with fresh, seasonal bell peppers, juicy tomatoes and meaty sausages, authentic Greek spetzofai (or spetsofai) is impossible to resist. If you’re a fan of hearty Italian sausage pasta dishes or perhaps even just a plain old English sausage, the chances are, you’re going to love Spetzofai too!

Served with crumbly feta cheese and hunks of freshly baked, crusty bread to soak up the rich juices, this is Greek comfort food at its finest. Best of all, it’s on the table in just than 30 minutes. Read on to discover more about the history and background of Greek spetzofai.

Multi-coloured heritage tomatoes in a cardboard box

How to pronounce Spetzofai

If you’ve never come across spetzofai or spetsofai before, you might be wondering how on earth to actually pronounce it.

Actually, this three-syllable word is fairly easy to pronounce once you know how. Phonetically, it’s pronounced ‘spetz-o-fy’ – see, told you it was easy!

History of Spetzofai

Born in the town of Volos in the Pelion region of Thessaly, Greek Spetzofai is a rustic one-pan dish traditionally made using aubergine. However, variations of the dish have since spread throughout Greece and elsewhere, it’s common to use multi-coloured bell peppers in place of aubergine. You might also want to throw in some sliced jalapeño peppers for a fiery kick.

Although the original recipe doesn’t call for red wine, I added a good glug to the pan while cooking and it did wonders for the depth of flavour. Other recipes recommend using white wine instead, but red wine gives the dish a beautiful burnt red colour, as well as creating a more rounded flavour profile. I also added a pinch of paprika to enhance the spiciness of the dish and a couple of garlic cloves – just because I love garlic and add it to almost everything!

Authentic Spetzofai is also packed with ripened tomatoes and thick, spicy Greek country sausages like Loukániko. However, as these are near impossible to find outside Greece (or even just outside of Pelion), many people use Alsation or Montbeliard sausages instead. Continue reading to find out why Edwards of Conwy Cumberland Sausages are so well-suited to the dish.

Edwards of Conwy Cumberland Sausages

Edwards of Conwy Pork Cumberland Sausages

Edwards of Conwy Cumberland sausages are ideal for this dish because they’re so thick and meaty, with a subtle seasoning.

Pork sausages frying in a pan until golden brown

Made with 70% Red Tractor British pork shoulder, fresh herbs and spices packed into natural hog casings, these sausages are a subtle twist on the traditional British classic sausage. While Cumberland Sausages are normally rather peppery, Edwards of Conwy’s version contains additional herbs, spices and black and white pepper to create an enhanced flavour. They taste amazing, but don’t just take my word for it; they’ve been awarded a Great Taste Gold Star by the Guild of Fine Food!

Where to buy

Edwards of Conwy Cumberland Sausages are available to buy in 400g packs of six sausages from leading UK supermarkets and an online Ocado shop. Each pack has a recommended retail price of £3 (£7.50/kg).

How to store and cook

Keep your sausages in the fridge or alternatively, pop in the freezer to use at a late date. The sausages can either be grilled, fried or oven baked and they have lots of tasty uses beyond the obvious sausage sandwich.

Pork and fennel risotto garnished with fresh fennel fronds

Edwards of Conwy also sent me some Pork and Leek Sausages to experiment with and I used these to make a pork and fennel risotto, sausage patties and sausage rolls.

I might be a little bit biased, but I think I did pretty well. What do you reckon?

Pork and leek sausage patty with fried egg and guacamole

Quick and easy Greek Spetzofai

Authentic Greek spetzofai served with feta cheese, green olives and olive bread

Print Pin

5 from 23 votes

Greek Spetzofai

Bursting with peppers, tomatoes and sausages, authentic Greek spetzofai (or spetsofai) is a classic Mediterranean dish – vibrant, nutritious and above all, delicious! Best of all, it's on the table in under an hour.

Serve with tangy feta cheese and fresh, crusty bread to soak up the rich juices. Enjoy!

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine European, Greek, Mediterranean

Keyword edwards of conwy, peppers, sausages, spetzofai, tomatoes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings people

Calories 500kcal

Author Kacie Morgan

Cost 2.50

Ingredients

400 g Edwards of Conwy Cumberland sausages
1 red bell pepper deseeded and finely sliced
1 orange bell pepper deseeded and finely sliced
1 yellow bell pepper deseeded and finely sliced
1 green bell pepper deseeded and finely sliced
3 jalapeño peppers deseeded and sliced (optional)
2 tsp fresh oregano
1/4 cup olive oil
1.5 cans tinned tomatoes
100 ml dry red wine
1 tsp paprika
2 garlic cloves finely chopped or minced
5 sprigs fresh thyme
pinch salt and black pepper to taste
200 g feta cheese cubed, to serve (optional)
100 g olives to serve (optional)
fresh crusty bread to serve

Instructions

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over a medium-high heat in a large skillet or frying pan. Add the sausages and allow them to brown for a few minutes, then remove them from the heat, cut them into two-inch chunks and set aside. It's important not to cut them up prior to cooking, as the sausage meat tends to ooze out of the casing during cooking.
Add the sliced bell and jalapeño peppers to the same pan, along with the remaining olive oil and sauté for 15 minutes, until soft.
Add the chopped garlic to the pan and continue to fry over a medium-low heat for five minutes.
Add the tomatoes and paprika and continue to cook for a further five minutes or so.
Return the sausages to the pan and give everything a good stir. Sprinkle the fresh oregano into the pan along with the pepper and thyme, before pouring in the red wine. Cover the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for a further 15-20 minutes or until the sausages are fully cooked.
Your Spetzofai is now ready to serve. Pair with crumbly feta, tangy olives and crusty bread for dunking!

Video

Notes

If you prefer, you can use fresh tomatoes in place of canned tomatoes. Vine-ripened tomatoes are particularly tasty!

Adjust the spiciness of the dish to suit your tastes – you don’t need to add the jalapeño peppers unless you want to and similarly, feel free to add more if you like spicy food! Caribbean seasoning peppers also taste delicious in place of jalapeños, if you can get hold of them.

Nutrition

Calories: 500kcal

About Edwards of Conwy

At the beginning of this year, I partnered with Edwards of Conwy to bring you four bespoke seasonal recipes throughout the year.

To read more about these brands, check out my initial blog post, featuring my Bacon and Asparagus Tart recipe, made using Edwards of Conwy dry cured smoked bacon and fresh purple sprouting broccoli, asparagus and spring onion.

Have you ever tasted Greek Spetzofai? Share your favourite sausage recipes in the comment box below.

Check out my other traditional recipes here:

Don’t forget to pin this post so you can come back to it again and again!

Greek spetzofai with crusty bread, olives and feta cheese

Vibrant Greek spetzofai in a terracotta dish with a blue teatowel wrapped around it