Our fabulous foodie blogs based around Rhodes can be enjoyed CLICK HERE
The below was sent to us by Chef Ionel, with lots of lovely compliments as a reader himself of the Kalliopi Kitchen blogs.
We love compliments so thank you Chef.
Chef Ionel and I seem to have very similar ideas about food and our island’s local produce.
I have some additional snippets of content and news to share with you all at the end of this wonderful guest blog!
It is our pleasure to share the below with you all. Enjoy.
Karen Watts
Words and images by Guest Blogger Chef Ionel from Enjoy Private Chef in Rhodes
It’s Greek, it’s a classic, and it tastes divine!
The real secret to an authentic, delicious tasting Greek salad here in Rhodes is…sunshine and the climate – making all the ingredients taste amazing! To recreate the authentic taste in your villa, don’t buy plastic tasting vegetables from the supermarket, but explore the local farmers’ market (Laiki) in Rhodes city that is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
(Psst … the prices are much nicer on Wednesdays)
Fall in love with the farmers’ market:
Going to the farmers’ market is an experience in itself, with the hustle and bustle of local people selling vegetables, fruits, fish, herbs, olives, honey, and even locally made olive oil and wine.
Don’t let the plastic bottles fool you: it’s the taste that counts, not the looks.
I love browsing through the stalls, getting inspired by the seasonal vegetables and fruits. The market is full of friendly personalities, debating openly whether our son looks more like his mother or me. Once one of the sellers even burst spontaneously in a song, singing in Greek to our baby, telling him how his eyes reminded him of the deep blue sea.
Obviously after that my wife insisted on buying tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers from him. No matter the price.
Forget canned olives, buy from the locals:
When my parents in law came for a visit, I tried to find them the best olives in Rhodes. I stopped by the olive stand in the market and once the seller heard who it was for, he wished me good luck and gave me a bag of olives for free “that made his mother-in-law love him.”
And you know what: he was absolutely right!
She ended up eating all the olives, while rest of us pretended not to be interested in them.
Happy mother-in-law means happy wife … and happy life!
So, when you’re planning a visit in the Rhodes city, make sure to pick one of the two days so you’ll also experience the real Greek farmers’ market!
If you are not in Greece right now, take the chance to spend a day at your local farmers’ market exploring your local produce – you’ll notice the difference in taste straight away.
Recipe for the authentic Greek salad:
Here are the ingredients for 4 people so you’ll be able to taste some Greek magic too:
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- 4 Tomatoes
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- 8 Olives
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- 1 Cucumber
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- 1 Bell peppers
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- 1 Red onion
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- 2 slices of feta
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- 3 tablespoons olive oil
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- Oregano
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- Salt
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- Special touch that makes the difference: white vinegar
Cut the vegetables and mix it all together with olives and pieces of feta. Add olive oil, vinegar, and a touch of salt before putting in the oregano, so it sticks to the salad. Take a piece of bread for the delicious jus in the bottom of the bowl and enjoy with a glass of local red wine, straight from the plastic bottle.
It doesn’t get more Greek than that!
Enjoy,
Chef Ionel enjoyprivatechef.com
Ps. If you’d like a real authentic Greek experience, you can book me as a private chef for your villa here in Rhodes. I’d love to cook for you and make your holiday even more special!
More from Karen…
I would just like to add a few things to Ionel’s beautifully written blog…
There are two other markets worthy of mention:
Also in Rhodes Town but on a Thursday is the market on Byronos. CLICK HERE
More convenient for guests staying at VLK is the relatively new market in the centre of Archangelos, a 15-20 minute drive from the villa. As I have said many times through these blogs, if you can, buy all your fruit, vegetables and seafood from the local markets. This is truly organic food, naturally, and cheaper than buying from supermarkets. As many English visitors say, it just tastes better here.
Speaking of supermarkets, there’s a big new one a 5 minute walk from your villa called Sklavenitis. Nationally, they are deemed one of the best. For those of you who have stayed at VLK before, it is where Flevaris used to be. Please be assured that the rude checkout people have gone, there is now a much better in store butcher and I am told, a much better wine selection. With Flevaris no more I can happily confirm that Sklavenitis has all the locals consumerism veins pumping with joy!
If you enjoyed Chef Ionel’s blog visit his website at https://enjoyprivatechef.com/ and if you decide to book him while you’re at VLK, write to us about your experience.
Karen Watts
