The Greek salad, then, always finds its way to the table at any meal period.A traditional beverage to go with meals is Tsipouro, an alcoholic drink that is very similar to Sambuca. The interesting bit about the drink is that every village has an expert brewer, who supplies it to the whole neighbourhood. And it makes me proud to say that I’m my village’s Tsipouro brewer!MoussakaIngredients:6 Eggplants3 PotatoesVegetable oilOlive OilFor the meat sauce:750 gm Minced beef and lamb2 Red onions, chopped2 Cloves of garlic, chopped400 gm Chopped tomatoes2 tbsp Tomato puree1 tsp Sugar1 Glass of red wine1 Bay leaf1 Cinnamon stick¼ cup olive oilSea salt and freshly ground pepper to tasteFor the bechamel sauce:875 ml Milk100 gm Butter100 gm Flour2 Egg yolks100 gm KefalotyriPinch of nutmegMethod:Drizzle olive oil on the eggplants and bake for 20 minutes.Fry the potatoes after cutting them in thick slices.Heat a large pan to medium-high heat and add olive oil.Stir chopped onions and sauté, followed by garlic and minced meat.Slowly break it up with a wooden spoon and sauté.Stir in tomato puree, pour in the red wine and wait for it to evaporate.Add chopped tomatoes, sugar, China wholesale pneumatic seal a cinnamon stick, bay leaf and a pinch of salt and pepper.Once it starts to boil, turn down the heat and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes.Use a large pan to melt the butter over low-medium heat.Add the flour, whisking continuously to make a paste.Add warm milk and keep whisking.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in egg yolks, salt, pepper, nutmeg and grated cheese.Add butter to the bottom of the pan and put a layer of potatoes and eggplants and pour in the meat sauce.Add a second layer of eggplants and top with the béchamel sauce.Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake the mousakka in a preheated over at 180C for about 30 minutes.Choriatiki saladIngredients2 Tomatoes cut into wedges½ Medium red onion, sliced into rings1 Cucumber, peeled and sliced into thick half moons½ Green pepper, sliced½ Red pepper, sliced6 Black olives6 Pieces of capers1 Small radish, cut into thin slices2 Pieces crumbled Ntakos bread200 gm Feta cheese, cut into cubes1 tbsp Red wine vinegar¼ cup extra virgin olive oil1 tsp dried oreganoSea salt to tasteMethodToss all ingredients together.Season with salt and pour the extra virgin olive oil and vinegar to the salad. Mix well before serving.Chef Stratos is the commis chef at Hyatt Regency, Thessaloniki.

I love to travel! Possibly, as an Army officer’s son, travel was in my DNA and a routine of life… passing through quaint, little towns that were completely unheard of while going for summer and winter vacations to our grandparents’ houses. The most anticipated part of the journey was the food that we’d discover on our way. Each train journey had its own special culinary story and was replete with familiar sounds of the vendors selling ‘cold drinks’ at the railway stations, tiffins packed for ever-hungry boys that my mother had to nourish.A trip down South meant idlis with exotic chutneys for breakfast and unknown villages with their names written in unrecognisable dialects rushing by. Every once in a while the pantry car would dish out delicious chicken cooked in local spices — a rail car rendition of a chicken chettinad with appams.