Category: greek cuisine

My short break in Rhodes vlog

It’s been a crazy busy few weeks as you probably have guessed from my recent updates.

I’m finally catching up with my blog and vlog (and my life in general). So, almost two months later here’s the vlog from the short break I spent at the beautiful island of Rhodes with my sister Stella.

Places mentioned/we’ve been:

  • Nafsika hotel. One of the cheaper options for accommodation, where we stayed. Sparkling clean, central, amazing sea views, pretty decent breakfast. We loved it.
  • The port area

  • Anemos taverna– The cafe/tavern we stopped before heading down to Tsambika beach. Gorgeous views.
  • Tsambika beach- Where the mountain meets the sea. No need to say much. We loved it.
  • Rhodes Old Town (including the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights)
  • Steam Cafe. A cool, indie cafe with healthy options, perfect for a rest stop on our way to Rhodes Acropolis.

  • Pizza Del Vesuvio. The last place we ate before we heading back to Cyprus. We were after a traditional restaurant just opposite this but it was closed. Decent pizza and decent prices though.

Hope you enjoyed this. Next vlog will have an Italian flavour!

Eleni

When life gives you aubergines…

Saturday morning

I’m getting ready to go see Kathy, my 91 year old friend and thinking of what to cook for dinner when I’m back. I only have a few things in the fridge: feta, green beans, some mushrooms, a courgette and an aubergine.

What a wonderful, random selection. I thought I’d make a tomato-y casserole with the mushrooms, the green beans and the courgette and that one aubergine can turn into my favourite Greek dip, melitzanosalata (aubergine dip), which I haven’t had for years.

Ever since I came up with a.. pla about a month ago, making decisions somehow became easier. Now I’m not going to tease for much longer, as it seems Plan A might actually happen, which I truly cannot believe, so in a few weeks time I’ll tell you all about it. A few of you already know what I’m thinking of doing but I don’t want to make any big announcements before everything is as final as it can be.

Back to Saturday morning. I popped to the shop to get Kathy fruit cake, her favourite as she excitedly revealed to me a week ago, and got some garlic and a lemon for my melitzanosalata.

A few hours later I was in my kitchen cooking. I only cook for longer than half an hour when I feel inspired and creative and the great news I received the day before did the trick.

Why a simple aubergine dip is such a big deal for you? One may wonder.

It’s not about the dish, is what the dish represents. See my life right now is like the content of my fridge, a beautiful but random selection and I need to put everything together but also choose one to focus on and make something beautiful and different out of it so I can get out of my current situation and completely change the way I live.

So, when life gives you aubergines, make melitzanosalata! I’d soon be telling you what my melitzanosalata stands for but for now I’ll enjoy on the real one I made yesterday.

Eleni

A taste of Greece at Giagia Victoria cafe.

Right next to the Ledras barricade and crossing point to the ‘Turkish side of the city’, there’s a little cafe bringing some of the most traditional flavours of Greece to Cyprus, Giagia (Grandma) Victoria.

Its beautiful yard is literally right next to the barrels and barbed wire. Fascinating and deeply sad if you are Cypriot or know about Cypriot history.

We made it there on a sunny New Year’s eve, the city centre bursting with music, traditional New Year carols (καλαντα Πρωτοχρονιας) and delicious smells as people in the shops took out their foukou (BBQ), put the meat on the large skewers and waited for their souvla (large pieces of meat cooked on a long skewer over a charcoal barbecue, a Cypriot, largest version of souvlaki), Cyprus national dish, to be grilled. God we love our food in Cyprus and any occasion to make souvla, we take.

The cafe itself looks amazing, with vintage decor, as if it came out of a 50’s Greek movie. It’s known for serving traditional ‘Politika’ (Constantinople) and other treats. There’s something so nostalgic about it I can’t explain.

The food on offer: delicious.

Freshly made bougatsa (Greek breakfast/snack pastry) and pita (pastries not pita bread) with savoury (spinach, cheese, chicken) and sweet fillings (the traditional and infamous sweet and full of cream), other Greek traditional pastries such as tsoureki (sweet bread) and kourou (mini pies) and desserts, many, many desserts from simple cakes to complex chocolate puddings.

We went for spanakopita (spinach filled pastry), kotopita (chicken), tiropita (cheese) and the traditional mpougatsa me krema (sweet cream).

The coffee (Ι went for a Cypriot traditional one and co-incidentally they served the brand my dad has worked for over 30 years, Kafes tou Laikou) is served in the traditional briki (coffee pot) enhancing the already authentic experience.

The service is quick and friendly and the prices, very reasonable for what’s on offer.

Just before we left we got some puddings to have at home. Dessert heaven.

No wonder Paul Hollywood visited a while ago and the owner showed him how he made his delicious treats. How on earth he flips that fylo without breaking? Magic!

If I lived back home, I’d be there every day.

Eleni

PS Thank you to my little sister Anna for some of the wonderful pictures.