Most experts will say drink white wine with pork. Today we feature a dish very commonplace throughout the Greek Islands and Cyprus which turns that theory on its head. Drunken pork is a simple dish to prepare and full of robust Greek flavors including red wine. A simple marinade made from everyday ingredients and then slow cooked.
The result is a rich, slightly dry and full-flavored Greek classic. Once you have cooked this dish you will surely return to it because of its simplicity and full-flavored taste. It is a taste sensation.
We also take a closer look at the main town of our favorite Greek Island; Naxos Town or Chora (Hora), take your pick. It wasn’t the only Greek town on the islands with 2 or 3 names!
Wandering through the old town and its alleyways was a real pleasure. We briefly cover our 3 favorite restaurants or tavernas in Naxos Town and encourage you to visit them.
Naxos Town, A Great Place to Wander and Eat
If you like the idea of wandering through historic old houses, quaint alleyways, discovering out of the way restaurants and shops where you just have to remind yourself you are not on a movie set, then you will love Naxos Town. Every time you make a turn, you won’t know what to expect, it is just full of surprises.
To enjoy, Naxos Town, put on some good walking shoes and be prepared to wander. The best time is the early evening, as siesta is sacrosanct in Naxos Town and nothing, absolutely nothing is open in the afternoon 2-5 pm.
Make sure you visit the old town for some Venetian style and architecture. You can take a tour through Domus Della Rocca – Barozzi, the Venetian Museum. Built in the 13th Century it is a fascinating glimpse of what life in Naxos would have been for the wealthy. It is beautifully furnished and the story of the oldest and most renowned of the Venetian families that ruled this island is fascinating in itself.
Afterwards continue to wander the alleyways of Naxos Town. Beautifully paved, and full of surprising shops, tavernas and discrete, little squares. Every time you turn a corner you just wonder what surprise you will see next. Don’t take a map, just wander and see what you find. See which restaurants appeal to you and make your choice. You can easily spend a couple of carefree hours on this activity.
Getting hungry? Although not in the Old Town, we can happily point you to our 3 favorite tavernas in Naxos Town:
Nostimon Hellas. Looking for a modern touch on Greek classics? Then this restaurant will tick all of the boxes. Great village wine, the subject of a future article, and fabulous food at a reasonable price. What we loved most about this place was how different the menu was to the more traditional-style tavernas. The rolled eggplant was sublime! We had a great conversation with our server and thoroughly enjoyed our evening.
Scirocco. Right on the main square and your more, traditional-style taverna. Great service, good pricing and fabulously friendly staff. Nothing fancy, just good food and service. The seafood pasta and calamari was brilliant.
Maro’s Taverna. Another traditional-style taverna, featuring all the Greek classics. Want Drunken Pork? You’ll get it here. Servings at this taverna are large by Greek standards and pricing was on the cheaper side. Great value. We really enjoyed it.
Drunken Pork
So without further ado, here is our version of drunken pork. It is a simple dish to prepare and cook but you need to marinate it for best results. 24 hours is best but as little as 4 hours will work as well.
We are simply serving it with orzo, a great little pasta, shaped like rice.Think pasta is just the domain of Italy? No. It’s just as popular in Greece and orzo was everywhere. Testament maybe, to its Venetian history. You an also serve it with rice if you prefer.
The dish is simply marinated in red wine and crushed, coriander seeds. The addition of some oregano gives the dish a very robust flavor. And yes it goes perfectly with red wine! Enjoy.
More Winter Warmers
If you are looking for some more comfort food, try some of these stews and casseroles:
French, Coq au Vin cooked in the slow cooker. An easy version of the chicken and red wine classic for busy people.
Want another slow cooker recipe using beef or any meat you have on hand? Red Wine and Herb casserole will be ready at the end of the day, when you don’t feel like cooking.
Another easy, Greek and Cypriot dish you can try is Drunken Pork (also using red wine). I see a trend here!
From Romania comes pork goulash. The whole family will love this traditional Romanian dish.
And, from Turkey comes Sultan’s Delight, our favorite winter warmer, made with lamb and paired with smoky eggplant. Great for a special occasion.
| Servings | Prep Time | Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 4people | 5minutes | 2 1/2hours | 4hours |
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4people | 5minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 2 1/2hours | 4hours |
- Marinade
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 3 tbsp coriander, seed, whole
- 2 lb stewing pork pork shoulder is best
- Stew
- 3 fl ozs olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp salt, ground sea
- 2 tsp black pepper, ground
- 2 tsp oregano, dried
- 3 bay leaves
|
Ingredients
Servings: people
Units:
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- Make the marinade. Crush the coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle. Place the crushed, coriander seeds in a bowl with the red wine. Add the meat and combine well. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight. When ready to cook, remove the meat from the marinade and dry with paper towel. Reserve the marinade.
