The cheeses are made by Nikos Katsamperis in neighboring Kariotissa. Vasilikos is on the coronary heart of a group of high quality purveyors, providing meats akin to pork from a local breed of pig (the ‘Ellinikos hoiros’ – Greek pig) raised on Makis Tapkos’s farm in Esovalta (17 km away). Vassilis will get the entire animal and does the butchering himself; their intention is to get as near zero-waste as attainable, however extra importantly, in his phrases, “to honor the animal.” He does this by utilizing every thing he can. The home-made charcuterie, such because the nduja served with a neighborhood burrata, is scrumptious, with the warmth balanced by the sweetness of charred peppers.
The core menu – in reality, 4 menus, one for every season – is supplemented with day by day inspirations. Nonetheless, resulting from standard demand, the “sidirodromos” (‘railroad tracks,’ for the rack of ribs) – slow-smoked pork from the wooden oven, with a crisp crust frivolously glazed – is a year-round staple. The meat crumbles underneath the fork, contrasting with the crispy bronzed pores and skin. The “biftekia” – seasoned burgers (all pork, no beef, for additional juiciness) – are traditional consolation meals, erved over a silky baby-soft potato puree. Manestra – second within the Greek comfort-food triad – arrives sizzling and aromatic underneath the cone-shaped lid of a tagine. The dish is normally made with beef, cooked in a pink sauce with kritharaki (Greek orzo, a small, rice-shaped pasta); Vassilis’ manestra options tender native lamb, its nearly musky meatiness soaked up by the saucy pasta, with little or no tomato to intrude.
Rooster and potatoes, or “kotopoulo me patates,” full the Greek triad. A couple of generations in the past, a hen akin to this one – native, hormone-free, fed proper, and raised within the wild (these by Konstantinos Galanos, 20 km away in Edessa) – would have been a commonplace pleasure, however not anymore. Now, a style of the actual factor, seasoned gently and roasted within the wooden oven with potatoes, redefines the homestyle traditional. The pork, manestra, and hen had been from the day earlier than; dishes from the oven “want a day to relaxation,” Melina explains, in order that they at all times make them forward of time after which reheat them, crisping up the hen and pork over the coals.
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