Let us introduce you to some of the dishes that we offer.
Chicken Metsovitiko
Metsovo is a traditional settlement, which is built amphitheatrically on the slopes of Pindos, and is approximately 4.5 hours from Athens and 2.5 hours from Thessaloniki. The rich natural landscape, the picturesqueness of the village, the mansions with the tasteful architecture, the sound of the water, the tasty cheeses, the folklore atmosphere give a unique touch, making Metsovo one of the most popular mountain destinations, especially during the festive season.
Metsovo has been associated with its special cheeses, such as metsovone and metsovella, which come exclusively from this blessed place in Epirus. The cheese factory started operating in 1958, and the owner’s vision was to create a cheese-making school where young Metsovites would study in order to later create their own cheese factories – something that eventually came true. In fact, in the early years, Evangelos Averof made sure that young Metsovites from cattle-breeding families went to traditional cheese factories in Italy for a while, and from this experience they developed smoked metsovone – related to Provolone, metsovella from Pastorella and rezzana from Parmesan.
From this wonderful place comes our Chicken Metsovitiko – chicken stewed in red wine with herbs, dried tomatoes and Metsovo cheese.
Mpekri Meze
Unlike local Afelia, Greek Mpekri meze is a much more complex dish. The main ingredients may seem the same: pork and red wine, but it’s what’s different that makes the dish stand out. Mpekri meze is a food where pieces of pork are baked together in red wine and sometimes ouzo with mushrooms, peppers, garlic, onions and mustard. It is actually somewhat spicy and the legend goes it used to be very hot to help the sailors get the alcohol out of of their system when they needed it.
Arni Sto Fourno
Unlike so popular ‘kleftiko’, ‘arni sto fourno’ is a lamb shank without the bone that gets slow cooked in the oven with salt, pepper and rosemary only. Kleftiko is on the bone, with tomatoes, potatoes, onions and cinnamon thrown in to cook together with meat. The Greek ‘arni sto fourno me patates’ (lamb in the oven with potatoes) recipe is one the most sought after in the Greek Google, generating over 150,000 clicks on individual recipes every year as some chefs say. The potatoes served with this dish deserve their own mentioning: first boiled, then fried with butter, white wine and herbs – they deserve to be a stand-alone dish. So tasty, you wouldn’t believe. So, don’t take our words for granted, come and taste this delicious combination of lamb and potatoes at Acheleia Taverna. Just ask for Arni Sto Fourno.
Stifado Beef
Introducing Beef Stifado – Greek Beef Stew. Long cooking time and low temperature are the main secret. And the meat. Good quality chuck should nail it! Always on our menu at Acheleia Taverna.