- Heat half the oil in a heavy saucepan over a medium heat. Sear half the meat. When browned on all sides, remove the meat and repeat with the second batch. Remove the second batch of meat when browned. Add the remaining oil to the pan, then add the diced onion and when browned, return the meat to the pan. Add the water, and when boiling turn down the heat to a bare simmer, cover with a lid and simmer for 1 hour. Drain excess liquid, then add the reserved marinade, season with salt and pepper, oregano and bay leaves. Simmer, covered for a further 1 hour.
- Serve with orzo pasta or rice and a Greek salad.
Sharon Miklos-Thompson
Grew up in Tarpon Springs Florida, a lovely Greek community. My best friends parents owned a very popular Greek restaurant & his Mom taught me to cook Greek food. The mention of the blue & white takes me back there. Today of you go to Tarpon, Hella’s has become most popular & will serve you delicious Greek food in a white room w cobalt blue & yellow tiles made in Greece. The People are so kind & the foods so good.
I will definitely be making this Drunken Pork & have signed up for Italian Dinner Recipes. Looking forward to all! Thanks for sharing….
Vicki @ Boiled Eggs & Soldiers
I love the sound of this recipe I will have to give it a try, gorgeous photo’s of Naxos as well. Thanks for sharing it on YWF too.
Editor
My pleasure Vicki. It is a lovely recipe and easy to make. Elizabeth’s favorite Greek meal. Thanks for your comment.
Sylvie
Naxos sounds lovely, I’d love to visit someday!
Editor
Not quite as commercial as Mykonos and Santorini but lovely nonetheless. Thanks for your comment.
Tania @ The Cook's Pyjamas
Although it has been many years since visiting Naxos, I still have very fond memories of it. Great food, great wine & great company. I loved the place. I’m going to have to try this in the slow cooker. Sounds great.
Editor
You’ll be fine in the slow cooker with that recipe. Just reduce the liquids by a third. Thanks for your comment.
swayam
This looks and sounds delicious Mark!!
Editor
Thank you for that. It was very tasty and remains Elizabeth’s favorite meal from Greece. Thanks for your comment.
Oana @AdoreFoods
Such an interesting recipe! I usually add white wine with pork but your recipe looks amazing and for sure it tastes fantastic. Pinned to try it
Editor
Thank you for that. I hope you enjoy it when you get around to making it. The red wine is a winner with it. Thanks for your comment.
Michele
I love simple ingredient recipes that deliver full flavor meals. We often drink red wine with pork, we just pair it with a lighter red. This is definitely going on my to make list!
Editor
Michele you will love this recipe. Of course, one should be using Greek red wine but I have found it difficult to source where we live. Thanks for your comment.
Brian Jones
I love pork with red wine, it is too often cooked in white wine but I think red is a perfect partner especially if it is a more mature piece of pork, sounds wonderful!
Editor
I used a pork shoulder, full of taste and more suited to slow cooking than a leg. Oregano also suits red wine so yes a perfect partnership.
Sarah
Well…in my opinion, everything is perfect with red wine haha, but this dish looks absolutely delicious! I will absolutely have to try it soon 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Editor
Give it a go Sarah. You are right about red wine. What doesn’t go with it. Thanks for your comment.
Amanda | Chew Town
There is something so perfect about blue and white! All greek food looks better surrounded by blues and whites. This sounds like an absolutely delicious dish! loving the red wine, coriander seeds and bay leaf combination!
Editor
Amanda, this was my wife’s favorite dish in Greece and it was everywhere. It’s a great combination flavors and as you can see it is simple to prepare and cook. Thanks for your comment.
MyCookingSecrets.com | Krystallia Giamouridou
Even thought I am Greek, I haven’t visited Naxos’ island yet. The island is famous for it’s traditional Greek cuisine and some products like Naxian potatoes and graviera (aged cheese). You executed the recipe perfectly, but I have a complaint to make 😀 you didn’t use Greek wine, which would be the perfect match for this recipe… 😀 Next time time, if you have some pork leftovers, serve it on top of spaghetti instead of orzo.
Editor
Krystallia, you are right about the Greek wine. That bottle you see in the photos is of an Australian vineyard. Unfortunately it is hard to find Greek wine in Australia. And I agree with you, the dish would have gone better with a traditional Greek wine. Yes and we loved the potatoes from Naxos! Thanks for your comment.
Dee
How interesting! I would normally have white wine with pork, but this looks and sounds so delicious that I’d try it with red too.
Editor
Dee, that red wine goes perfectly with oregano and stronger cuts of pork (I used shoulder) that you can slow cook. It is a robust dish. Give it a try and see what you think. Thanks for your comment
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
Yes, this definitely sounds like it will be perfect for a slow cooker. Need to try it.
Editor
Couldn’t agree more. Give it a go. Elizabeth thinks this was her favorite Greek dish! Thanks for your comment.
Angie
Will it work in a slow cooker? Sort of like a pork bourguignon. I like it. Awesome, thanks for sharing!!!
Editor
It will work perfectly in a slow cooker, set on low. Just change the water for the marinade half way through. Thanks for your comment.