Christos Liatsikouras, a chef since the cradle, makes the most of the local produce of Thessaly and crafts dishes that speak to the heart.
On our latest culinary excursion to Kalabaka we visited the welcoming Divani Meteora hotel to sample its cuisine. Chef Christos Liatsikouras, who leads the restaurant brigade, welcomed us and took us on a journey through the region’s dishes and ingredients.
Christos is young, but in the way he speaks his passion for Greek cuisine shines. He grew up beside a great cook, his father, who prepared the menu every day for the merchant navy. From childhood, listening to stories and seeing photos of his father stirring pots, he caught the bug for honest, deeply rooted cooking.
As soon as he finished school, everything fell into place—he immediately set out to learn the culinary art. Before graduating he was testing recipes, restaurants, and flavors, and at twenty he went for his internship at the Divani Meteora hotel. His growth, dedication, grit, and talent have now given him the reins of the renowned restaurant’s kitchen. His menu brims with slow-cooked dishes and is laced with goodies from the area’s small producers.
What truly stands out, though, is the beef with trahanas. A honeyed dish, as the beef melts in the mouth and the trahanas keeps its lively character. With every bite you feel warmth and an earthy deliciousness. As he shared with us, it’s also his favorite dish, the one that takes him back to his childhood, when they made it for the Sunday family table in the village and everyone smiled and savored honest, well-cooked food.
To hold on to that flavor and set a smile-bringing dish on our own Sunday table, Christos shared the recipe with us. For me, what makes the difference is the handmade trahanas and that wonderful nivato cheese.
Christos recipe
Beef with trahanas
Servings: 5
Ingredients
- 500 g beef, topside, cut into 0.5x0.5 cm cubes
- 150 g handmade sour trahanas
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 leek, finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes, diced small
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 80 g olive oil
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg, grated
- 3 bay leaves
- 200 ml. red wine
- 1 lt water
- Salt
- Pepper
- Nivato cheese and sourdough bread for serving
Method
- (1) Place a pot over high heat, pour in the olive oil, and add the beef.
- (2) Then, sauté the beef over low heat and add the onion, leek, garlic paste, and carrots.
- (3) Deglaze with the wine.
***Tip: By deglazing with wine we capture its full aromatic intensity, which will elevate the flavors of our dish.
- (4) Add the spices, the water, the tomato, and let it simmer for about 1 hour.
- (5) In the last 10 to 15 minutes, once the beef has softened, add the trahanas, the salt, and the pepper, close the pot, and continue cooking.
***Tip: If needed, we can add a little extra water, cover the pot, and let it continue cooking.
- (6) Stir at regular intervals so the trahanas doesn’t stick.
- (7) Once ready, remove from the heat and serve hot, with traditional Nivato cheese and sourdough bread.
Source: Reader.gr
