For many centuries the Ionian Islands (or Seven Islands) have been an important way station between east and west (Italy and Europe to the west and Greece and Asia Minor to the east). These islands were administered by Venetians, Russians and Byzantines. Lefkada was also administered by the Ottomans for two hundred years before returning to Venetian rule again.

The influences on Lefkada’s food are evident with the use of pasta, Italian-sounding dishes like the Lefkada specialty called Mandolato (nougat). Lefkada is considered an island but it is accessible by road from mainland Greece. When I was in Lefkada last summer, there were lots of boats and automobiles from the rest if Europe, likely arriving in the Ionian Islands via ferry boat.

Taking a ferry boat to Greece (or other European destination) allows you the freedom to bring your car, camper or boat with you. As I stated in my previous post, most accommodations on the island are on the side facing mainland Greece and the top beaches  are on the Ionian side. The many tavernas and restaurants are, however found all over this tremendous island and again, a car would be handy getting around Lefkada.

What I really liked about Lefkada’s dining scene is that you had a choice of grill houses offering an array of Greek meat dishes and fish and seafood as well. In Greece, tavernas specialize in either meat or fish/seafood. When in Lefkada, go into the mountains for meat and stay near the sea for fish or seafood. You’ll be offered Greek classics and there’s always so come local fare on the menu.

One of Lefkada’s popular dishes is Riganada, similar to the Cretan Dakos and reminiscent of Italy’s Bruschetta. traditionally, garlic is rubbed on dry slices of bread, olive oil and grated tomatoes then are spread with a sprinkle of sea salt and dried Greek oregano (Rigani is oregano in Greek).

I’m sharing my own take on Riganada with the addition of salt-cured olives (us Greeks call them Throumpes), some crumbled Feta and a spoonful of this condiment based on parsley and oregano. It’s great for steak, tossed with pasta like a pesto or on some fish. The garnish here is some pickled grape vine shoots I still have in the fridge. This is an easy meze, looks fab on the platter and puts day-old bread to good use. Never mind that Riganada is equally delicious as it is easy to make!

Riganada (Ριγανάδα)

(serves 4-6)

1 stale or day-old baguette, 1/2 inch slices

4-5 ripe plum tomatoes, thin sliced

1 large clove of garlic

coarse sea salt & fresh ground pepper

extra-virgin Greek olive oil

red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. dried Greek oregano

1 cup of crumbled Feta cheese

12-15 sun-dried olives (Throumpes), pitted and sliced

Greek Goddess Sauce

1 cup of chopped fresh parsley

2-3 scallions, chopped

1/2 carrot, peeled & grated

1 Tbsp. dried Greek oregano

2-3 Tbsp. of red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

grape vine shoots for garnish (you can use ribbons of jarred grape wine leaves or capers)

1. First up, let’s make the Greek Goddess Sauce by placing the parsley, scallions, carrot, wine vinegar and some coarse sea salt in a food processor and whiz until a paste. Now add a stream of olive oil while the machine is running and stop pouring when you’ve achieved your desired consistency. Add Greek oregano to taste, salt and pepper (more oil or vinegar) and pour into a bowl and reserve.
2. To make your Riganada, lightly bake the bread slices until just dried and allow to cool. In the meantime, sprinkle coarse sea salt on your tomato slices and allow the tomatoes to rest for 5 minutes. Now place the tomato slices in a bowl with olive oil, wine vinegar, oregano and fresh ground pepper and gently toss with your hands.
3. Place place 2 overlapping slices of tomato on each slice of bread, pour any juices over and then sprinkle the crumbled feta then top with some olive slices and then a small dollop of Greek goddess sauce. Finally garnish with a grape vine shoot and serve as part of your array of meze or appetizers.

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© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

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Porto Katsiki

I have a glut of travel posts in queue, places in Greece I’ve visited but I’ve yet to post about my experiences staying in these places. Some are islands others are mainland. Regardless, they should be shared and I think these posts will be useful for those going to Greece or thinking of going to Greece. Greece more than ever needs tourists this year and I hope that you’ll go to Greece this year and see and feel and eat what I do each and every time I go.

facing mainland Greece

First stop is Lefkada, called an island in the Ionian chain but its really a peninsula joined to the coast of Akarnania by an isthmus with salty shallow marshes on both sides. Once on Lefkada you’ll reach the main town of Lefkas and the string of towns that face the Akarnania mainland are where most of the islands rooms are located. The beaches are okay on this side of the island but Lefkada’s reputation for gorgeous beaches is given due to the beauty of its beaches on the Ionian side, facing Italy.

