The focal point just beyond the glass doors is a 200-year-old olive tree, symbolizing peace and friendship. There is fresh seasonal produce to your right and an 82-foot tall atrium towering above you, showcasing the latest techniques in hydroponics and aquaponics. Freshly baked bread, created daily, tempts you from a wood-fired stone oven, the heavenly scent of brewed coffee fills the air, and the fish displayed on ice look so fresh it seems like they jumped there directly from the sea. When you’re here, you want to eat well.
Book a Culinary Experience in Athens, Greece!
They say as far as food is concerned, authenticity is essential. And when you step into Ergon House from the narrow Mitropoleos Street for your culinary experience in Athens, Greece, you know something special is about to happen. This modern-day Agora, or Greek marketplace, is the setting for your cooking class at Ergon House. The cooking class is held upstairs on either the 2nd or 4th floor, and the ingredients are gathered from the market below.
What is an Ergon House Cooking Class in Athens Like?
Our small class gathered in the marketplace for a brief tour before putting on our aprons. We learned that Ergon House is the first foodie hotel in Europe. It’s a unique concept where, rather than having a restaurant as their only food option, they offer a marketplace stocked with locally sourced farm-to-table fresh seasonal produce, including fish, meats, cheeses, and other gourmet items. The selection includes Ergon House’s own brand of wine, sourced from local grapes, and a line of spreads and condiments made in-house. You can find other locations throughout Europe. Their rapid expansion in such a short amount of time speaks to the success of this culinary concept that blends local markets, delis, and cafes with boutique-styled lodging.
During this culinary experience in Athens, Greece, we made Peinirli with chicken, gruyere, and truffle. Anything with cheese is a good idea; add truffle, and it’s close to pure culinary magic.
We Started with the Dough
A blend of two types of flour, salt, yeast, sugar, olive oil, and water make up the dough. We measured by weight instead of using measuring cups and spoons, then mixed the ingredients by hand. A simple new cooking trick we learned when making dough is to use a single finger first to stir the dough ingredients rather than your entire hands. This limits the sticky mess to one finger. Brilliant!
After this, the dough was manipulated, rolled, and kneaded to activate the gluten and make a smooth ball that bounced back beautifully when pressed with a finger. We compared balls to see who had the best!
While the dough rested, we prepared the filling, or stuffing, as the chef called it. Stuffing makes me think of turkey and Thanksgiving, so I really wanted to call it filling, but as the chef explained, “stuffing” was the proper cooking term. No matter the name, it was eat-directly-from-the-bowl-with-a-big-spoon delicious. The flavors were a blend of cubed roasted or steamed chicken, cream cheese, semi-hard Rodopa cheese, and truffle oil. Lots of truffle oil! The recipe had just one hard cheese listed, and ours included a second cheese that was like ricotta in texture but with a very different flavor. We agreed that the filling alone could be served with crackers or roasted artichokes for a delicious first dish.
We rolled the dough into a long oval shape, placed the filling in a line along the center, and folded each end into a triangle. The pieces along the long edge were pressed toward the middle, leaving a gap where the filling was exposed. We baked this at low heat for about three to four minutes until the dough was golden brown.
Immerse Yourself in Food and Friendship: An Athens Culinary Experience to Remember
After the cooking portion of the class, we went downstairs to the cafe’ to enjoy a full meal. Of course, we ate the Peinirli we had prepared. In addition, they served fresh bread, a beautiful tomato and cucumber salad topped with feta cheese. There was also rolled pork, smashed small potatoes with a spread, a flaky pastry topped with tomato-based sweet and savory marmalade, and bean sauce topped with a powerful salty fish. All of this was washed down with red and white wine. But that’s not all! A shot of espresso and a creamy black forest dessert was the grand finale for the culinary experience.
Ergon House’s goal is “sobremesa.” They adopted this from a phrase used by their Spanish cousins. Sobremesa is about the “time that seems to expand around and after a meal, spent in conversation, relaxing and prolonging the pleasure of the oldest social ritual.” Our class lingered for a few hours. We were a group of new friends enjoying a leisurely meal in the atmosphere of Ergon House Deli and Cafe’. Goal achieved.
In addition to the cooking class, generous meal, and friendly staff, we all went home with a bag of goodies that included treats sold at the deli.
If you want a culinary experience in Athens, Greece, cooking classes at Ergon House are a fantastic option and a great value. We all agreed this experience was something we recommend.
When You Go:
Location:
Ergon House, Athens Greece
Mitropoleos 23
Athens, Greece
