Our final look into Greeky cuisine brings us to the best of the best. It's been a wild ride for us. We ate a lot... and our palates are forever stained with the memory of these amazing Greeky dishes. Things have been prepared, cooked, and taste buds have decided. So, without further a due:
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Little Bit of Island Life: Andros
| "Have A Good Trip" |
“Have
a good trip.” Our final moments before floating away on the Aegean couldn’t
have been more symbolic of the last couple of weeks. 4 days of wandering
through ancient history and 10 Days of rest & relaxation at the beach were
epic enough to deserve that message. It also helped reassure us that good times
were still coming. Our next destination: the beautiful lush island of Andros.
Home to about 10,500 people, Andros is a moderately sized chunk of mass in the
Cyclades islands. The terrain is very diverse; it’s got cloud kissing
mountains, rolling hills, brush land, sandy beaches and tons of foliage. We
were really lucky to land at the time we did for several reasons: 1) Andros is
a hotspot for vacationing during the summer. As much as we love to party, NYC
gives us more than enough chaos all year round. So, we appreciate the peace and
quiet. 2) Late September isn’t dreadfully hot, but not miserably cold. We hit a
weather bull’s eye. Lastly, 3) Christina’s father was on the island with his
buddy. So, we had a really nice roof to sleep under and an entire farm to
ourselves =D
| Beautiful sunset from ferry. |
| Batsi in the distance. |
| Port Gabri (Main Port of Andros) |
| Panoramic view of Batsi |
| Roadside Donkey
***Click "Youtube" for fullscreen***
|
| Hanging Octopus Tentacles |
The Greeks hang their octopus tentacles in order to dry out
the meat. This method gives the octopus the proper texture and flavor which
bring tears of joy.
| Our First ATV rental. |
Meet Dino, our trusty iron steed. We figured that renting a
car was too cliché for our tastes. So, this was the optimal choice. We raced
across Andros at blinding speeds, peaking at 52 kph… downhill. People were
jealous of our awesomeness, for sure 8) This baby took us every corner of
Andros: inside town, the beautiful beaches (which Andros has plenty of), and
even the famed party island Mykonos (future blog post).
*** Click "Youtube" for fullscreen***
| Golden Beach, Andros |
| Soakin in the rays. |
Sunset in Andros, across
the Aegean Sea.
Remember how we mentioned
the farm we lived on? Well, this piece of land was no joke. Fully equipped to
be self-sufficient, our host grew everything from fruits & vegetables
(olives, grapes, peaches, lemons, pomegranates, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers,
peppers, and many more), to livestock (goats, lamb, chickens, and a prized
pig). They are definitely prepared for extended isolation in case shit goes
down in the larger cities. The panoramic view of the neighboring islands across
the Aegean was out of this world. Christina and I spent many an evening
watching the sunset, in awe of its beauty.
It didn’t take Roland long to develop a ritual.
Every morning, he would wake up, put on his farming clothes and head outside to
fetch breakfast. Roland loves to munch on fruit (especially when he wakes up).
So he was really excited to hear that our host grows Figs on his farm.
***Click "Youtube" for fullscreen***
| Many Figs |
| A Fig |
*Top-Left* Chickens and Goats
feasting - *Top-Right* Roosters
*Bottom Center* Chicken Eggs
| Our Buddy Wilbur |
| Fresh Lemons |
| Basil |
| Mmmmmmmelons |
"I LOVE LUCY!" - Our awesome doggy companion in Andros; who came to visit us every morning for a good ol' belly rub. We will miss her =(
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Nafpaktos P2 - CnR Find a Home.
The second installment of our adventure in Nafpaktos brings us closer to anything we could ever consider a home away from home. Christina's family has been gracious to let us stay at their apartment in Nafpaktos while we bask under the mediterranean sun. It was 10 days of rest, relaxation, lots of frappes, amazing food, beautiful scenary, awesome fire spinning chill sessions, and endless memories for a lifetime. We put together a short photo montage to show you some of our experiences. ***It should be said, as beautiful as the images are, they don't do the real thing justice. It is highly recommended that you drop EVERYTHING you're doing in your life and visit this lucious land... Otherwise, just open up some vacation time during the summer.
For the full-screen version, just hit "youtube" to find the source.
Food Quest: Getting Greeky P2
Our quest to eat all the food in the world continues. This chapter of our saga takes us out of the major city of Athens, into the countryside of Greece. Our first stop is Nafpaktos, Greece; a beautiful beach village nestled in the Sterea Ellas region of Greece. During the summer, this small town turns into a hotbed of beach bums, party seekers, and food lovers. We happen to be all of those, so naturally this was an awesome place to stay. Sooooo, without further adue:
|
Horta w/olive oil & lemon
|
While this may look like baby poop to kseni (foreigners), this simple side dish is one healthy pick!
