Samothrace Treasure at the Acropolis Museum

The Acropolis Museum is set on the foothills of the Acropolis, where the Parthenon is situated. It's an impressive building that offers, through glass floors, views of the ruins of the city of Athens below that were discovered during excavations for its construction. Its large windows frame the Acropolis hill with full views of the Parthenon.

I have visited the Museum a few times since its opening but this year we had a special treat. The exhibit of the Treasure of Samothrace had just opened.

The Samothrace Temple Complex, known as the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, (Greek Ιερό των Μεγάλων Θεών Ieró ton Megalón Theón) is one of the principal Pan-Hellenic religious sanctuaries, located on the island of Samothrace within the larger Thrace in Greece. Built immediately to the west of the ramparts of the city of Samothrace, it was nonetheless independent, as attested to by the dispatch of city ambassadors during festivals.

It was celebrated throughout Ancient Greece for its Mystery religion, a Chthonic religious practice as renowned as the Eleusinian Mysteries. Numerous famous people were initiates, including the historian Herodotus – one of very few authors to have left behind a few clues to the nature of the mysteries, the Spartan leader Lysander, and numerous Athenians. The temple complex is mentioned by Plato and Aristophanes.

During the Hellenistic period, after the investiture of Phillip II, it formed a Macedonian national sanctuary where the successors to Alexander the Great vied to outdo each other's munificence. It remained an important religious site throughout the Roman period. Hadrian visited, and Varro described the mysteries – before fading from history towards the end of Late Antiquity.

One of the best known sculptures of Samothrace is the Winged Victory or Pteroti Niki of Samothraki displayed at the Louvre in Paris.

The exhibited items at the Acropolis Museum are very impressive and, along with an informative video, give an understanding of the Sanctuary and its importance in the Ancient World.

Fragments of plaques with writing.

One of the pros of this museum is that it is well curated. I find that as a visitor I am not overwhelmed with the quantity and placement of the exhibits.  The items are well selected and displayed in a way that makes walking through pleasurable and educational.

I am aways in awe when visiting the Acropolis of Athens and its Museum. This time I expanded my knowledge about our ancestors as well as enjoyed the lasting beauty of ancient art.

If you ever are in Athens, the Acropolis Museum is a must destination.

Beer Crust Pizza!

Well, by now you must have guessed that I'm working down the list of favorites(and there are so many!) that I missed while away. And pizza is definitely on the top of that list!

I was a t a party last year where they were making pizzas for the guests. One of them, was a beer crusted pizza. I took one bite and was hooked. That yeasty, chewy taste took the pizza to another level.

So, I googled it and came up with a recipe I was happy with. It has now become my go-to pizza crust recipe whenever I have a yen for pizza.

 So, this week I took out my pizza stone.

 Made my dough and set it to rise, spread around the toppings...

 and voila! Here's my pizza before baking.

 and here it is after 10 minutes in the oven! Yum, perfection.

It's an easy, simple dinner that you can adapt in many ways depending on your toppings. Here's the recipe:

Beer crusted Pizza(makes two)

Ingredients
Crust
3.5 cups of all purpose flour( I include a 1/4 cup whole wheat)
1/4 cup warm water
8oz beer
2.25 tsp yeast
2 tsp sugar
2 tbspn olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
Topping
1 cup marinara sauce
1/2 lb sliced mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup sliced red pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbspn grated parmesan  cheese

Heat oven to 170 and turn off.

combine warm water, yeast and sugar in a cup. Let it foam for a few minutes.
Add the flour and salt to the bowl of your mixer outfitted with the dough hook.
Pour in the yeast mix and process on medium until mixed. Slowly add the beer and knead for 5-8 minutes. If the dough is sticky, add a tbsp or two of flour.
Turn out the dough on a floured surface and kneed a couple of times.
Divide dough into 2 pieces. If you are making two pizzas place both in separate oiled bowls, cover loosely with a tea towel and place in oven to rise for an hour. Make sure the oven is off!
If only making one pizza, place one half in the oiled bowl to rise as above, and either refrigerate or freeze the other half to use at a later time. Make sure you take out cold dough and let come to room temperate before set to rise.
After an hour your dough should have doubled in size. Punch down and kneed a few times to get the air out.
Place on a pizza pan and using your fingers pull and shape to the size of the pan. I usually put semolina on the bottom of the pan so the pizza doesn't stick.

