Thessaly is a large area in the central part of Greece. It was very important during ancient ages as there was located Olympus the mountain of the twelve gods. In there Titans fought with the gods and lost the fight. Olympus was the home of:
Zeus the father of all gods, protector of foreigners, regulator of justice and law on earth.
Hera, Zeus’ sister and wife protector of wives and marriage.
Poseidon, Zeus’ brother and protector of water and water creatures
Dimitra, Zeus’ sister protector of earth, crops, cultivation and farmers
Hestia, Zeus’ sister was the goddess of home and marital happiness. There was an altar in every home devoted to her.
Aphrodite, Zeus’ daughter and goddess of love and beauty.
Apollo, Zeus’ son was the god of music, dance, logic and ethics.
Ares, Zeus’ brother was the god of fight and war.
Artemis, Apollo’s sister was the goddess of wild animals, hunting and fertility.
Athena, Zeus’ daughter was the goddess of wisdom and prudence.
Hephaestus was the god of volcanos, metallurgy and he created all gods’ weapons.
Hermes was the protector of merchants, travelers, carried dead peoples’ souls to the underworld and gods’ messenger.
When man discovered number twelve he realized that it carried some kind of magic. Twelve can be divided by two, three, four, six and twelve. Twelve were the Greek gods, twelve were the Tribes of Israel, twelve were Jesus’ disciples, Egyptians, Babylonians and Assyrians had also twelve gods.
Greek gods lived on mount Olympus and were eating ambrosia and drinking nectar. They controlled the lives of humans and punished anyone who went against their wills. Apart from their divine nature they carried human characteristics and they themselves many times fell in sin and were susceptible to bad actions and habits.
Thessaly is my father’s birth area and also the place where one can eat the best BBQed meats in the whole Greece. They make from lambs to pork in so many different ways you will be amazed. Skewers, souvlaki, kokorétsi, splinádero, gardoùba are some names of BBQ meats that people around there enjoy. My father’s father had a tavern in Larisa the biggest city in the area and my father has learned well the art of making all these types of meats. From him I inherited the love for BBQ and this past weekend that the weather was good I made these delicious skewers called Kontosoùvli in my BBQ. They were totally delicious and perfect with pita bread and French fries.
- 1,5 kilos / 3.3 lb pork cut in medium chunks
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (feel free to add as many cloves as you like, the stronger the better)
- 2 tsp oregano
- ½ cup mustard
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ tsp paprika
- A small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pepper, cut in squares
- ½ onion, cut in squares
- 8 skewers
- In a non-reactive bowl place all ingredients and the meat.
- Mix well.
- Cover with a cling film and place it in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- When you are ready to grill, pierce the pork pieces and peppers and onions consecutively in the skewers.
- Grill for about 30 minutes, or until the meat is completely cooked and golden brown.
- 1,5 κιλό χοιρινό
- 1 κρεμμύδι, ψιλοκομμένο
- 2 σκελίδες σκόρδο, λιωμένο
- 2 κ.σ. ρίγανη
- ½ φλ. μουστάρδα
- ½ φλ. ελαιόλαδο
- ½ κ.γ. πάπρικα
- Αλάτι και πιπέρι
- 1 πιπεριά κομμένη σε τετράγωνα
- ½ κρεμμύδι κομμένο σε τετράγωνα
- 8 σουβλάκια
- Σε ένα γυάλινο μπολ τοποθετήστε όλα τα υλικά και το κρέας.
- Ανακατέψτε καλά.
- Σκεπάστε με μία μεμβράνη και βάλτε στο ψυγείο για τουλάχιστον 6 ώρες ή όλη νύχτα.
- Όταν είστε έτοιμοι περάστε τα κομμάτια του χοιρινού κρέατος στα σουβλάκια εναλλάξ με τις πιπεριές και τα κρεμμύδια.
- Ψήστε για περίπου 30 λεπτά, ή μέχρι το κρέας να είναι εντελώς μαγειρεμένο και να ροδίσει.