Horta is delicately picked from dandelion plants. Once again, referring back to
the idea of peasant food in this ancient land, it is an economical treat for
green lovers. It has a slight bitter taste but the lemon compliments it by
giving it a refreshing spritz to your palette. As a double reward, the excess
oil and lemon juice makes for great dipping.
|
Melitzanosalata
a.k.a. Eggplant Salad
|
Eggplant lovers rejoice. We’ve found your holy grail! Don’t
underestimate this modest dish, it’ll fill your belly in no time. Grab some
bread (preferably toasted) and dunk away. Traditional recipes include vinegar
as well as trace amount of black pepper or paprika. The result is a sweet and
spicy flavor coupled with chunks of eggplant (which carries an awesome flavor
in itself). Topping off this creamy, yet savory dip are some tiny slices of red
pepper and olive oil.
|
Patates tiganites w/oregano and salt
|
You can call these “just
French fries,” but they are far from it. Sliced from fresh potatoes, these fritters
are carved in the most effortless way and cooked in olive oil (which is second
nature for Greek cuisine). Sprinkled with oregano and salt, these are a
delicious side dish to snack on, while waiting for a main dish to come or side
track your hunger while exploring the grounds of GrecaLand.
| Bread... |
The cornerstone of Greek nutrition, bread is arguably just
as important to Greeky society as water or air. It’s a munchable as is, it’s
often used as a utensil, you can plunge it into the endless assortment of Greeky
dips, etc. Other uses for bread may include: weight lifting, baseball bats,
decoration, ritualistic sacrifice, fashion, and many, many more…. Might I add,
it’s nice a fluffy inside.
| Grilled Octopus |
My mouth begins to salivate just thinking about this
beautifully presented and scrumptious dish. Chewy, crunchy, sweet, and salty
are just the beginnings of a typhoon of flavor surging across your palette.
Local Greek islanders garnish their octopus with parsley and squeezed lemon
(for that extra tang). The trick, according to the owner of a restaurant on
Andros, is to string the octopus tentacles out for a day before cooking. This
allows the meat to dry out, giving it the texture that makes it so rich. No
need to worry, flies won’t be buzzing around your 8-tentacled meal… ever! This
is because octopus doesn’t actually have blood.
|
Octopus Salad w/ capers and olive oil
|
An off-shoot of its more basic presentation (grilling or
frying), this homemade dish takes octopus to a whole new level of awesomeness.
Our chef Michael Gdisis boiled the octopus and chopped it up to little bites.
He then mixed it together with capers and olive oil. Simple, yet mind blowing.
One bite is never enough. It’s chewy, it’s sweet , it’s great to eat at just
about any time of day. Screw eating the same old pizza at 3:30 AM on a drunken
Friday night. Make yourself some Octopus salad ah la Gdisis; you won’t regret
it ;)
If you're just as much a foody as we are, you're probably hungry right about now... So with that in mind, it's time to chow down!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Nafpaktos P1 - The Battle of Lepanto
Located at the very top of the hill of Lepanto (Nafpaktos) is the castle itself, extending out with its walls of protections reaching out diagonally towards the water, to form a triangular shape. While it was the Turks that maintained the walls of the fort and the castle, it was the Venetians that created the structure.
| All that remains from the battle =P |
My family has been from this land of olives and feta as far
back as we can trace it. They’re from a small village called Agia Triada (Agia Triada), which is maybe 30-45 minutes
in distance from this town called Nafpaktos (Spelled Naupaktos in the Greek language). This is common for villagers to
have ventured down and bought/rented property in this waterfront community due to its proximity, making it easy access for xoriani
(villagers) to go back and forth to their hometowns in the mountains.
Of course there is no talking about places in Greek without
speaking of its historical context. Nafpaktos is conveniently located in the
middle of Greece, in a body of water that helps meet the Aegean to the
Mediterranean Sea. It also is located a few miles away east of the Little
Dardanelles, which are the narrows that close the Gulf of Corinth.
A quick timeline is in order:
1407 Venice
bought the port of Lepanto
1499 Lepanto was conquered by the Turks
1571 Battle of Lepanto between a Christian fleet, gathered at the request of the Pope and led by Don John of Austria, and the Turkish fleet
1687 Lepanto was occupied by the Venetians but it was returned to the Turks by the peace of Karlowitz (1699)
1499 Lepanto was conquered by the Turks
1571 Battle of Lepanto between a Christian fleet, gathered at the request of the Pope and led by Don John of Austria, and the Turkish fleet
1687 Lepanto was occupied by the Venetians but it was returned to the Turks by the peace of Karlowitz (1699)
On October 7th, 1571, a fleet of the Holy League (Catholic maritime states) engaged and defeated the main fleet of the Ottoman Empire. In total, around 500 ships participated in this bloody battle. The Christian fleet was outnumbered, yet held a key advantage in their use of "modern" cannonry. Historians say that the battle lasted over five hours in the tight corridor between the two large seas separating the opposing empires.
Christian guns unleashed their fury on Ottoman vessels as they collided headon. A storm of swords ensued as ships crashed into one another. Ultimately, the strength of Christendom's infantry and artillery overcame the Ottoman naval might, dissolving its main fleet and crushing an entire generation of skilled sailors. The victory was extremely crucial for the Christian armies, as the Mediterranean sea was a highly contentious highway between major trade routes. Consequentely, the Ottoman navy was rendered useless for an extended period of time.
| Fortifications of Nafpaktos' Castle |
| The trek on the way up to the castle provides a nice view of the fort in the bay (limani). |
| From a worm's eye view, a clear image of the castle above. |
Located at the very top of the hill of Lepanto (Nafpaktos) is the castle itself, extending out with its walls of protections reaching out diagonally towards the water, to form a triangular shape. While it was the Turks that maintained the walls of the fort and the castle, it was the Venetians that created the structure.
| The cobblestone road to the top! |
| Narrow crossroads up the hill. |
| Beeeee-you-Ti-FULL |
| Pomegranites? Fresh fiber for your eatens. |
| Great panoramic look out for strategory and awesomeness. |
| The gate into the pallisade of Castle Nafpaktos |
| Murder holes looking down on gate... Wouldn't want to be storming these doors, naked. |
| View toward the Mediterranean. Bridge to Patrai in the distance. |
| Main gate to the castle. It was closed =( |
| The wise guardian turtle, protecting the townsfolk of Nafpaktos. |
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