A Mykonian Menu

When one thinks of Mykonos, the summer party scene is certain to be one of the first things that comes to mind.  The Cycladic island’s appeal is easy to appreciate as the pristine, refreshing Mediterranean beckons from the shores of eponymously named beaches like Paradise and Super Paradise.  Trey had been visiting this fun Greek gem for several years with friends, and in the Summer of 2014, Martin joined in the festivities.

As a belated birthday treat for Trey, we enjoyed a private cooking class organized by the gregarious Tata of Mykonian Spiti.  True to her Cretan heritage, Tata ensured we were treated like family.  Opening up her home and rooftop kitchen garden, she taught us how to prepare a delicious, traditional Greek meal of stuffed peppers and tomatoes, seared beef with tomato sauce and spinach pie.  Our meal was served with homemade rosé, and ample raki, an ouzo-like digestif, was passed around the table (multiple times!) to toast this memorable Mykonian evening!  

Greek Stuffed Tomatoes & Peppers

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes

2 peppers

Zucchini, 1 diced

One bunch of mint, rough chopped

Olive oil

1 cup rice

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 tbsp sugar

Method:

1.     Cut off and set aside the top ¼ of the tomatoes and the peppers, scoop out flesh of the tomatoes and peppers and place in a large sauce pot- ensuring you discard the seeds from the peppers.

2.     Mix in all remaining ingredients and let simmer for 10 minutes on the stovetop

3.     Remove mixture from the stove, let cool for one minute. 

4.     Place the tomatoes and the peppers ‘bowls’ from step one in a baking dish and stuff them with the mixture, then ‘cap’ them with the retained top ¼

5.   Bake in the oven at 350F /180C for 1 hour, with oil and ½ cup water in the pan