This dish is for you folks that like it hot, some heat in a dish. Everyone in my family enjoys hot peppers in a dish but no one as much as a my dad. We’re talking about a man from the Prefecture of Florina, located in the northwestern province of Macedonia. My mom is from a town that neighbored my dad’s town and they both love peppers and especially hot peppers.
We all like hot peppers to some degree in our dishes but no one as much as my father. My mom’s best friend can (and will) eat a handle of long, thin hot peppers like they were a bag of potato chips! Once at a wedding, I sat beside an uncle (now dearly departed) who would pull out some small red chillis out of his lapel pocket and snip it into pieces and add it to each course served (save for dessert).
I like heat in a dish to add more complexity to a dish, some zing, character and ultimately (yes), some flavour. I’ve never been the type that will add a whole bunch of heat just for the sake of getting that adrenalin rush from eating extremely hot or spicy food. A basket of Buffalo chicken wings without some heat is just plain bland and those same chicken wings coated in “suicide sauce” is just plain overkill.
The dish I am showcasing today is very rustic and to try and make this into a high-rent looking dish that was crafted by a student at Le Cordon Bleu would bastardize the dish’ and pay insult to it’s humble place in the diet of this northern Greek home. We’re talking about a stew of vegetables simmered in grated tomatoes until soft, sweet and spicy from those hot peppers. The whole point of this dish is to break bread and swoop and scoop-up this sauce.
There are many varieties of “Mantza”. My dad’s version would start out with adding olive oil into a pot along with lots of sliced onions, garlic, a mixture of sweet and hot banana peppers, some fried chunks of eggplant and finally, some grate tomatoes. All this simmers until the sauce is think, the onions have broken down and the sauce is thick, sweet and red with the green peppers still evident in the sauce.
My dad’s recipe is a whole pot-full, enjoyed hot or room temperature. This dish will often be brought out as one of the offerings at the table. A serving of Mantza, some homemade crusty bread and a side of Feta all are interchangeable. Mantza can and will be made differently from home to home. This dish appears in the kitchens of Macedonia homes from the area around Naoussa, the towns of Florina and neighboring Kastoria.
Mantza (Μάντζα)
(serves 4)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium eggplant sliced (about 1/2 inch pieces)
2 hot banana peppers, roughly chopped
1 sweet cubanelle pepper, seeded and sliced
1 sweet pepper. seeded roughly chopped
1 small onion, sliced
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3-4 ripe tomatoes, passed through your box grater
Garnishes
approx. 1/2 cup of crumbled Feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil
- Add your olive oil into a skillet over medium heat and then add the eggplant and fry until golden. Remove from pan and set aside (not the one sweet pepper). Fry on both sides until just golden and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add all peppers, onions, garlic and garlic and saute for a few minutes to soften.
- Now add the grated tomato puree and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer. Add some salt and pepper to taste and continue to simmer.
- When you see that almost all the water in your sauce has evaporated and the sauce is almost thick, add the reserved eggplant and cover with a lid. Reduce to low and simmer for another 5-7 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and more olive oil if desired.
- Serve with lots of crusty bread, Feta cheese on on top (or on the side).
29 Responses
I want to try this now and it is only 7 in the morning! I was picturing the uncle pulling out the hot peppers from his lapel pocket and it made me laugh.
Fantastic recipe Peter and beautiful photos!
Love this kind of food at room temperature with feta cheese and crusty bread!
Wonderful. I’ve never tried it but looks fantastic!!
Love the stories about your Dad and Uncle, Peter. I guess they really liked their dishes hot. Wonderful to stuff the peppers with feta and anything with eggplant I would adore.
Super photos!
This is a spicy way to start the week Peter. Sounds like a tasty way to crank up the menu at home.
I like the way you make it Petah, it’s rustic, it’s moreish and it’s just the way I would love it! No feta available on my spot of the globe, but do you think ricotta might work in the stuffing? Mmmm… just one worl to describe it!
Αυτό το πικάντικο πιάτο είναι τέλειο για βουτίτσες με φρέσκο ψωμάκι!!
Γέλασα πολύ με τον θείο, να σαι καλά!!
Καλή βδομάδα Peter!!
Love the spice! Your pops knows what’s up. I am so making this.
Very good recipe Peter… I am a hot pepper lover, this dish is for me!!!
I’m ready to make and eat some mantza. I agree with you that a little heat makes a dish interesting but too much can overpower. I love these rustic dishes and this one looks soo flavorful.
Cheese stuffed chiles, that’s a winner in my book. Love your combination of ingredients, especially with eggplant and oregano, and love your chile-snipping uncle too.
LL
Oooh! This looks amazing! I love banana chilies! Love that sauce and the way you stuffed those peppers Peter…all I need is a nice “coldie”. Welcome summer!
My chillies are just beginning to fruit – I must keep this in mind for when they are ripe! So many of my favourite flavours!
Oh I am with you on the heat philosophy. Add complexity but not so much it covers up every other flavor in the dish. And this is one fabulous dish! It looks so good. Love the feta cooked in the pepper.
count me among the heat-lovers! this looks like an outstanding dish, especially with the accompaniment of some crusty and fluffy bread on the side to soak up every drop. :)
i also love the anecdote about the man carrying around hot peppers to add to his food–sounds like something i’d do if i were a bit more brave (and daffy). :)
It looks so good but I know the heat would kill me, darn midwestern taste buds
I like it hot. I adore eggplants.
This is very my my kind of dish.
Thank you
You bet I am ready to make this. WOW. There is NOTHING like a rustic dish. The photographs are leaping off of the page. I am not into heat, but will temper this for our palate. Thank you for the great summer dipping delight!
:)
Valerie
I could definitely dunk some bread in that pot. I love some spicy hot peppers in my dish. It’s good for you this time of year. They make you sweat and cool you off!
Thanks for sharing the family stories too. I love my peppers, but I dont’ think I could eat them plain as a snack!
I’m with you, Peter… I love spicy food, but too much and it ruins the dish. This dish looks absolutely amazing… kind of a Mediterranean Chile Relleno!
Wonderful…in all its rustic simplicity. I love ‘heat’ but have never thought of carrying chili pepper in my lapel pocket. Like Karen above, I, too, was thinking of the Mexican ‘rellenos’.
Oh yum Peter! This is definitely a dish for me! I thought of rellenos too when I saw this!
I do … I do… I love hot and spicy dishes. This is truly delicious Peter!
I wish I could dip some crusty bread into that dish. Gorgeous!
I love spicy and can definitely relate to your uncle who used to add chilies to dishes whenever he ate out! i should start doing that …
I’ve never heard hte name Mantza before … this dish looks lke pure rustic goodness on a plate … definitely the type of dish you need loads of bread to eat with.
This dish calls you to dive in with a slice of hot bread. Or maybe make it two slices or three. Eat it until there’s nothing left. Great photos.
Now this is right up my street! I would LOVE this dish Peter – I’m printing it now :)
Great dish !!!!! . Tried it . Love it . Finished it . Mmmm..