Potatoes "stifado" with capers

Simple and easy to prepare but a really delicious vegetarian dish to enjoy any day! Inspired by the classic Greek dish of "Stifado", only this time no meat is involved and the capers take the place of the sweet small onions giving to the food a distinctive flavour. The fact that there is no meat in this version doesn't mean that the recipe is not filling! Ideal not only for the vegetarians but also those Greeks (back home or abroad) who are fasting this period and would like to cook something different

Recipe of Athinagoras Kostakos,

a young talented Head Cook

winner of the Greek version of "Top Chef" TV cooking contest (2011)

from "BHMAgourmet" magazine of "TO BHMA" newspaper



Ingredients (for 4 people):
½ tea-cup of olive oil
2 large yellow onions, grated
1 large carrot, cut in small cubes
3 tbsp of tomato paste
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 pinch of ground allspice
1 tsp of dried rosemary
3 tbsp of malt vinegar
2 glasses of red dry wine
1Kg of baby potatoes, well washed and kept whole (skin on or peeled)
150gr. of capers
2 tbsp of granulated sugar
1 tin of tomatoes concassé (or 200gr. of fresh tomatoes, grated)
salt
pepper
1Lt of vegetable stock

Method:
Put the capers in a bowl filled with water and allow to soak for about 20 minutes so to discard as much of their saltiness as possible. Then drain, rinse well and drain again. Leave aside for later.

In a wide and shallow pot warm the oil in low heat and sauté the onion until it is translucent. Add the carrot, the tomato paste, the garlic, the bay leaves, the cinnamon, the rosemary, the allspice and sauté for another 3-4 minutes stirring with a wooden spoon.

Pour over with the vinegar and the wine. When the alcohol is evaporated add in the pot the potatoes, the capers, the sugar and the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, cover with the lid and cook the food in low heat for about 1 hour.

*** During the cooking, you don't stir so not to break the potatoes and you gradually add the vegetable stock in the pot every time you see the liquids are low.