How to make trahanóto, aka Greek risotto

Trahaná, as we've talked about before, is a traditional Greek soup, the typical winter comfort food. It is made with wheat flour and yogurt during the summer, then air-dried and stored for the winter. If you are lucky enough, and we are with Agrozimi, you can enjoy a homemade version that is passed through a sieve by hand and naturally air-dried. It is so much better than the mass-produced version because it holds its shape during cooking.

Not surprisingly, as soon as the weather turns warm in Greece, most people don't eat trahaná...including me, even though spring has only just arrived in Cincinnati!  I had a half package of trahaná in my pantry and was scratching my head as to what to do with it. I knew that "trahanóto" had become quite fashionable in Greece in the past few years, and many well-known Chefs have put it on their menus.  So I thought I'd give it a shot, replacing my family's beloved risotto with a little Greek soul food. Happily, it was a great success!. The taste is distinctive because of the yogurt and it pairs beautifully with mushrooms, asparagus, peas, even shrimp. Here is my take on a trahanóto with mushrooms.

Trahanoto Ingredients

1 cup dry Agrozimi sour trahaná

1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup dry white wine

5-6 cups of vegetable broth or chicken broth or warm water

3 cups of a variety of mushrooms (e.g., bella, shiitake, oyster, white)

1-2 tsp Sparoza cooking blend with herbs and lemon zest

1/4 cup Tragano Greek Organics extra virgin olive oil 

1/2 cup grated parmesan or other strong, hard cheese

Salt and pepper

Prepare the trahanoto

Heat in a skillet 1-2 tbsp of the olive oil to medium-high heat.

Sauté the mushrooms for a few minutes, adding the Sparoza cooking blend to taste, and remove from the heat.

In a different skillet, heat the remaining olive oil to medium-high heat and sauté the onion until it's translucent, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the dry trahaná and continue to mix and sauté until it is well-coated with the olive oil, again, around 2-3 minutes. Raise the heat and add the wine, continuing to stir until the liquid is reduced by half. Start adding cup by cup the broth or warm water and keep on stirring until the trahaná is cooked through. Don't let it get too dry!  Make sure it has a bit of liquid left because the  trahaná will continue to absorb the liquid after you remove it from the heat.

Mix in the mushrooms and, if you'd like, add 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan or other hard cheese. Serve immediately and enjoy!

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