A Week in Santorini

Santorini is an anhydrous place, which means “without water.” One of the Cyclades Island group of Greek Islands, it sits where the Aegean meets the Mediterranean Sea and is the remnant of a caldera left after a volcanic eruption 3600 years ago. We are in the village of Thera, where all the streets and roads are made of volcanic rock and concrete and the houses are whitewashed to a blinding white to deflect the sun, which is incredibly intense. Every morning the fog rolls in, providing needed moisture to plant life.

Our first cooking class, with Yannis, was at the chic winery/restaurant called Anhydrous. The menu included Santorinian salad (a more colorful version of Greek salad), Minoan pork stew and Fava. I assumed fava referred to the beans we all know, but the dish is actually made of yellow split peas, soaked, then chopped and sweated in olive oil, and combined with a confit of thinly sliced red onions. After cooking it’s buzzed up with an immersion blender.

Our reward was a delicious lunch, with wines paired with each course. Most of the wines contain the Assyrtiko grape; one was blended with Viognier.

We couldn’t bear to do anything more this afternoon except nap!