090Sausage with leeks

Method

Macedonian skillet braise. Serve hot in shallow bowls with crusty sourdough bread and a block of sharp sheep's milk feta.

You will need

• wide deep frying pan or sauté pan with lid
• wooden spoon
• slotted spoon

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a wide, deep frying pan or sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the sausage rounds, and sear for 5 to 6 minutes until deeply browned on both cut sides. 6 min Ready when: sausage pieces are well-browned and have released some fat
2. Transfer the browned sausages to a bowl using a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the pan. 1 min Ready when: pan retains hot rendered drippings
3. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan over medium heat, add the leeks and a pinch of salt, and sauté gently for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leeks have shrunk and softened without scorching. 10 min Ready when: leeks are tender and beginning to turn sweet and golden
4. Clear a small spot on the bottom of the pan, stir in the tomato paste and red pepper flakes, and fry for 1 minute until darkened and fragrant. 1 min Ready when: tomato paste smells rich and toasty
5. Pour in the dry red wine, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the base of the pan with a wooden spoon, and boil for 2 minutes to cook off the alcohol. 2 min Ready when: wine reduces by half
6. Return the sausages and any resting juices to the pan, add the warm water, season with black pepper and a little salt, cover with a lid, and simmer gently over low heat for 15 minutes. 15 min Ready when: leeks are meltingly soft
7. Uncover the pan and simmer vigorously for a final 2 to 3 minutes until the liquid reduces to an unctuous, thick, glossy sauce clinging to the sausage and leeks. 3 min Ready when: sauce is thick and oil begins to separate at the edges

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Make ahead and storing

Can be cooked up to a day ahead; the flavours meld even better when reheated gently.

Keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

Substitutions

• coarse pork sausage with leek or fennel (such as Italian sweet sausage or Toulouse sausage) for Greek village pork sausage (horiatiko loukaniko). Choose sausages with a coarse grind and natural casings rather than emulsified links.
• dry white wine or fresh lemon juice with water for dry red wine. White wine yields a cleaner, brighter braise favoured in some western Macedonian villages.

Common mistakes

• Rushing the leeks on high heat. Leeks scorch and turn unpleasantly bitter if fried too fast; they require gentle heat to develop their natural sweetness.
• Leaving too much cooking liquid. This is a thick stovetop braise, not a broth; the final reduction is vital so the sauce coats the meat.

Regional variants

• Spetsofai style: sliced sweet Florina red peppers are braised alongside the leeks.
• Lemon-oregano finish: wine and tomato paste are omitted in favour of lemon juice and wild oregano.

About the dish

Throughout northern Greece, particularly in Macedonia and Thessaly, leeks are an essential winter vegetable, cultivated widely and incorporated into pies, stews, and sausages. Indeed, the region is famous for producing village sausages that actually incorporate chopped leek into the minced pork stuffing. Loukaniko me prasa brings these elements into the skillet, pairing browned, robust local pork sausage with generous lengths of sweet leeks that soften into a rich, savoury stew. It is a hearty winter standard, eaten with bread, feta, and robust red wine.

Found in Macedonia, Thessaly. Cooked for everyday, winter, sunday lunch.

Cousins elsewhere

• Nadenitsa s praz (Bulgarian). A common winter skillet dish across the southern Balkans pairing pork sausage with braised sweet leeks.
• Makanek bil basal wa korath (Levantine). Spiced sausages sautéed with alliums, though seasoned with warm spices and pomegranate molasses rather than wine and tomato.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

669 kcal · protein 22 g · fat 49.4 g (saturated 15 g) · carbohydrate 31.7 g (sugars 9 g) · fibre 4.3 g · sodium 1158 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Rooted in northern Greek winter village cooking, where pork and leeks are married in deep, wine-enriched skillet stews..