Trahanoto with mushrooms & lountza

NOTES

Trahana is one of the oldest foods in Greek cuisine. It is considered as a fine way to preserve milk. It is always made at the end of the summer when there is enough heat to dry the morsels quickly but also because the summer is a time, when there is an excess of milk. Dairy-based trahana comes in two types: sweet and sour. Sweet is made with whole milk, typically goat’s milk, and sour trahana is made with yogurt or buttermilk. Milk, buttermilk or yogurt, are mixed into the wheat flour or semolina to form a thick mass. Once the ingredients have been combined, they are broken into chunks, dried, and then broken up into smaller pieces.
Lountza comes from Cypriot cuisine and it’s made of pork tenderloin, which is first brined and marinated in red wine, then dried and smoked. The Cypriot Greek word ‘lountza’ derives from ‘lonza stagionata’, the Italian term for cured pork, and points to the introduction of pork specialties on the island when the Venetians ruled it during the sixteenth century. In the northern Cyclades islands of Greece (Mykonos, Syros, Serifos, Andros, Tinos & Tzia), louza is a special preserved pork loin.
Kefalograviera is a greek salted table cheese produced traditionally from sheep’s milk or mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk. The cheese has a salty flavor and rich aroma. It is an excellent cheese for grating, and is widely used as a topping for pasta dishes.

	200 gr trahana
	1200 ml water
	300 gr fresh mushrooms (agaricus – brown)
	50 gr dry white wine
	20 gr dried mushrooms
	70 gr butter
	60 gr lountza (cured pork tenderloin)
	1 leek
	2 garlic cloves
	1 onion, finely chopped
	Sea salt & pepper to taste
	Kefalograviera (salted gruyere) for grating

1.	Slice leek and mushrooms. Chop onion and garlic gloves.
2.	Cut the pork meat into small pieces.
3.	Place wine in a bowl and soak dried mushrooms into it.
4.	In a medium heavy saucepan, add water and bring to boil into a medium temperature.
5.	Add trahana and boil for 12 minutes (or according to the package directions).
6.	In a skillet heat butter until melted, add mushrooms (fresh & dried), vegetables and cured pork. Stir constantly.
7.	Add pepper and salt. Pour in the wine and stir until completely absorbed.
8.	Once trahana is ready assemble all the ingredients into the saucepan and stir.
9.	Top with cheese and serve in a soup bowl.