serves 4
Xinohondros is the name of a local version of trahana, a deliciously sour milk-based grain product that is one of the oldest foods in Greece. I’ve known this dish in various renditions since first coming across it on Crete about thirty years ago. I was delighted to see it still appearing on restaurant menus even now, in this age of quick fixes and Westernized foods. I cooked it together with Eleftheria Vogiatsaki, the home cook who runs the kitchen at a busy meze restaurant called Raki Ba Raki in Rethymnon, Crete. This is her recipe, and it’s surprisingly simple. One caveat: You’ve got to be a starch lover to appreciate it! You can find xinohondros online.
½ cup (120 ml) extra-virgin Greek olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 Italian or Sicilian eggplants, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch (4 cm) chunks or cubes
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1¼-inch (3 cm) cubes
⅔ cup (160 ml) dry white wine
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, grated (see Note)
Salt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 cup Cretan xinohondros or sour trahana (see here)
In a wide pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the eggplant pieces and stir gently for 2 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the potatoes and stir.
Pour in the wine. As soon as it steams up, add the garlic and tomatoes. Season with salt, then add the thyme, parsley, and mint. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are about halfway cooked.
Add the xinohondros and cook for 10 minutes or so more, until the xinohondros is tender. If the xinohondros needs to cook a bit longer, add an additional 1 cup (240 ml) water. Remove from the heat, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.