Spicy Trahana soup with flaming red pepper dip

Spicy traditional trahana (or trahanás) soup with flaming red pepper sauce is one of my favorite ways to eat this ultimate Greek comfort food. Trahana (the accent is on the last a!) is actually a pasta made with flour and yogurt, and women would traditionally come together towards the end of summer to roll it out together, then crumble it before covering with clean sheets so that it could dry and be kept for the winter. There was also a "sweet" trahana, made without yogurt, but I always had a soft spot for good old-fashioned sour trahana. 

That's why I was thrilled when we met Agrozimi, a third-generation Greek pasta maker, and brought over their flavorful sour trahana that so reminded me of my childhood. 

When I was a child, my grandmother used to prepare trahana for breakfast on cold winter days or for a light supper. It was also our go-to dish when we were sick at home, as it's a light and healthy meal. But trahana isn't just for winter! I still like it as a quick snack or dinner, and for one of my sons it was his go-to, easy college meal. Having said that, it's true that I came up with this spicy traditional trahana soup a few years back during Cincinnati's polar vortex. I added a few spoonfuls of Elli & Manos spicy dip with Florina red peppers and what a treat it was.  Here's the quick and easy recipe, give it a try!

Ingredients for spicy trahana soup with flaming red pepper dip

1 cup Agrozimi Spicy Vegetable Trahana

3-4 tbsp Elli & Manos Spicy Dip with Florina Peppers

1 tsp of Tragano Greek Organics Extra Virgin Olive Oil

salt to taste

How to make spicy trahana soup with flaming red pepper dip

Put 5 cups of water and 1 cup of trahana in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat to medium and continue boiling for about 7-10 minutes. The trahana is ready when the mixture has a thick consistency and the pasta is cooked (some like it more or less "al dente" - depending on your taste, you can add more water if needed and boil a little longer).

Remove from the heat and add 3-4 tbsp of Elli & Manos' spicy dip. Mix well and top off with a generous drizzle of Tragano olive oil; add salt if you still need it or for an even hotter flavor, add more of the spicy dip or sprinkle red pepper flakes.

Enjoy!

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