I have omitted sausages from the title of this recipe as this is something that I like in this dish but you don’t have to use if your diet is plant based.
In my book Under The Olive Tree there is a recipe that shows you how to inject the typical Cretan flavours into normal sausages one would find in most countries. Here I used some organic Cretan sausages sold in the UK by Maltby & Greek. I also smoked the sausages in my kettle stove top smoker for 30 minutes after I fried them.
The flavours of Cabbage, smokey sausage and soured milk trahanas with the chilli flakes and smoked paprika make a perfect winter dish while the roasted brioche breadcrumbs help with the acidity of the tomato.
Ingredients (serves 4)
For the cabbage
- 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and extra for drizzling
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 200g shredded savoy cabbage
- 150g xynochontros
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- A handful of baby tomatoes
- 500ml vegetable stock
- A small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
For the sausages
- 4 sausages
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
To serve
- 2-3 tbsp roasted brioche breadcrumbs
Method
Bring a sauteing pan to a medium heat and add the olive oil. Cook the onion for 4-5 minutes until translucent. Add the spices and stir. Add the shredded cabbage and cook for 2-3 more minutes to coat with the oil and spices. Add the tomato puree and baby tomatoes, stir once more and pour 2/3 of the stock into the pan.
Increase the heat and let it come to the boil and immediately lower the heat again, cover the pan and let the dish simmer for 25-30 minutes until the trahanas and cabbage have been cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed, stiring every so often and topping up with stock as required.
Season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, add half the parsley and stir.
Fry the sausages in hot olive oil until brown all over. Transfer to a smoker and smoke according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Cut the sausages and add to the pan with the cabbage. Stir to mix and serve drizzling with some more extra virgin olive oil and sprinkling with the brioche breadcrumbs and the remaining herbs.
Note: Blitz a couple of brioche buns in a small blender, spread on a baking tin and roast in a preheated oven at 150 0 C for 10-15 minutes, stirring every five minutes, till golden. Leave to go cool and keep in an airtight container to use instead of panko breadcrumbs and especially where a little bit of sweetness might suit the dish, as here.