Thirasia

Even though Thirasia is located very close to Santorini, it is very far away from the fast pace by which those opposite live. It is as if the volcano’s explosion in 1600BC was so definitive that it kept the two islands from ever uniting again. From the moment you set foot on Thirasia you will understand that you have come to a place that is impenetrable by tourism. As you walk through the two unique settlements of the island, Potamo and Manola, you will come across narrow pathways where genuine islanders walk. You will not only be won over by the human simplicity, but also by the beauty of the settlements that, when you look at from afar with the naked eye, appear to have a printed colour. The church-towers and houses are colored with the bright shades of blue, yellow and green.

During the winter time there aren’t more than 200 inhabitants on the island. Together with Oia, Thirasia constitutes an autonomous community in terms of administration. The only visitors of the island are relatives of inhabitants and those who go by kayak on tourist excursions.
If you visit Thirasia by kayak and disembark at Korfos, you can reach Manolas only by donkey or on foot. Alternatively you can go to Riva, the main harbor of Thirasia, by ferry boat from Athinios, or by small boat from Ammoudi which operate according to a regular schedule. There is a sandy beach here as well as the country church of St Irene. A little further up, as you follow the path from the main road to Potamo, you will reach Panagia of Lagadi. In order to get a complete picture of the island make sure you visit the monastery of the Assumption, that can be reached by following the pathway from Manolas.

The three stong points of Santorini

In case you do not have much time and not know where to go first, here are the three top things you do not want to miss:

1. The Akrotiri, where the archaeological settlement of the pre-historic Thira is situated.
2. The museum of Pre-historic Thira in Fira. You will be impressed with the findings exhibited there.
3. The world-famous sunset of Oia. People from all over the world come to live this unique experience!

Yellow split pea puree (fava)

Serves 8 people

Ingredients:

• 500gr yellow split peas
• 1 medium onion
• ½ cup olive oil
• salt, pepper
• finely chopped parsley
• finely chopped onion
• juice of 1 lemon
  

Preparation:
Wash the split peas, place them in a pot, cover with water and let them boil. Skim off the scum that forms on the top of the water.
Add the onion quartered, a little salt, half the olive oil, and let it simmer for 1 hour until the peas are soft and have acquired the consistency of thick porridge.
Put the split peas through a food mill until they are a smooth puree. Add the rest oil, the lemon juice, the finely chopped onion and a little more salt and pepper. Stir and garnish with the finely chopped parsley.

Tomatokeftedes (tomato balls)

Ingredients:

• 2 onions
• 1kg Santorinian tomatoes (cherry tomatoes)
• 2 potatoes
• 2 zucchinis
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 tablespoon soda
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• salt, pepper
• flour
  

Preparation:

Grate the onions, tomatoes(4-5 normal-sized tomatoes if cherry tomatoes cannot be found), potatoes, zucchinis and add peppermint, basil, soda, salt, pepper, one tablespoon of tomato paste and as much flour needed until the mixture becomes puree. We take the mixture with the spoon and one by one spoonful we fry it on strong fire.

Sandsmelt fish pie (Αθερινόπιτα)

recipe from "Kyra Katina" at Ammoudi
For 1-2 persons

Ingredients:

• ¼ kg sandsmelt fish
• 1 medium sized onion
• 1 tablespoon peppermint
• Salt and pepper
• A little flour
  

Preparation:
In a bowl put the sandsmelt fish, onion (chopped) peppermint, salt, pepper and a little bit of flour. Mix the ingredients until they become one integrated mixture. Pour oil into a frying pan, lay the mixture to be fried as an omelet and turn it over.

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.