We sincerely hope you enjoy it!

If you have a suggestion, an idea or a request, you can ask me, John Krontiras, by simply replying to this email. Periodically we will have a drawing from the email addresses in our system and we will offer various gifts, i.e. free dinner, items from Nabeel's® Market, and from our new Café Capri.

Congratulations to dvickers@uab.edu

Note: In most cases we have not kept the actual name/address of an individual to mail the winning Gift Certificate and as a result we mail the winner, the Certificate to their e-mail address. When you receive the e-mail, it will have a subject: Nabeel's Gift Certificate You need to open the file and save it in Microsoft Word under "My Documents". Print the document, tear the Gift Certificate out, and bring to Nabeel's to redeem it. If you live outside of the Birmingham area, please forward this e-mail (gift certificate) to nabeels@nabeels.com and a gift will be mailed to you.

The spring is almost gone and summer is just around the corner, a perfect time for vacation. Greece is one of the most beautiful places in the world to visit for your vacation. Cities, villages, history, mountains, sea, islands, a civilization of over 4000 years and everything that pleases even the most discriminating visitor. So, I will start this new column with tidbits about Greece, places to visit, some frequently needed Greek words and phrases, and also list some of the best places to visit while vacationing in Greece. Are you planning a trip to Greece and you have questions about the food, or places to go, or things to do? You can email me (nabeels@nabeels.com) your questions and I will be more than happy to answer you.

Last month we featured the island of Santorini [http://www.santorini.com] This month we will feature one of the most popular islands for vacation in Europe. The island of Myconos, (pronounced Mee'-ko-nos.) [http://www.myconosgreece.com] Myconos is located in the Aegean sea and it is part of the Cyclades islands. In the summer people from all over Europe and the world gather in Mykonos, a cosmopolitan paradise. Visit the link above to learn about Mykonos.

Want to impress your Greek friends? Here are some common Greek words and phrases that you will find very helpful when you visit Greece. More coming next month.

*** Note: The ( ' ) indicates where the accent should be ***

Brizo'la - Steak Moscha'ri - Beef Hirino' - Pork Koto'poulo - Chicken Sala'ta - Salad Horia'tikee Salata - Peasant Salad Pina'o - I'm hungry Logariasmo' - The check( the bill) Pou' e'ne - Where is it

Po's se' le'ne-What's your name Pa'me na' fa'me -Let's go eat Ti' o'ra e'ne - What time is it Po's pa'e - what's going on Fantastico' - Fantastic Aerodro'mio - Airport Tile'fono - Telephone Kseno'dohi'o - Hotel Noso'komi'o - Hospital Boat - Kara'vi

Useful telephone numbers when in Athens or other Greek cities:

Fire Dept	199
Ambulance	166
City Police (emergency)	100
Doctors (2pm-7am)	105
SOS 24-hour medical service	3310310
Automobile and Touring Club(ELPA)	779-1615
ELPA road assistance	104
Int'l Students & Youth Services	322-1267
TOURIST POLICE	171

(Tourist Police offers 24-hours information service in Greek, English, German, French) In all of Greece these telephone numbers are the same. You do not need to remember different numbers for different cities, which makes it very useful and very convenient!

Delphi, is situated in Sterea Ellas ( literally: Solid Greece (mainland). Delphi owes its international prominence to the famous Delphi Oracle of god Apollo, who foretold the future through its priestess, known as the Phythia. At a height of 800 meters off the waters of the Corinthian Gulf, and beneath the glorious Mt. Parnassos lies Delphi the Omphalos (the navel of the world) as it was considered in the ancient years.

In the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, Apollo killed a monstrous snake and left it to rot (an etymological play on the Greek verb pytho "I rot".) The early name of Delphi was supposed to be Pytho. So, the name Delphi also received an etymological explanation as well: Apollo appeared in the form of a dolphin (delphis is the Greek word for "dolphin" to sailors on a Cretan ship. Leaping onboard, he brought the terrified sailors to Crisa, the coastal port near Delphi where he transformed himself into a handsome youth and appointed the sailors as priests of his temple.

From Athens tours leave every day (from most hotels) at around 08:15am and return around 18:30 p.m. It costs approximately EUR 75 ($79.00 USD) and in most cases includes lunch. The trip takes you through the fertile plains of Boeotia, where you cross the towns of THIVA which is connected with the tragedy of Oedipus, LEVADIA and ARAHOVA famous for its colorful rugs and Carpets.

Moreover, the next time you're in Greece do not miss the opportunity to visit Delphi , the CENTER OF THE WORLD! It is a beautiful trip, the bus will stop in a couple of places to have lunch in the Greek countryside, that you will never forget, and do not fail to have a Horiatiki Salata (peasant salad), which by the way you can readily taste at Nabeel's Café. "..a delicious way to start your trip to Greece", when you come to Nabeel's.

