Fried peppers from the garden and kritharaki with meat.

Today, I’m sharing our lunch menu. Our garden gave us the first peppers of the season, so I decided to simply fry them – they make a wonderful side to our main dish, which is kritharaki with meat. ​What is kritharaki? It is a very popular Greek pasta shaped like rice (made from durum wheat) that you can find in every single household here. It is often prepared in a meatless version, in oven-baked recipes, or with chicken or beef. It is a staple ingredient in the traditional dish known as giouvetsi or giouvetsaki. There are two main varieties: ​Smaller size – very similar to Italian orzo. ​Larger size – the exact same thing, just slightly bigger. In this video, I am using this larger option. ​Ingredients used in this recipe: ​Onion ​Fresh grated tomatoes ​Pre-cooked meat ​Kritharaki ​Seasonings: dried oregano, mixed peppercorns (black, white, pink), and a pinch of salt ​Important tip on proportions and cooking: The classic ratio of kritharaki to water is 3:1. Since I am using fresh tomatoes in this recipe (where about half of the volume is liquid), I only add 2.5 measures of water here. ​If you decide to replace the fresh tomatoes with a drier or more concentrated tomato paste, you should budget the total liquid to be three parts to one. However, it is completely fine to add a little more liquid during cooking if you feel it's not enough. Just make sure it is hot so the cooking process doesn't stop. ​In the video, you can clearly see the consistency you should aim for before turning off the heat – there should still be much more liquid left in the pot than you want in your final plate. Once you turn off the stove, simply cover the pot with a lid and let it rest for about 15 minutes. The pasta will absorb the remaining liquid, and you will get the exact result you see in the dish. ​The fried peppers from the garden complement this meal beautifully, but of course, you can also serve it with a fresh vegetable salad or just enjoy it on its own. ​Enjoy the video! ☀️ #kritharaki #friedpeppers #easyrecipe #quickmeal #greekcuisine #homecooked