Passport & Plate - Kalamarakia Yemista
Australia | Friday, March 14, 2014 | 2 photos
Ingredients
Fresh Squids (cleaned, tentacles cut off)
Marinated feta cheese (with olive oil and oregano)
Red and green peppers
Tomatoes
Onions
Salt & Pepper
Dressing ingredients:
Oregano
Lemon
Olive oil
How to prepare this recipeKalamarakia Yemista (Stuffed Squids - with feta cheese)
- Sprinkle some lemon juice onto the squids.
- Mix the chopped green and red peppers together in a bowl.
- Add to the mixture the chopped tomatoes, onions and mushrooms.
- Put the mixture into a pan with some olive oil and cook them for 3-4 minutes.
- Stuff every squid with the vegetable mixture and feta cheese, placing them in layers.
- Use toothpicks to seal the ends of the squid's body to avoid spilling of the ingredients.
- Grill the squids in the oven on a medium heat and season them with salt and pepper, until done. Do not overcook the squids, as they would taste rubbery if overdone.
- Mix two tablespoons of lemon juice with two tablespoons of olive oil, and add some dried oregano to make the dressing.
- When the squids are cooked, season with the dressing sauce and serve.
- Enjoy! :)
The story behind this recipeCalimera!
It was a beautiful sunny day in Fira, the capital of Santorini - Greece. Walking towards Exo Gialos beach, two kilometers away from the center of Fira, Santorini's capital, I could not help but breathe in the beautiful breathtaking views of the island.
Fresh air. Peace. Peace. More peace.
No description of the beauty of Santorini would do it justice. One has to breathe it in to feel its magic.
As I waited for my last meal in this incredible place, I wished I did not have to leave so soon. Though any amount of time would have been soon. Reminiscing on everything I've seen and done during my time on the volcanic island was not helping either. The deep endless blue (maybe the deepest blue I've seen!) Southern Aegean Sea. Beautiful vineyards. Olive tree fllled lands. The very genuinely cheerful and jolly people of this island. The travel blues were setting in already. Oh my!
Yay!!! My train of thoughts was interrupted by the arrival of my much anticipated meal. Please meet "Kalamarakia Yemista" which translates from Greek into Stuffed Squid.
One bite into it, and I realized that this was it..!!!! This meal was my connection to the island! The extremely fresh seafood, the best feta cheese EVER, and just the whole sensation that came with indulging in that meal was the way I was connecting with this beautiful place. We were becoming one. All of a sudden, I could not help but appreciate the very source of my food, every element on my plate and be immensely grateful for it.
That right there is the amazing thing about travel, the reason I hope to never get cured of this beautiful addiction. It teaches me to appreciate things we lose track of back at home, in our everyday lives, when everything becomes normal and we take them for granted.
This recipe is special because it had made me realize that I can take a part of every place I visit with me. Every meal is a connection to a beautiful world. A beautiful world that I am a part of. A very small part.
