Last night, I got home a little later than usual. I left the office about 45 minutes late and made a stop on the way home. I was a little too tired to cook anything “special” so I dug around to see what I could make quickly. The first thing that caught my eye in the pantry was a jar of trahanas and that’s what I grabbed. Traxanas (τραχανάς) are a Greek pasta made with flour and yogurt or fermented milk. This variety was sour, but you can also find a sweet version (http://greekfood.about.com/od/greekfoodphotogalleries/ig/Greek-Ingredient-Photos/Trahanas-Pasta.htm). I bought these at an international bakery in Atlanta a while back and they were not quite as flavorful as some homemade trahanas that I had in Greece. Regardless, that’s what I decided to cook. Scrambling around some more, I found half an onion in the refrigerator, some garlic, dried Greek oregano (from Kalamata) a can of whole tomatoes, and some wakame flakes (dried seaweed).
I sauteed the onions in some olive oil then added the tomatoes and garlic. I crushed the tomatoes with a potato masher and also added a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste to up the flavor some. I let this mixture cook for a few minutes then added 4 cups of water. I let this come to a boil, then stirred in the trahanas and wakame along with the oregano and a little salt and black pepper. I turned the heat down to a simmer, covered the pot and let them cook for about 20 minutes. You have to stir the soup a few times while cooking to make sure the pasta doesn’t stick. You know it’s done when the soup thickens and the trahanas are nice and soft.
It was a nice impromptu supper!
Deltavore 