Wine with Food

Last week we went to a wonderful evening of food and wine at Aleria restaurant in Athens.
The wines from the Evharis estate were matched with a four course dinner.
 The food and wine were wonderful

The first course was grilled squid on a bed of raw cauliflower and fennel served with a very delicately curried sauce of pureed apple, matched with a glass of Assyrtiko.
Next came grilled fish on a bed of beetroot this was match Syrah blanc de Noir.
The meat course was beautiful belly pork served with aglass of Evharis Syrah, red 2007
The dessert course was another triumph, mandarin sorbet served with halva, served with a glass of Epilogue, a dessert wine made from botrytus effected Roditis and Sauvignon Blanc. this sweety is very unusual for Greece , and is packed full of tropical fruit flavours , absolutely world class!!!

we off to Aleria this week for another wine and food evening where the wines of Pavlides will be showcased, I can't wait
All this gorgeous food and wine for 35 euros per person , great value

Chocolate

Greece is not famous for its chocolate, but there are some very good chocolatiers here in Athens and also in Thessaloniki.
In Athens I suggest you try something from Aristokratikon. This is truly a family concern and they still use the recipes passed down from their grand father.

For cutting edge chocolates to rival anything made in Paris or London go to Sweet Alchemy. This is the brain child of Stelios Parliaros the most famous chocalatier patissier in Greece. His cakes and chocolates are divine and he makes them all himself. He only uses Valrhona chocolate in his recipes.
He made a cake for our sons birthday , chocolate and praline it was sublime.
He also publishes a magazine every month, called "Sweet Stories" devoted to all things sweet.

Wild Artichoke update

Yes these wild artichokes are bitter , but some how they are delicious and addictive, I would certainly brave the thorns again , as when cooked they are very tender

Wild Artichokes

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The photo is of some wild artichokes, aginares, that I bought in the market on Saturday.
The thorns should bare a health warning they are exceptionally sharp.The stall holder recommended that before cleaning , you take a pair of scissors and remove all the thorns. I followed her advice and after that these artichokes were tender and very easy to clean in acidulated water.(to stop them going too brown)
I then proceeded to make the classic Greek dish, "Aginares a la Polita".
You take 2-3 spring onions , 2-3 carrots and 2-3 potatoes and a bunch of dill, olive oil and lemon juice.
Roughly chop the onions and sweat in olive oil, when soft add the potatoes and carrots cut into medium size pieces. Saute with the onions then add the dill , artichokes cut in half and lots of lemon juice , salt and pepper , more oil if needed and some more chopped dill , cover the pan bring to boil , then simmer until all the vegetables are tender.
The lady in the market said that wild artichokes are more bitter than the cultivated ones, I will report back after lunch.

Dinner At P-Box Athens

I said in my introduction to this blog that Greek food is tasty, gutsy and healthy but not gourmet.
I stand corrected. Last night we ate at the Athenian Restaurant P-Box and had the most wonderful meal cooked by the Michelin starred chef Christoforos Peskias.
The food was truly sublime!
The menu is a mixture of greek dishes with a modern twist and Greek Asian fusion dishes.
We decided to choose dishes from the latter as we were curious.
Starters, smooth, smooth fava surrounded by delicate slices of octapus, the best taramasalata that we have ever tasted served with Won Ton crisps.Then the waiter arrived at the table with a very scary blow torch and proceed to smoke slices of salted mackerel at the table. This was served on a bed of shredded Korean radish with a subtle soy dressing. Then came salmon sashimi Greek style with a topping of crisp dakos crumbs. Next arrived seared fillet of beef that had been sliced wafer thin , with it was a side salad of chopped kos lettuce dill and spring onions. The beef had a delicious sauce , just not quite sure of the ingredients.
For main course we shared a perfectly cooked tuna steak which sat on a bed of aubergine that had a delicious lemony acidity that matched the oily fish perfectly,and a fillet of teryaki sea bass on a sauce of leeks and something else that was truly divine.
To round off the meal, chocolate mousse with a boule of strawberry ice cream.
This is seriously top notch cooking
Best of all the prices are sensible. We will be returning often.

Santorini

We spent Sunday and Monday of this week visiting Santorini and of course the Hatzidakis Winery. All Monday morning was spent in the vineyards , as that is where the wine making process begins. All his new vineyards are under organic production so full of wild flowers at this time of year. However , I could not resist this photo that really illustrates the minerality of the volcanic ash soil and the harshness of the terrior. The yellow is lichen full of sulphur.
After the vineyards we spent a happy hour tasting the wines in his cave cellar just outside the village of Pyrgos. As usual I loved his "Santorini" 2010 and of course his Mylos 2009.
We then decamped to the little taverna in Pyrgos "Mythos" run by the very jolly Nektarios. and his wife Katie. We had a marvellous lunch of, fava, tomatoe fritters, kalimari, the best tzaziki that I have had for some time and roast pork, all washed down with Hatzidaki's "Santorini". We rounded off themeal with fresh fruit and home made halva. and a Greek coffee.

Clean Monday

Monday this week was a public holiday here in Greece as it is the first day of Lent.
It is known as "Clean Monday". It is a day for friends and family to gather together ,  to go out and fly kites and then after to sit down to a feast of fasting food.
This is one of my very favourite days here in Greece.
As usual we had friends over and ate the following
Special bread , known as Lagana , large flat loaves covered with sesame seeds that is broken with your hands , you are not supposed to cut it with a knife.
Artichokes, Kos lettuce salad, cucumber salad, beetroot, stuffed vines leaves, lentils with vegetables and rice, octopus cooked in red wine, taramasalata, tomato tart, and finally prawn pea and broad bean rissoto. Followed by strawberries and halva.
Some recipes and pictures will follow soon.
As you can see no meat, this is the day for seafood and salads.
Octopus is an absolute must and I was finally brave enough to cook it.