Tuesday June 12, was a big day for the Athens Walking Tours as it marked the opening day of our New Cooking Lessons. Laura, Kerrie and Ron were the first to join our complimentary culinary class for the purpose of testing and evaluation.
Upon arriving at Klimatria Tavern our hostess, Maria, greeted us with a treat of “raki” which is a twice distilled drink made from grapes and is the perfect “ice breaker” for the newly introduced and a great courage booster for us amateur cooks who were about to be initiated into the fascinating world of Maria’s delicious cooking.
A big table had been prepared for us, full of herbs and spices from the garden and all sorts of taste treasures that are used in Greek cuisine. Maria started by explaining the day’s menu which consisted of 5 starters and a main dish before the actual cooking began. Very soon after we were elbow deep in ingredients and Maria even showed us a handy tip on the easiest way to peel garlic. Half way into our preparation of the main course our starters were ready so we took a break to sample what we had accomplished and they were wonderful. Back to our main course; which was a succulent leg of lamb and potatoes which we learned to prepare in the authentic Greek style and placed it in an earthenware casserole dish with a lid to allow the meat to cook slowly while retaining its juices and intoxicating aromas.
After all was said and done a very hungry Athens Walking Tours Cooking Team sat at the dinner table in anticipation of tasting the fabulous dinner which we had just prepared as we all shared a common sense of achievement at what we had just accomplished. Laura, Ken and Ron couldn’t help congratulating each other for the best dinner they had tasted so far in Greece. For dessert Maria offered us creamy Greek yoghurt with honey and chopped walnuts which, as she said, is perfect after such a meal because it is not only tasty but the yoghurt act as a digestive aid.
Our guests had a lovely time which was reflected in their enthusiasm but also in their evaluations. Contact us for the next available lesson.
