A handbag addiction? Me? Never!

This leather beauty is from Rhodes. I love the fact that the pattern almost looks like it has been painted on.

This precious is from Rhodes. It has to be my favourite find. I just love the unusual shape- it's almost like a seed.

And lastly, this lovely is from Santorini.

And that's it. I have now revealed my handbag mania. No more handbag shopping for me for a very long time. Naaaaat.

Honeyed feta filo pies

Today, I officially became a Good Greek Girl- I made tiropita (cheese pie) for the first time. After having the most divine tiropita in Rhodes (remember this post?), I thought that I would give Jamie Oliver's version a bash. I loved the aromatic thyme leaves in between the layers of filo pastry and the contrast between the creamy, salty feta and the sweet honey was just delicious.

Here's the recipe for all you eager beavers:

Serves 4

300g feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons Greek extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
4 teaspoons runny honey, plus extra to serve
2 teaspoons dried oregano
8 sheets of filo pastry
4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
a few teaspoons toasted sesame seeds, to serve
olive oil

Mix the feta, extra virgin olive oil, honey and oregano in a bowl and put aside. For each person you'll want to lay a sheet of filo in front of you and brush it with a little extra virgin olive oil. Scatter over a few thyme leaves, then lay another sheet on top. Cut across the width so that you've got the base for 2 parcels. Keep going until you've made 8 bases.

Divide the feta mixture into 8, then spoon one portion on the centre of each pastry base, using the back of the spoon to flatten the filling into a nice little rectangle shape. Fold in the two long sides, then fold the bottom up over the filling and bring the top down over that so that it forms a nice neat parcel, almost like wrapping a Christmas present. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry non-stick pan in a medium heat for a few minutes until golden brown, then put to one side.

At this point you have two choices. You can drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil, lay your parcels on an oiled baking tray and bake them in an oven preheated to 200 degrees Celsius until golden and crisp. Or you can fry them. If you want to do it that way, add enough olive oil to come 0.5cm up the side of a large frying pan and put it on a medium heat. Keep an eye on it and don't move the pan about too much, as hot oil is dangerous. Once the oil is nice and hot, carefully add your parcels and cook them for about 1 to 2 minutes on the folded side, until golden through the layers. Then flip them over and cook them for another minute, until golden brown on both sides.

Carefully remove the parcels from the oven or pan using a fish slice. Put them on kitchen paper to drain. Serve with a good drizzle of honey and a pinch or two of toasted sesame seeds on top.


Enjoy!

*I decided to put my pies in the oven- it's just a much healthier option. Also, instead of brushing the pastry with olive oil each time, you can use a combination of melted butter and a bit of olive oil. It's a cheaper option, as olive oil is pricey and you need quite a bit of it for this recipe.  

"Do not go gentle into that good night"

This man reminds me of my Pappou Kosta. He always used to catch 40 winks when he thought nobody was looking. 

If Italy had nice ceilings, then Greece had awesome doors!

This was my favourite door. Hey, is it possible to have a favourite door?

Not strictly a door, but it performs more or less the same function as a door and is still awesome!

Food, glorious food!

I can count on one hand the amount of times that I have eaten something that was so flippin' amazing that it made me want to weep with joy. This was the case when we went to Alex's Restaurant in Lindos, Rhodes. I had this feta cheese wrapped in phyllo pastry which was drizzled with honey, caramelized balsamic vinegar and sesame seeds. Oh my hat, it was delicious. So delicious that it had to get its own blog post. This picture does in no way do the dish justice. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Lindos. You get to eat orgasmic food while sitting on the rooftop of the restaurant, enjoying the welcomed breeze and the twinkling lights of Lindos. The staff were also incredibly friendly. What more can you really ask for?

The Old Town, Rhodes

The Rhodes Archaeological Museum in The Old Town.

Mosaic floors

Beautiful ceilings, again. They followed me everywhere. 

Head of god, Helios. Middle Hellenistic period. 

Roman portrait head from the 1st century BC. Scary to think how old this is. 

Mosaics from pebbles, I kid you not. How? How did you do this, ancient greeks?

Close up of above.

And even closer...

Valley of Butterflies, Rhodes

Perhaps I am ignorant, but I really was expecting these butterflies to be flying all over the place. Nevertheless, the valley is something you have to see if you go to Rhodes. There's also a restaurant at the end to reward your trek through the valley. As we were leaving, there was an old Greek man selling fresh fruit and peanuts covered in honey and sesame seeds from the back of his car. Those peanuts are divine! I could chomp on the things day in and day out. 

Yip, those are all butterflies. You must be trembling right now, Priyanks!;-)

I want to go back to Rhodes. Now.

 I adore Greece. And not only because I'm Greek. It has a natural, untouched beauty. The white washed walls and the serene aquamarine and royal blue sea look like a scene on a postcard. The people are exceptionally friendly, something my mom says has changed since she was last there a few decades ago. And the food. Ah, the glorious food. I went to  Greece with a list of my favourites that I simply had to indulge in. Tzatziki, pita bread, dolmades, spanakopita, tiropita, fasolada, yemista, baklava, revani, and loukoumi. The list could go on forever and ever. I love the fact that I got the opportunity to speak the language that I suffered through years of Greek School to learn (Greek school and greek dancing really were the bane of my existence back in the day). I hope my grandparents are proud. In short, Greece felt like home.

We stayed in Lindos during our visit to Rhodes. This is the Bastion, which contains the Rhodes Acropolis. You can take a trip up there on a donkey. I felt sorry for the poor asses, so I declined. I would have preferred to walk up but alas, I was told that I would die of heat if I attempted it. Boo hoo. 

Orange juice to quench your thirst, anyone?

Most of the paths and even the floors in restaurants and shops are made of these pebbles. They are surprisingly smooth (and sometimes even slippery). Loved it. 

Even though this picture doesn't illustrate it, the beaches in Rhodes consist of pebbles. The type that you pay for in a scratch patch in South Africa. I spent a good while digging amongst the pebbles for a few pretty little treasures. 

Pink and white bouganvillas everywhere. One day when I have my own little garden, I want lots and lots of bouganvillas. 

Same scene as the first picture, but this time with the sun setting. It's like the sky is blushing. Hee.