Around the World - Greece

Our Around the World in lockdown Food and Wine Tour continues with Greece as Country No. 4. 

Many decades ago we travelled with a company that flew to Greek islands that had just opened their military airfield to tourists. There was one plane a week from the UK and the islands were remote and had seen virtually no tourists.

Tavernas were basic and served local dishes. One was beans served on the island of ανάμνηση  that I tried without success to recreate back home. Then one year I saw a recipe in an airline magazine, and I've made it ever since. 

We call it Greek Beans. It's dried cannelloni, lately with a few butter beans, cooked  for hours with lots of olive oil, onions carrots, celery and tomatoes till the onions vanish leaving the beans in a thick pale orange sauce.

This time, instead of the usual beans, a mixed pack of ten types of beans were used; this makes the dish look different, but it tasted good. Served with a chunk of granary bread, mixed salad and retsina.

N.V. Greek Wine Cellars (D. Kourtakis) Retsina of Attica (Greece,  Attica) 

Country 3 was Italy