DESTINATION GREECE Spinach Pie | © bhofack22/Bigstock
largest of the islands that form the Santorini caldera. We swam in the crystal clear waters of the Ae- gean Sea while the crew cooked us a BBQ feast. In addition to huge platters of pork and chicken souv- laki, there was shrimp in tomato sauce, mussels with rice, Greek salad, a giant bowl of tzatziki, eggplant salad, stuffed grape leaves with rice, and fresh fruits, all served with refreshing Santo- rini wine and beer. Even the wed- ding dinner featured a gyro sta- tion, with attendants passing out hand-held gyros toward the end of the evening.
SPINACH PIE Although I’m not a fan of spin-
ach, the one exception is spinach pie (spanakopita). Tere are many variations, but the one I love the best is a mixture of cooked spin- ach, feta cheese, onions and herbs, baked in a triangle of phyllo dough until it’s lightly browned. Te inside is creamy and the out- side has a supremely satisfying crunch. Now when I say I don’t like spinach, I always add “except in spanakopita!”
ALL THINGS SEAFOOD In between wedding events,
we took a cab to Oia, where we climbed down the 600 steps lead- ing visitors to Ormos Ammoudi, a fishing village at the bottom of the steep hill. You can walk down the steps or hitch a ride on a don- key. Tere’s a little restaurant in the village where we picked our seafood fresh from the case. We tried all things seafood, from grilled, whole sardines, to octo- pus and Sea Bream. Te sardines were salty and tasted of the sea, the octopus was tender and spicy, and the Sea Bream was flaky and delicious. Tere’s nothing like
eating fresh seafood while staring out at the Aegean Sea!
… SO MUCH MORE! Now, obviously the above doesn’t
even begin to cover the many differ- ent foods we tried while in Greece. Tere’s moussaka (for eggplant lov- ers), a layered casserole with egg- plant, ground meat and a creamy Béchamel sauce). Tere are Santo- rini tomato balls (tomatokeftedes), which are tomato fritters made with local cherry tomatoes, spearmint and onion. Te tomatoes grow in Santorini’s volcanic soil and they don’t need a lot of water to survive. It gives the fruit a concentrated, sweet tomato flavor. I’m pretty sure I could eat these by the dozen! Tere’s so much more to Greek
cuisine than I originally expected. If my friends hadn’t gotten married in Greece, I wouldn’t have experienced some of the best food I’ve ever tast- ed. It’s worth it to step out of your comfort zone every once in a while! I’m already counting the days until I can make a return trip, dreams of giant bowls of tzatziki running through my head.
Fresh seafood ready to be selected by diners in a restaurant at the port of Ammoudi. | © Jason Graf
30 | | Fall 2015 |
www.perillotraveler.com
Octopus drying in the sun at the port of Ammoudi. | © Jason Graf
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