Syvota Bay

The center of the island is mountainous with most of the good roads circling/hugging the shores. I stayed in Nikiana, about 11 km south of Lefkas and just kilometres north of Nidri…famous for being patronized by Ari Onassis and family who’s island Scorpios can be seen from shore. The first decent beach is located at the south end of the island in an inlet called Mikros Gialos. Pretty by most people’s standards and perhaps a nice little beach to prepare for the beauty that lies ahead.

The protected bay of Syvota is just southwest and although not really for swimming, this fishing and sailing village is very picturesque, ideal for people/boat watching and there are some great tavernas serving traditional Greek fare. Further west along the island’s southside is the small port village of Vassiliki. Here you will see lots more boats, yachts, sailboats and small touring boats that take many a tourist to the popular beaches of Egremni and Porto Katsiki.

Porto Katsiki

The most well-known beach of Lefkada is also on the Ionian side, south of Egremni and accessible by boat or automobile. If you have access to a speed boat, you have access to all of Leflkada’s beaches including some secluded ones where you may enjoy such beauty all on your own. Porto Katsiki is also served by tour boats but beware….none them will land on shore and you may be lucky to jump of the boat for a dive or two into these crystal waters much like Egremni’s. The good is news is that Porto Katsiki is also accessible by road but the parking lot fills up very quickly and you be disappointed that you’re traveled all this way just to find yourself looking for a parking spot. I went to Porto Katsiki at 9:30am and found parking.

Porto Katsiki

The other down side is that you have to walk down some 100 steps to the beach from the parking lot and you better take snacks/water with you. One of the cafes above hands out flyers/menus for those on the beach that would like delivery. There are cell numbers given on the flyers for those wishing to make an order but don’t bother. Just wave down the delivery guy and you’ll eventually be served. Porto Katsiki is breathtaking, again sandy beached and steep cliffs with warm crystal water but…it’s very crowded. A victim of it’s own beauty, the beach is overcrowded and I found difficulty in walking into the water as people were laying everywhere! I was disappointed with the overcrowding of this beach but it is breathtaking and worth the visit and the fabulous photos you’ll take at another one of Greece’s most beautiful beaches.

Egremni

Egremni can be reached only by boat with the trip taking just over an hour. Long sandy shore backed up by steep white cliffs, this crystal clear beach is one of Greece’s prettiest. Your time on this beach is linited as the captain of the boat stays there with a fixed return and in fact, you may have to leave early if he feels rough waters may be in store for later in the day. Egremni is a must-see if you’re visiting Lefkada.

Further north but easier to get to from Lefkas are the beaches of Agios Nikitas, Kathisma and Kalamitsi. Agios Nikitas is a good, clean beach with tavernas nearby. The next beach further south is Kathisma – a long stretch of beach more geared for the younger crowd with the beach cafes pumping loud music and turning into bars/clubs at night. I enjoyed this beach alot as it was a windy day and we had huge waves that were popular with kids and adults alike. Yet further down is a quiet beach called Kalamitsi – beautiful looking from the roadside and popular with naturalists (nudists) and campers. I ended up staying at this beach for an hour and left as everywhere I stepped there were big rocks.

Kalamitsi

Lefkada is about 4 hours drive from Athens and about the same drive from Thessaloniki. It’s a very popular “island’ as one may simply drive to it (avoiding ferry boat).There are a lot of Italians on the island and Greeks from the mainland and the island is very popular with those owning their own sailboats, watercraft. While driving through this beautiful island, you’ll see olive trees along most of the roads and it boasts of some fabulous local wine. Stay tuned as I explore the food scene of Lefkada.

While visiting Lefkada, I stayed at the Sunrise Hotel in Nikiana. This Greek run hotel is clean, all rooms have A/C and there’ a wonderful view of the mainland with a brilliant sunrise and sunset.

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© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Let’s Go to Lefkada! appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.