Elle's Kitchen: A Week of Salads ~ Greek Salad

 

This is day 2 of A Week of Salads.

Tonight is Greek Salad, a favorite

around our house.

 

 

The best Greek Salad I ever had was,

fittingly, in Athens.

 

 

We had spent the morning at the

Acropolis and were hungry and

exhausted by lunchtime.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

For the dressing:

2 tabl. white balsamic vinegar

salt & pepper to taste

a few pinches of oregano

1/8 cup olive oil

a pinch or two of sugar

 

Combine ingredients in a small

jar and shake well.

 

For the salad:

romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 cucumber, quartered and sliced

tomatoes, diced

1/2 red onion, sliced

feta, crumbled

kalamata olives

thinly sliced feta, drizzle with dressing

 

 

Drizzle some of the dressing on the

lettuce and toss, arrange on plates.

 

In a bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumbers,

onions, crumbled feta and olives.  Drizzle

with the remaining dressing, toss.

 

Arrange tomato/cucumber mixture

on top of the lettuce and place the sliced

feta in the center.

 

 

When I eat this salad, it takes me

right back to Greece.  Don't you

love this man with his flowers?

 

 

As I would walk the streets of Athens,

I kept seeing these heads on the edges

of the rooflines.

 

 

On my way from Santorini to Istanbul

I had a long layover in Athens and hopped

on the subway and went back into town.

In the flea market in Monastiraki I spied

a few of the terra cotta heads and grabbed

one.  It now is in my living room, my own

little antique treasure from Greece.  I

always imagine all the life that little head

witnessed overlooking the streets of Athens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ex Votos

When I was first in Athens I visited the

Flea Market in Monastiraki but I found

mostly sneakers and souvenirs and I love

nothing more than sifting through old junk

so we left and moved on to other sites.

But while hiking on Santorini with Aditya,

he told me I didn't go far enough in to find

the old stuff.

So on a layover in Athens we hopped back into

the city to do a bit more exploring.  Aditya was

right!  Too bad I had time limits and baggage

weight restrictions or I could have gone wild here.

Why didn't I buy that clock face and some

of those keys?  I did score one of those

terracotta heads that are on the edges of

the roofs on every building in Athens. 

As the airport security guy examined it

in Amsterdam, he had to take it around

to all his co-workers for show & tell.

I weighs a ton...

And then I met Achilles and his basket of

ex votos.  In so many of the churches I

visit in Europe I have seen these, along with

watches, rings, crutches, eyeglasses.  Ex

votos are a votive offering often given in

gratitude or devotion or in fulfillment of a

vow.  They are placed in a church or chapel

where one wants to give thanks.  Pilgrimage

destinations will often have a shrine decorated

with ex votos.  I bought a boy and a girl, a house,

one for marriage, one for eyes, and one with

Greek writing that Achilles told me what it meant

but I can't remember what it is.  If anyone can

help, please let me know.

Nazars

Since it is Friday the 13th, it seemed appropriate

to write about a superstition found in other parts

of the world.  In many Mediterranean and Asian

cultures, the evil eye is a look that is believed to

be able to cause bad luck or injury.  Some use it

as a curse by casting a mean gaze but mainly it is

thought to be attached to envy.  One may give the

evil eye without even knowing it and it is often

thought to be the young that are the victims since

children are given so much attention by strangers.

The belief goes back to antiquity.  In order to ward

off the curse, there are talismans known as Nazars,

which are blue glass eye charms.  They are sold in

every shop in these regions but are not just for

tourists.  You see people wearing them, they are on

houses. in restaurants & hotels, in cars, ships and

even on baby strollers.  With all my purchases, I

think I should be safe.

The Sun Sets On Santorini

Some say the sunset in Santorini

is the best in the world.

They may be right.

Enjoy!

After sunset, the wind whipped

up like a Provencal Mistral.

I hope my plane can take off!

12k Hike to Oia, Santorini

Over The Hills & Far Away

At breakfast this morning we spoke with

a lovely couple from our hotel and they

told us they did the hike to Oia yesterday.

We thought it might be a bit too far for

us so we just planned to walk to the first

village and then head back.

Once we started seeing the stunning views

and smelling the delicious scents of the

 wildflowers, we knew we had to go on.

We thought the cobblestones and steep

steps were difficult to walk ~ but HA!

that was nothing compared to what

was to come...

There were two mountains yet to cross.

The trail became more remote.

At this mountaintop church we met...

Aditya, who became our hiking companion.

Going down the first mountain the

trail was quite difficult since the

path was volcanic rubble.

The plunging views to the sea were

stunning and yet a bit frightening.

I added a rock to this cairn.

Then it was on to mountain number two.

In the distance we could see our destination, Oia.

Oia is a lovely village with

many beautiful churches.

We rewarded ourselves for finishing the

hike with a lunch with a beautiful view.

Needless to say, we took the bus home.

Santorini

We were up with the chickens this morning

and flew to the Greek island, Santorini.

The white buildings seem to be stacked

one on top of another as they go down the

mountainside to the sea.

The blue domed buildings are churches

and they stand out like polka dots

on the mountainsides.

Santorini has been ranked as one of the

top islands of the world.

Some suggest that Santorini was the

inspiration for Plato's Atlantis.

Sunsets over the caldera are said to be the

best in the world ~ I look forward to seeing it!

The church bells are ringing outside my

window, time to go!

I Made It To The Top!

The Acropolis

As a student of art and the classics and

mythology, I have read and studied alot

about The Acropolis, but that is nothing

like seeing it in person.  This was my first

view of it on the night I arrived in Athens.

I couldn't wait for morning to come so we

could go explore it.  We hiked up the stairs

and steep streets until we got up to The

Acropolis, and there it was ~ spread out

before me...

The Temple of Athens Nike.

Built in 426 - 421 BC to commemorate the

Athenian's victories over the Persians.

The Erechtheion

Built between 421 and 406 BC, it is situated

on the most sacred site of the Acropolis.  It is

said to be where Poseidon left his trident marks

in a rock and Athena's olive tree sprouted.

The Porch of the Caryatids

I've always called them the Headache

ladies because that's got to hurt the head!

The Acropolis

One of the most famous buildings in

the world, built from 447 to 438 BC.

I like the statue of this guy, one of the few

remaining statues in the temple, it just seems

as if he's hanging out watching the world go by.

Theatre of Herodes Atticus

Originally built in AD 161, it is still in use today.

It was superb!