Place your pizza stone(if you have one, optional) in the oven. Heat oven to 550 degrees fahrenheit.

Top the pizza by spreading the sauce all over the dough. Place pieces of the mozzarella cheese around the pizza and sprinkle the sliced peppers or any other topping over the cheese and sauce. Then, sprinkle the parmesan cheese around the edge, drizzle with olive oil and place in the preheated oven.

I bake mine for 10 minutes. Bake for 10 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned and the cheese and sauce are bubbling.

Enjoy!

Maria

The Best Buttermilk Pancakes!

After a long stay in Greece where breakfast is usually fresh bread from the bakery, graviera (fabulous Greek sheep's milk cheese), fresh fruit like watermelon, figs, melon, you get the picture, I usually have an uncontrolled urge for pancakes!

You know, my dad had a restaurant when I was a kid. It was called Greg's Hamburger Heaven and he made the best pancakes ever! So now that he's no longer here to make them for me, I always feel like he's with me when I'm making them.

And yes, I've seriously toyed with the idea of going to my local diner and letting them present me with a plate of those beautifully comforting griddle cakes, but every time in the past that I did, I have been disappointed. The pancakes are usually undercooked and do not have the flavor I crave.

And so, here I was on Sunday morning ready with my buttermilk to make my own, favorite recipe for Stelios and me. He's not a big pancake eater but he's pretty happy when I make them a couple of times a year.

So what's so special about these pancakes you might ask? First of all, the buttermilk makes them fluffy on the inside and nice and toasted on the outside. Also, the vanilla gives a wonderful flavor and aroma that transports me to heaven.

The other reason why I love to make them at home is that I can top them with all the goodies that I love.

I like to slice some banana on top, add a tablespoon of strawberry and rhubarb compote that I made earlier in the summer.

 I then sprinkle some walnuts or any other nuts I may have in the house for crunch on top.

Then, I add just little bit of maple syrup, unlike my husband who likes to pour it on! In either way, they come out fabulous and satisfy that craving every time.

For those of you, who like me, want your pancakes fluffy and delicious, here's the recipe:

Buttermilk Pancakes

1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon BP
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup low fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Light your oven to low. Place a plate inside.

Combine the flour, sugar, BP, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Whisk together to mix.
Combine the buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla in a small bow. Whisk to mix.
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon. Do not overmix. The batter will be a little thick.

Grease a griddle with a little canola oil or butter and set it over medium heat on the stove. Once it's hot, spoon some batter and form your pancakes. Make sure you don't put too much because the batter will spread.

Give the pancakes a minute and when they make little bubbles on top, carefully flip them over. By the time you flip the last one the first one should be ready.

Remove the pancakes and place them on the warming dish in the oven. Repeat with the remaining batter.I usually make 8 pancakes from this recipe. Any leftovers, if there ever can be, can be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two and rewarmed in the toaster oven or the microwave.

Top with a dab of butter, your favorite fruit, nuts and syrup. Another thing we usually do is top them with a fried egg! Yum! Here's to you dad!

All you need is a cup of coffee and you're on your way to heaven.

Enjoy!

Maria

Prickly Pears, Figs and the Bounty of the Greek Country Side

Some of the most succulent fruit of the Greek countryside ripens in August while I'm there.

The abundance of figs right off the tree in the morning...

or prickly pears picked off a cactus bush in an abandoned lot...

 can make me weep!!

 I learned how to clean the prickly pears as a child from my grandfather

and I can't wait until the fruit is ready to be picked, cleaned and eaten!

I had my fill this summer and these photographs make me very nostalgic for the season past.

The mountains of perfectly ripe tomatoes,

beautiful eggplant,

day old eggs,

fish,

and colorful grapes made my stay in Greece delicious and colorful.

Varieties of olives and fish show me that biodiversity is alive and well in Greece.

Here's to a tasty summer and looking forward to a beautiful fall!

Enjoy!

Maria