I was inspired to make this dish after watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding for the umpteenth time. I paired it with a wonderful wine crafted using handpicked Moschofilero Grapes from Southern Greece.
Join me as I discuss the movie, the pairing and the recipe.......
We are celebrating the 8th Anniversary of Food n Flix this month. Our leader, Heather, asked us to choose any movie that has been showcased in the past. The list is long and wonderful. You can see her invitation to join right here.
I chose one of my favorite movies. My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Why? Because I love it. It always makes me laugh out loud. I saw the second movie when it came out a couple of years ago and loved it just as much as the first. Our new daughter, Marissa, had never seen it before.
Good enough reasons? Thanks.
All right, I have to be honest here or the guilt will make me lose sleep. Heather had given us all the summer off from this fun group. She had told us that we would be celebrating the anniversary this month but it had completely slipped my mind.
September has turned into a crazy month for me. I got a new daughter who started high school on Tuesday. Choir starts back up next week. All my church meetings resume. And......most stressful of all.....there are two week long, sponsored, blogging events coming up. Pumpkin Week begins September 17th and is immediately followed by Apple Week. That is 10 recipes that I needed to plan, develop, make and write up.
Then there are all the other monthly groups to which I belong, including Wine Pairing Weekend, which is happening today.
Cindy of Grape Experiences sent out an invitation post asking us to join the "Greek Squad" this month. That title reminds me of Ghostbusters which was another movie that we could have chosen but which does not have near the food inspiration of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
I was excited about this wine challenge. I love Greek food but know very little about Greek wine. I found the recipe I wanted to make, Lahano me Kreas, and headed to the International Market to find some wine. The lady who works in the wine section recommended this bottle of 2017 Moschofilero Boutari priced at 16.99. She thought it would pair very nicely with the pork stew.
So, back to my true confession...... this meal was already made and photographed when Heather sent out the invitation reminding me of this month's Food n Flix celebration.
All of the reasons I gave for loving the movie are very true. And I had a great time watching it again with Marissa and seeing her laugh as hard as I always do but I chose the movie because this meal was already made and we own the movie so it was very handy. Also, I was not a member of this group when it was showcased the first time so that played into my choice, as well.
Don't worry, there is no Windex used in this recipe. I may have used some during clean up though.
The wine was very dry with beautiful floral notes. There was a distinct citrus that lingered on the tongue, perhaps grapefruit but not quite so strong. I enjoyed it when I first tasted it by itself but it really came to life when paired with the earthy, rustic and sweet flavors of this dish.
A google search informed me that this wine was created by Boutari to save the grape from extinction. I, for one, am very glad they put forth this effort. It is a wonderful wine and one that I will look for again in future.
Cindy will be hosting twitter chat today at 11 AM ET. Please jooin us following #WinePW and tell us about your favorite Greek Wine pairing.
Here are the topics being shared by the members today, stop by and say hi.........
- Lori of Dracaena Wines writes about The Case of the Confused Country.
- David from Cooking Chat suggests Grilled Tilapia with Tomatoes, Olives and Greek Wine Pairing.
- Sarah of Curious Cuisiniere serves Moussaka and a Greek Wine Pairing.
- Jill of L'Occasion writes about the 5 Surprises of Greek Wine
- Lauren of The Swirling Dervish features A Taste of the Peloponnese: Fresh Swordfish and Mercouri Foloi
- Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm discovers that Lahano me Kreas Does Double Duty.
- Jane of Always Ravenous serves Souvlaki Paired with Assyrtiko.
- Gwendolyn of Wine Predator says Go Greek with Marathon Wines and Grilled Eggplant with Spiced Yogurt for #WinePW
- Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla pairs Garides Saganaki + A Traditional Semi-Sparkling Orange Wine
- Jade of Tasting Pour pairs Lamb Kebabs and Agiorgitiko
- Cindy of Grape Experiences takes on Dinner Tonight: Wine from Crete with Shrimp, Feta, and Tomatoes
- Nicole Ruiz Hudson of Sommstable is Cooking to the Wine: Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko-Athiri with Scallops, Roasted Veggies, and Preserved Lemon Cauliflower Cream
And here is this recipe that is sure to get the approval of the entire Portakalos family and maybe even the Miller family.
#pork, #stew, #cabbage, #slowcooker, #crockpot,
Stew, Pork, Cabbage, Slow Cooker, Crockpot, Entree
Greek
Lahano me Kreas
Lahano me Kreas translates from Greek as Cabbage with Meat. This is pure, unadulterated, comfort food at it's finest.
ingredients:
1 lb. pork stew meat
salt and pepper, to taste
3 T. olive oil
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 small onion, chopped
1 (14 oz) can stewed tomatoes
2 T. tomato paste
1 lg. carrot, scraped and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 head savoy cabbage, chopped
instructions:
Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the pork and onions. Cook, turning until the pork is browned on all sides and the onion is golden, about 5 minutes or so.
Add the wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Transfer contents of skillet to the crock of a slow cooker. Pour in the tomatoes with their juices. Stir in the tomato paste, carrots, garlic, oregano and cabbage.
Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hrs or high heat for 4 hrs.
NOTES:
Recipe adapted from It's All Greek to Me by Debbie Matenopoulos
Property of A Day in the Life on the Farm
Created using The Recipes Generator
We JUST re-watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding last weekend, too. The boys tell me we own the 2nd one, but I can't remember it and we couldn't find the disc. We'll keep looking. This stew and wine pairing look fantastic, Wendy.
ReplyDeleteIt was Cam...Enjoy the second movie when you find it.
DeleteThat is a great dish for fall/winter. I'm relieved to know you skipped the Windex! Cheers Wendy!
ReplyDeleteCheers Lauren, thanks for promoting this post.
DeleteWhat a wonderful, comforting dish! Perfect for fall! We're big fans of cabbage, so we'll definitely have to give this a try!
ReplyDeleteI think you will love it Sarah.
DeleteMmm, this looks like a good traditional Greek recipe to try! I make some versions of pork & cabbage, but typically more of an Asian style.
ReplyDeleteThis is a spectacular one David. Enjoy.
DeleteI really enjoyed my Moschofilero. In fact went back and bought more. I love the idea of wine and flix! What a clever concept!
ReplyDeleteThanks, it was a fun night.
DeleteI am with you, love Greek food and My Big Fat Greek Wedding ( I need to re-watch that again, it has been a while). I have enjoyed discovering Greek wine and plan on drinking more of it!
ReplyDeleteMe too Jane.
DeleteNo shame in doing double-duty! I'm right there with you right now...hence our "intermission". Cabbage is such a comfort food for me as well, but I've never had it exactly like this, I know I'd love it! And MBFGW is always a fave. I'm so happy that you're a part of Food 'n Flix, Wendy. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Heather...I love being part of this fun group.
DeleteCongrats on the new family member! I love this film too but for some reason I didn't even consider it for the anniversary post. I would hate if you felt guilty for posting this delicious recipe. Like you said, true comfort food!
ReplyDeleteIt really is Debra.
DeleteFood and Flix sounds fun!
ReplyDeleteWe would love to have you join us Jill.
Delete