Places to visit: THE TREASURY OF THE ATHENIANS, THE TEMPLE OF APOLLO, THE ALTAR OF CHIANS, THE STADIUM, THE CASTALIA SPRING, THE THOLOS and THE MUSEUM where you will have the opportunity to marvel at such masterpieces as the bronze statue of Charioteer (I have a beautiful copy of his head at my house), and the famous athlete Aghias.

More evidence that tomato sauce lowers prostate cancer. Some recent research, from the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, provides some good news for men who like tomato sauce. The report was published in the Journal of National Cancer Institute (2002)

Men who ate two or more servings of tomato sauce per week had a 23% lower risk of developing cancer than men that consumed less than one serving per month. There was some other good news as well for the heavy sauce eaters. Even when they were diagnosed with prostate cancer, their tumors were less likely to be locally advanced or to have metastasized.

Add Some Oregano Too

In a recent report in the American Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2002) a study found oregano to have the highest antioxidant activity of the 27 culinary herbs and 12 medicinal herbs. Oregano has 42 more times antioxidant activity than apples, 30 times more than potatoes, and 12 times more than oranges.

I love oregano personally, and we use oregano extensively in most of our recipes at Nabeel's. For those that do not like oregano other herbs also have antioxidant effects. Among the more familiar are dill, rosemary, thyme, and peppermint.
[ This data was printed in the May/June 2002 Cancer Journal for Clinicians ]

Microwave cooking is one of the best ways to preserve nutrients and reduce your calorie intakes. There is nothing faster or healthier than cooking in a microwave oven. Other low-fat cooking methods like steaming can destroy up to 60% of vitamin C and a quarter of the folate of certain fruits and vegetables, according to Ph.D., R.D., expert from Cornell University. Why? Because a microwave does not require high heat or lots of water to cook food, and as a result most minerals are retained.

Risotto
Never let the rice dry out when making risotto. For a creamy texture the rice should always - from start to finish - be kept under a "veil" of broth.

Onions
When sautéing onions start with cold chopped onions, cold oil and cold pan or pot, as Greeks in southern Greece do. Then cook the onions over low heat so they release juices gradually and become softened.

Greeks consume more olive oil per person than anyone else on earth.

Greeks consume more olive oil per person than anyone else on earth. The Crete and Peloponnese are not only the largest oil producers but also produce the best olive oil in the world! That is where TSITALIA extra virgin olive oil comes from. From the olive tree groves of the island of Crete. Consumers, particularly those of us in the U.S.A, are in difficult position, in selecting the correct extra virgin olive oil.

What you want is an oil that gives you pleasure, that you can use with abandon, instead of an expensive luxury that you are afraid to dispense each drop. Olive oil is a commodity meant to be generously poured over salads, cooking meats, fish, poultry, etc. Therefore, you need an oil that is reasonably priced and that is excellent in taste and aroma. TSITALIA® Oil gives you all of that; the aroma, the taste and a price that you can't beat. It is a product you can trust because it is brought to you by George Sarris of the Fish Market Restaurant and is available at Nabeel's International Market.

George Sarris imports this oil directly from Greece and specifically from the island of Crete, where the first olive tree was planted some 4,500 years ago. George named the oil TSITALIA to honor his birthplace, a town in the eastern part of Peloponnese, called Tsitalia.

Only $3.59 per bottle!

You can savor the difference with Nabeel's® GLORIA Classic Greek Dressing.

GLORIA a household name for over 30 years was my father's business name in Patras, Greece. GLORIA™ Chocolatier. We use the GLORIA™ name, to honor my father, and also the person, my father, that gave this recipe to my wife, even before I got myself involved in the restaurant business and I was still in the corporate world. It came very handy we believe!

A Birmingham prominent artist, Suzan Oliver, designed the label which depicts freshness, simplicity, and taste. It is still made by hand, just like the first time, using only the finest and freshest ingredients. Just one taste and you will experience the difference. Excellent for salads and any type of grilling, whether it is meat, fish or chicken.

Try the recipe, which appears on the bottle, for the Peasant Greek Salad, dip the bread in the salad juices and enjoy a meal on its own that has been enjoyed for centuries in Greece, and is beautiful in its simplicity and wholesomeness! available at Nabeel's® Market and also at Western Supermarkets, Piggly Wiggly, and V.Richards Markets.

Click here to order now!

Visit the recipes section of our website for ideas!

If you'd prefer that we do the cooking, take a look at our menu.

Most of our recipes are recipes that we use at home, either from my family (Krontiras), or my wife's family (Mastropasqua) This one is from my wife's family, my mother-in-law's.

Ingredients: