Meat off the Street

     In Greece there is lots of street food, and it isn't necessarily healthy by any means. What it is though is tasty, filling, cheap, and available into the wee hours of the morning. Most people love to try Gyros which are the giant spinning cylinders of meat that gets shaved off. You can choose between pork and chicken. It is stuffed into a pita with tzatziki, tomatoes, onions, and loaded with French fries. Yum! 

     Recently however I stumbled across a new way of eating meat on the street. I was walking down the street in the capital of Crete, Heraklion, and I saw a bunch of smoke rising from a grill and the smell of souvlaki was overwhelming! 

When I walked up to the shop it was literally a charcoal grill right in front of you with no glass in front. There were skewers of pork souvlaki, chicken souvlaki, greek burgers, and greek sausages all being grilled. 

     I ordered pork souvlaki because that's the best selling food at this shop. Each stick I ordered came with a grilled piece of bread and slice of lemon. I squeezed the lemon over the stick and the flavor of the lemon and oregano on grilled meat is just too good to be true. There's something about eating meat off of a stick that makes you feel like a caveman. There's nothing difficult or crazy about this meat, it's flavored simply, cooked simply, and simply freaking delicious!

Snails in Tomato Sauce with Potatoes and Zucchini

“ΣΑΛΙΚΓΑΡΙΑ”

               

Snails can be found everywhere in Crete. At a Cretan market there are bags upon bags of snails to buy. Most Cretans however are gathering them by themselves in the olive fields because they can be found everywhere. Try this traditional dish with a simple and flavorpacked sauce with fresh vegetables. You won’t be able to stop soaking up this delicious sauce with a nice crusty slice of bread. The snails can be substituted with mussels or clams, if finding snails is difficult. This is comfort food and you will feel warm and satisfied after a nice big helping!

Ingredients:

1 lb Snails

1 lb potatoes, peeled and quartered

3 zucchini, cut in thirds

5 tomatoes, pulsed in food processor

2 onions, roughly chopped

1 green onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

3 tbs parsley, chopped

3 tbs salt (for cleaning snails)

1/4 cup vinegar, whichever you prefer

2 cups water

1/4 cup white wine

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Cleaning the Snails:

Let the snails soak for 20 minutes in cold water. Next, rinse thoroughly and scrape off any plant matter on the outside of the shell with a small knife. Then use the knife to scoop out the plant matter on the inside of the shell. Rinse again. Simmer the snails in water with 2 tbs of salt for 4 minutes, stirring a few times. Drain, and simmer again in only water this time for 1 minute. Drain again and simmer a 3^rd time but with the vinegar and 1 tbs of salt this time this time for 5 minutes. Drain the snails and one more time, scrape the plant matter off with a small knife. Rinse thoroughly and you are done cleaning the snails!

 

Cooking Process:

In a large pot, add 1 cup of olive oil and saute the garlic, onion, and green onion on medium high heat. Saute until onions are softened but not browned. Add the white wine, tomato puree, and zucchini, boil for 2 minutes. Next add the parsley, water, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pot and boil for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the potatoes and boil for another 10 minutes covered. Next add the cleaned snails and boil for 5 more minutes covered. Taste the sauce for salt and pepper and adjust the seasoning. Once finished cooking, let it sit for a few minutes to cool, then add dried oregano on top. Enjoy your traditional Cretan delicacy!