The good thing about it is that you cook it all in one pot, you can’t overcook it (especially when done in a clay pot), it can be done using any meat you prefer and the taste is nothing short of being sublime.
I prepare it in a Römertopf, a clay pot you soak in cold water for like 15 minutes. During the cooking process the water within the clay evaporates and the steam inside the pot keeps things juicy and tender. It will work with any pot with a firmly fitting lid. I’m sure the crockpot is perfect for it. You might have to adjust the amount of liquid with other than clay pots, though.
• 1.5 lbs of meat – any meat you like, lean or with fat, it’s up to you. I use lamb or beef.
• 1.5 lbs of ripe tomatoes (canned tomatoes are perfect)
• 2 onions
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 carrot
• butter (or butter fat), olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• (hot) paprika
• 2 TBS concentrated tomato puree
• ¾ cup wine (I use white wine, red is okay as well)
• 2 cups of stock
• ½ lbs Kritharáki pasta (rice shaped noodles) or Italian risoni
• 0,2 lbs cheese (feta, kefalotíri, parmesan, whatever …)
If you like a cinnamon stick, 1 or two cloves, bay leaves and/or rosemary add to the taste.
Cut the meat in nice chunks. You can first fry them or put them straight into the pot, it’s up to you. I would however recommend to cut the onions, garlic, celery and carrots in small cubes and gently fry them in a mix of butter and olive oil to make a soffrito. No roasting, just letting the vegetables get all soft, translucent and let the starch turn into sugar. Sweat for at least 20 minutes and stir in between – the perfect base for all Mediterranean stews.
Put meat and vegetables into the pot, add tomatoes (skinned and diced, seeds removed if you like) add tomato puree dissolved in the wine and season the whole thing. Don’t be afraid of salt, the pasta will need some. Take care though if the stock is salty, too. Add lid and close firmly.
If you use a clay pot put it into the cold oven (middle rack) and set temperature at 150°C / 300F / gas mark 2 and leave it alone for at least an hour. Or 2 or 4.
Whenever you feel time is up remove from the oven, add the pasta and the stock (let it be hot stock, so the clay pot won’t crack), stir and season again. Close pot and put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes.
Remove from oven, take off lid and add the cheese. Put back in the oven with no lid for a few minutes until the cheese has melted.
Enjoy.
