“1924” reasons to visit Naxos…

…and a recipe by Nikos Petrakis.

There are some flavors that are just forgettable. They are familiar, yet original; simple and advanced in the same time. Flavors that are precious: they make time stop and they make you remember every little detail that is connected with them: the way the glasses reflected the daylight, the conversations you had and the music that was playing.

The flavors that I tasted at the 1924 restaurant in the island of Naxos, are unforgettable. The make me want to go back there, feeling almost homesick. It’s the perfect ingredients, the wise cooking and the warm people: in the kitchen of Lagos Mare Hotel you can hear the heartbeat of the Aegean.

Nikos Petrakis is the man who starts his day by searching for the most pure and fresh Naxian products in order to create plates that are so good that it’s difficult to describe them; Chef de cuisine of the 1924 restaurant, the Cretan wizard of Lagos Mare is imaginative, inspired and very down to earth.

He let us into his kitchen as he prepared this delicious recipe: chicken leg quarters stuffed with vegetables. Try this juicy, tender, Mediterranean way of cooking chicken. I’m sure you will love it!

Chicken leg quarters stuffed with vegetables: A recipe by Nikos Petrakis

Ingredients for 2 servings

– 2 chicken leg quarters
– 2 zucchinis
– 1 medium onion
– 400 grams of cherry tomatoes
– 200 grams of sundried tomatoes
– ½ a bunch of fresh basil
– The zest of one lemon
– Some olive oil
– Salt and pepper

Cut the zucchinis into thin strips, the onion into thin slices and the cherry tomatoes in half. Shred the sundried tomatoes and basil. Put all those ingredients in a basin, add the lemon zest, olive oil, salt, and pepper and mix them.

Put the chicken legs on two alternative layers of greaseproof paper and silver foil. Spread the vegetable stuffing on top of them and wrap them well inside the paper and silver foil.

Bake in at 180^oC for 20-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

words by maria alipranti

photography by christos drazos