Grass-fed takes on a whole other dimension here in Epirus where sheep and goats graze in the lush green mountains. Diane follows feta cheese from its artisanal roots to modern state-of-the-art production and explores a range of other cheeses that are new to most Americans. Experience the wonderful world of Greek cheeses and learn how to use them to create an irresistibly cheesy menu.
Diane travels to Lesvos where the characteristic generosity of spirit almost won a few locals the Nobel Peace Prize. In Lesvos, the waters overflow with renowned sardines and shellfish, islanders count dozens of eggplant dishes as traditional fare, and ouzo, the drink of Greek hospitality, fills glasses everywhere. Discover the hospitality of the Aegean through its renowned food and drink.
Go on a picnic at a vineyard in Naoussa were one grape dominates the table: the local Xinomavro, one of Greece's noblest reds. On the wine trail, Diane discovers bread, cookies and chocolate truffles all spiked with this hard-to-pronounce but easy-to-love Greek varietal. Learn how to incorporate incomparable Greek wine into any menu, both as a drink and an ingredient.
Diane explores the meze tradition of small plates of vibrant food meant to be shared. She uncovers the vast variety and robust flavors of the meze table and invites a wine expert into the kitchen for advice on what to pair when the meal includes spice, yogurt, cheese, crunch, comfort, seafood, meat and more, all in one sitting. Discover the fun and festive meze tradition.
Emerald green Greek extra virgin olive oil is the star of this show. Diane takes us on a journey to the stunningly preserved town of Monemvasia. Explore the diversity and beauty of one of Greece's most delectable exports.
Diane explores the ancient grains that Greek cooks still love to use. Learn how to incorporate timeless ancient grains into every meal of the day.
Diane travels to her family's native island of Ikaria, where locals are 10 times more likely to live to one hundred than Americans. Diane's young 85-year-old neighbors share a lesson in making wild herb teas a beekeeper reveals the honey that is one of the secrets to Ikarians' renowned longevity. Enjoy the deliciously simple and wonderfully healthy cuisine of Ikaria.
Diane visits Laconia, where the famous Kalamata olive is cultivated, to follow the famous olive from harvest to table. After a chilly day of collecting, scoring, and processing the ripened fruits, Diane heads to the kitchen to whip up an olive feast. Find out how olives can transform any meal into a masterpiece.
Gorgeous cafes, bustling nightlife, yachting and water sports, just 20 minutes south of the Greek capital, Athens. Diane visits a fish market where the catch is right off the boat, sails the coast, and returns to her kitchen to create three delicious, contemporary Greek recipes, inspired by the cosmopolitan bustle and fun-loving spirit of the Athenian coast.
On Mykonos, Diane discovers the quiet life and food of its local farmers, in contrast to the reputation as a dazzling party island. She tastes onion pie, delicious cured pork, and one of the oldest cheeses in the world, kopanisti, still made on the island. In the kitchen, she makes a garlicky local pasta recipe, and a traditional Greek island fish soup.
Densely forested mountains, stone-cobbled villages, sheep, and greenery are the stuff of Epirus's mountainous terrain. Diane visits a traditional shepherding family and makes a feta cheese pie baked the way it's been done for centuries: over embers. At home, Diane makes two of her own pies: a Pleated, Buttery Feta Cheese Pie and a Chicken-Phyllo Pie, both inspired by this region.
With Athens as a backdrop, Diane explores the foods that so many of us have in common regardless of where we are from. Can soba noodles be grecophied? Can a classic spanakopita be a filling for an American baked potato? Diane answers these questions and ventures beyond tradition into the global world, embracing new ingredients, and christens new recipes.
Diane visits a daughter of a Holocaust survivor for a tour of Thessaloniki's Jewish past and cook up Sephardic recipes, including Huevos Haminados (slow boiled spiced eggs) and Merenza Assada (grilled eggplant with meatballs in tomato sauce). Diane learns about Keftikas de Nogada (meatballs in walnut sauce) and at home, makes Chicken with Prunes.
Ioannina is a crossroads of the meat-and-cheese-centric cooking of the Pindus mountains as well as the culinary gifts of a lake in the northwestern corner of Greece. Diane focuses on this quaint old city's culinary and cultural lore: from a unique local version of baklava to hearty Clay-Baked Lamb to a Feta-Cheese Skillet Pie to a rare Clay-Tile-Baked Eel.
Diane visits the home of 90-year-old Irini Pournara and her daughter Margarita, a journalist for the city's most respected daily paper. Eirini makes Athinaiki Mayioneza (poached fish and vegetables with homemade mayonnaise), and Diane cooks up A la Polita, a sophisticated artichoke dish, and a Meatloaf Wrapped in Grape Leaves.
No other city evokes the rich and complex history of Greek cuisine better than Thessaloniki, Greece's de facto culinary capital. Diane learns the secrets of bougatsa, an airy, creamy phyllo pastry, and boards a mussel boat just off the coast. In her kitchen she cooks up Feta-Stuffed Sweet Red Peppers and Mussel Pilaf.
Diane and chef Carolina Doriti explore the street food scene in Athens, tasting their way through vegan treats, savory hand-held pies, overflowing sandwiches and hand-made gelato. Inspired, Diane creates some homemade street food: a Gyro-Stuffed Baked Bread Loaf, a Warm Green Bean Salad with Chopped Onion and Hazelnuts, and a Healthy Smoothie Bowl with Greek Yogurt.
Diane explores the fast-growing vegan trends in Athens, honing in on the transformation of Greek classics like moussaka rendered vegan! She invites the country's best-known vegan chef into her kitchen. The results are delightful: Vegan Moussaka, Vegan Galaktoboureko, even a Vegan Yiouvarlakia, a Rice-Meatball Soup. Hint: mushrooms and avocados are involved.
Diane discovers the history of her historic neighborhood in the heart of central Athens with the city's most renowned urban chronicler, and cooks up a delicious Spiced Roasted Chicken with Toasted Orzo Pilaf, Kale Caesar with Greek yogurt and a Crispy Phyllo Ice Cream Sundae with Honey, Nuts and Halva.
Victory will be yours! Start the party with chicken legs smoke-roasted over maple wood, then glazed with a fiery fusion of maple syrup and sriracha. A quartet of grilled and smoked beans appears in a colorful side dish. Next up, a trio of internationally-inspired burgers: inside-out American-style burgers Greek-style spiced lamb burgers and kaffir lime-scented Thai veal burgers.