Tenderloin with rosemary on top of fava(yellow split pea)puree

By Vasilis Zacharakis (Nichteri restaurant)

Ingredients:

• 1 tenderloin clean (about 700grams)
• 50grams finely chopped smoked bacon
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary flowered
• 1 glass Vinsanto (sweet Santorinian wine)
• 1 Florina pepper chopped into dices
• 1 small hot pepper cut in dices
• 1 spoonful of tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon of soya sauce
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• Olive oil
• Salt, pepper
• Some parsley finely chopped
  

For fava puree:

• 200grams fava beans
• ½ litre water
• 1 small onion cut in 4 pieces
• 150grams of olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Preparation:

We rinse the fava beans, strain, and put in a heavy saucepan on medium heat; once it starts boiling we skim and reduce the heat. We put the onion in together with a spoonful of olive oil and we simmer on very low heat. Once it becomes chyle, we season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Add the remaining olive oil and make the puree with hand mixer.
We cut the tenderloin in rounds of one cent, season with salt and pepper and sauté for 2 minutes on each side, in a hot sauté pan with some olive oil.
We remove the meat and keep it warm.
In the same sauté pan, we sauté the bacon and continue sautéing together with the peppers, toss the rosemary, mix and quench with the Vinsanto. We add the honey, the soya sauce and the tomato sauce. When the sauce is reduced we add salt and pepper to taste…

Food styling:
We lay on a plate the fava puree, we put the tenderloin and toss the rosemary sauce on top.

Melitinia - Santorinian Soft Cheese Pastries

Ingredients
Pastry:

• 2-3 spoons olive oil
• 1 kg flour, sifted
• Lukewarm water, as much as it needs to knead a soft dough

Stuffing:

• 1 kg soft unsalted cheese, like greek mitzithra or ricotta
• 1 kg sugar
• 2-3 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• ½ teaspoon of masticha powder
  

Preparation:

Pour in a bowl flour and olive oil and start adding gradually water. Knead the dough and try to make it elastic. Set aside and prepare the stuffing by mixing all ingredients together. Work the mixture well with your hands. Then roll out a thin sheet of dough and use a small bowl or tea cup of less than 10cm diameter to cut circular pieces of dough. In each round piece, place a spoon full of the stuffing in the center. Fold the uncovered piece of dough all around the stuffing in order to shape something that resembles a round plate and squeeze it softly with a toothpick or a fork. It should look like a round open parcel. Oil a baking pan and bake in high temperature 220-250oC for no more than 15 minutes. The top of the stuffing should get a golden color.

Cheese Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

Serves 15~30 stuffed tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces package cream cheese
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 chopped green onion
• ¼ teaspoon dries oregano
• 1 tablespoon plain yoghurt or sour cream
• 25-30 cherry tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
  

Preparation:

1. In a blender, blend the cream cheese, feta cheese, green onion, pepper and oregano, until smooth, scrape down the sides, add the tablespoon of either yoghurt or sour cream. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Rinse the cherry tomatoes and remove stems. With a sharp knife, cut a slice from the non-stem end of each tomato. With a small spoon, scoop out as much of the seeds and pulp and you can (discard them), arrange the hollow tomatoes on paper towel lines plate to drain.
3. After the cheese mixture has chilled for an hour, transfer it to a small zipper-to plastic bag, squeezing out the air. Snip off one corner, squeeze the cheese filling into each tomato, arrange on serving dish and sprinkle with paprika.
   

Tastes of the island

In Santorini, as well as all over Greece, eating is a way of life. Santorini’s cuisine is mainly based on the island’s agricultural products. Despite the lack of water, the island’s soil is particularly foil and their products have a unique taste.
In the traditional Santorini cuisine we can distinguish the following ingredients and dishes:
Fava is a puree made with Fava beans (yellow peas). Fava is an old traditional dish of Greece which can be served in many different ways according to the time of the year. It is said that Santorini’s peas are “the most delicious peas ever known”.
Santorini Cherry Tomato is a unique variety that can be easily mistaken for cherries. Very aromatic and tasty.
Chloro Cheese is fresh goat cheese made by women of Santorini and it is not easy to find anymore. Its texture is creamy and it has a slightly sour taste.
The White Eggplant, a unique vegetable of the island. They are very small, sweet and juicy, very delicious and with a fresh flavor.
The Caper (kapari) and the Dried Caper are other products of the island and are often used in salads. It has a characteristic sharp aroma and spicy taste.

Local sweets that Santorini people prefer are:
Melitinia, a festive sweet served mostly on Easter, which is like cheese pies with unsalted myzithra.
Koufeto, which is prepared with almonds, boiled in local honey or syrup. It is the traditional wedding sweet.

Highlights of Santorini

During your stay on Santorini I recommend some things to make your stay even more interesting:

• Pay a visit to one of Santorini’s wineries and taste the exceptional wines produced from the volcanic grounds of the island.
• Taste the local products: cherry tomatoes, fava (split-peas puree), caper, white aubergine, katsouni (a type of cucumber) etc No matter how they are prepared the offer a unique taste.
• Enjoy the sunset in Caldera. Akrotiri, Megalochori, Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli and Oia offer the same magnificent view!
• Wake up early in the morning, to avoid high temperatures, and take a walking tour from Fira to Oia following the path on the “eyebrow of Caldera”. On feasts, ask the locals to show you which church or chapel is celebrating. If you join festivals, you will dance to the rhythms of the Islands folk music, accompanied by local specialties and plentiful wine.
• Renew you love vows with your other half, with idyllic view of the Caldera sunset!
• Do not miss the fascinating beaches. Shinny pebbles, black, white or red sand and unique geological formations compose magnificent sceneries.
• A mini-cruise to the volcano is worthwhile!
• If you are archaeology fans, pay a visit to the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira and the Ancient Thera in Meso Vouno.
• And of course after a full day, relax by the sea with a superb view to the Caldera, the sweetest way to end your day.
  

The volcano

The geological history of Santorini begins million years ago, at a time where Europe and Africa where still joined. At that time what is now known as the Aegean Sea, was a land accumulation, known as “Aegis”, which linked mainland Greece with Asia Minor and Crete. About 6 million years ago, and after a long series of geological upheavals, Aegis sank beneath the surface of the water, that rushed in to take its place. The mountain peaks of the old mainland remained protruding above the surface of the sea and are what today we refer to as the islands of the Aegean Sea. The position occupied today by Santorini had only two or three significant islets to show, which are still there today, included into the principal land. They are the mountains Prophet Elias, the rocks above the modern harbor at Athinios, and the remote rock that stands proudly on the east coast of the island at Monolithos.The eruption of the volcano led the greater part of the island to the bottom of the sea and created myths such as the sinking of Atlantis. Geological evidence indicates that the volcano first appeared around 80.000 years ago. Ash found on the seabed and originated from this eruption covered an area stretching from Chios to Italy, and from North Africa almost as far as Cyprus.

Apart from ashes, the crater expelled other heavier hot substances that poured out in liquid or semi-liquid form and shaped a cone. This cone gradually grew covering the surface of the sea and joined with the islets already there to form an approximately circular island with a diameter of 9 miles. It is not known how many centuries the island needed to assume its final form.The second catastrophic eruption happened around 1600 BC, and as a result, the entire island’s life was destroyed. Beneath the center of Strongyle, the flow of lava created an enormous hollow dome that was the eventually unable to support the weight of the island. The roof of the dome collapsed and the greater part of Strongyle sank beneath the waves. All that was left above the surface of the sea were parts of its perimeter that enclosed a gigantic basin filled with the sea – the Caldera. These parts are called today Santorini and Thirasia islands. The time of the submerge, Aegean Sea was darkened by an immense black cloud of smoke and ash and an enormous tsunami of 250m height, rose up an went in all directions. With the speed it is estimated that traveled, in approximately half an hour it had reached Crete and (as many historians believe), whipped out the Minoan civilization.
From time to time various craters erupted in the caldera, though unimportant, yet restarted the process of filling the caldera. The lava shaped cones around the crater, at first under sea and later projected above the surface and formed the two islands of Palaia Kammeni and Nea Kammeni, today called the Volcano. There were 14 eruptions ever since 198 BC. In 1707, once more, activity began in the center of the caldera. These chain events formed the island that can be seen today. In 1956 an earthquake destroyed everything on the island, so the island was rebuilt. Since 1956 volcanic activity has been pretty low, but minor tremors are quite common and the ground shakes, usually imperceptibly, almost every day. A major earthquake is due at any moment, but the locals don’t seem worried – they seem to like living on the edge.
So if you are a lover of impermanence, precariousness and drama, no other place comes close. Come see the hot springs of the caldera and the volcano’s crater (a unique experience) and you remember it for a lifetime.

Useful links
Volcano cruise Volcano Sunset cruise

A day at the beach

Kamari – Avis Beach (multiethnic fun)

The beautiful black sandy beach of Kamari stretches for five miles in length along the eastern coast of the island. You don’t have to walk far to find taverns on the seafront as well as restaurants, hotels, tourist shops and entertainment spots. A number of water sports are also available like water skiing, windsurfing and paddle boats. From Fira you can take the bus to Kamari with frequent service. Located close is the Avis beach, another black-sand quiet one with sport facilities and beach bars.

Akrotiri – Red Beach (classical and magical)
Not far from the ancient site of Akrotiri, the Red beach is located. You couldn’t ask for a more breathtaking setting for a swim. Soaring red lava cliffs which drop right to the black sandy shore and into the clear blue sea, make a majestic scenery for you to enjoy. Near the beach you can find a hotel for a snack or drink. Note that you can also find boats that leave from Akrotiri to other beaches.

Monolithos (family-type beach)
Just north of Kamari and on the eastern coast is the beach of Monolithos. It is considered to be the most peaceful, shallow-water beach on Santorini, however with all the comforts.

Perissa (all time classic)
This beach is located on the southeastern tip of the island. It is most known for its wide range of water sports (water skiing, wind surfing, diving) and its water park.

Perivolos – Agios Georgios
Another of the quiet variety beaches with small taverns, bar-restaurants, hotels and rooms to let just on the sea front. It is on the southern part of the island with all sport facilities available.

Exo Gialos
A quiet organized sandy and pebbled beach, 4 km from Karterados, with a canteen and tavern.

Kambia (dip in the emerald waters)
It is located between Red and White Beach. Its main characteristic is its clear emerald water. Despite the fact that it is small and quiet, it has deckchairs and a tavern. It is accessible by car or by path that starts out from the Red Beach.

Vlyhada (the next hot spot)
The perfect choice for those who wish to avoid crowds and want a more serene spot to relax. Located near Perivolos it is heaven for sailing and fishing boats.

Ammoudi – Armeni (like a scene from a movie)
Two small beaches near Oia, with view to Therasia and clear deep blue water. Especially Ammoudi is one of many little tourist attractions. Both of them have tavern with lovely food for you to taste. You can reach Ammoudi by car, foot or on mules’ back but Armeni only by a small footpath or by boat.

Kolumbo (like an awaking volcano)
It is found on the northeast coast of the island near Oia. It is a quiet sandy beach with white pebbles to a great extent. Here is the most active submarine volcano of the island. It is better to avoid this beach when the wind blows from the north.

Pori (small and quiet)
Near Kolumbo mostly preferred by locals, Pori Beach is black sanded without deckchairs or umbrellas.

Thermi (plunge in the abyss)
Thermi is an isolated wild beach near Megalohori, accessible only by one path lined by country chapels. It has scattered hot water springs similar to those on the Volcano.

White Beach (private sense)
Small white pebbled beach. It is almost a private situation which can be reached by boat from Akrotiri or from Red Beach or on foot along the path.

Vourvoulos (the wild)
It is more of a bay than a beach. It has lots of pebbles in and out of the water, with wild beauty and a picturesque harbor.