♪ ♪ >> MARIA LOI: I am Maria Loi, executive chef of Loi Estiatorio in Manhattan.

When I was growing up in Thermo, a small village in Greece, food was a way of life.

Good for your body, good for your soul.

The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest in the world, and I have seen how it can truly change people's lives like it changed mine.

And since then, my life has been all about the Mediterranean diet.

Today, we are going to share some of the delicious secrets that you can make part of your own lives at home.

So come with me right now on The Life of Loi.

>> Funding for this program is provided by the Behrakis family.

Additional funding is provided by the Greek National Tourism Organisation.

>> LOI: What could be better than dining like an ancient Greek god?

Nothing, am I right?

Follow along with me as I take you to the capital of Greece, Athens.

It's a taxídi, a journey, that will inspire you to make a tasty, healthy, easy feast.

Let me show you how to make the classic Greek pastry tiropita.

It's a tasty cheese pie wrapped in phyllo that I enjoyed at Taverna Zorbas in Plaka, the neighborhood of the ancient gods.

But here at my restaurant in New York, I will help you make it just a little bit easier.

I am sure you will love it.

I love the sardine dish that I made with Chrysoula, but instead of sardines, I will use a more accessible fish, branzino.

Well, lavráki, if you want to say it right.

Go ahead, give it a try.

>> So good.

>> LOI: Join me and eat like the ancient Greek gods.

What better place to start than in Athens?

Páme!

♪ ♪ I am walking down Lysiou Street.

I am looking for Zorbas Taverna.

It belongs to Chrysoula, a great cook and a good friend of mine.

She's waiting for me to show me how she makes her delicious little cheese pies.

♪ ♪ (speaking Greek) I am asking Chrysoula how she made the phyllo first.

We have to know!

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Ladi in Greece is olive oil, nothing else.

>> YPSILANTI: >> LOI: She adds the vinegar because it makes crispy the phyllo.

>> YPSILANTI: >> LOI: That's the problem with chefs in Greece.

You know, like, they tell you, "Just as, just as much"-- that's how they keep the secret recipes.

So, Chrysoula... (speaking Greek) >> Feta.

>> LOI: Feta has to be from Greece.

All right?

>> Anthotyro.

>> LOI: Anthotyro.

Because you cannot get it so easily, you can have ricotta cheese.

>> (speaking Greek) >> LOI: Greek olive oil.

>> (speaking Greek) >> LOI: Organic eggs, pepper, and that's it, right?

>> Yes.

>> LOI: Let's mix it now.

She crumbles the feta... >> Mm-hmm.

(speaking Greek): >> LOI: She breaks the egg, and she doesn't have to break it in another bowl because it's so fresh.

Ah!

It's going to be spicy, she puts a lot of pepper.

Olive oil, and you mix up everything.

Bravo, Chrysoula.

We don't add salt because the feta, it's a bit salty.

We are adding more feta.

It has to have a kick.

The rest, let me do it, okay?

>> Yeah.

>> LOI: Because I know.

We add water in our fingers.

(speaking Greek) In order to close the tiropitakia.

Okay?

>> YPSILANTI: >> LOI: After.

That's enough.

>> Mm-hmm.

We need a baking pan.

We are going to add olive oil.

We have to add egg.

But on the top!

In order to give fantastic color of the tiropitakia.

>> YPSILANTI: >> LOI: We're not going to use a brush.

I'm going to do that like my grandmother used to do, with your fingers.

Let me tell you something.

A small secret.

You leave the egg wash on the pie just for 30 second and it becomes like crust.

15 minutes in the oven.

We are waiting for friends.

We have to enjoy food with friends.

(speaking Greek): >> YPSILANTI: (all exclaiming) >> LOI: They smell so good, huh?

I love it.

(singing in Greek) (laughing) Come on, Felipe, give me some phyllo here.

Because we have to show them how to make tiropita.

Who doesn't like cheese?

Who doesn't like pies?

Who doesn't like cheese pies?

Let me show you.

What do we need now?

Eggs.

We have very good eggs.

You see the yolk, the egg yolk?

Has to be yellow-orange.

Felipe, come here for a minute.

Come here for a minute, please.

This is Felipe, people.

>> Hi, guys.

>> LOI: Okay?

He's been with me ten-and-a-half years.

>> Almost 11.

>> LOI: Oh, my God, almost 11-- okay, Felipe, you don't have to say everything.

He's my guy.

And also I'm so proud of Felipe.

He lost 45 pounds.

You see?

The Greek diet.

That's what it is.

Bravo, Felipe-- so let's go.

Break the egg yolks.

And then... What about yogurt?

I love yogurt.

Mix that, as well.

And then...

They call it ricotta.

Come on, people.

It's Anthotyro.

Anthotyro actually comes from Crete, this beautiful island.

Mix it again.

Here you need to mix it well.

That's it.

And then, pepper.

Fresh-ground pepper-- I add a lot.

But if it's for the kids, don't add that much.

I have the sea salt from Messolonghi.

I'm just going to put just a touch.

Messolonghi salt?

It's different.

Well, this is what the French, they call fleur de sel.

They come to Greece, they go to Messolonghi.

It's near my, my village, and they're so beautiful.

And now I give you my secret.

It's feta.

Feta comes only from Greece.

It has to be from sheep and goat milk.

You see that the cheese now, we have it in cubes?

I have the brine in here.

I put all the feta cheese with the brine.

What else?

My liquid gold, olive oil.

(chuckles): Is there a food, you know, that I have and I don't add olive oil?

No.

(chuckling) One, two, three.

That's tablespoons.

That's how my grandma used, you know, to count the tablespoons.

Olive oil doesn't blend very well immediately, because it's a good fat.

And I want you to use only olive oil.

Oregano, two words: óros and gános.

Óros is the mountain.

Gános is the shiny part of the mountain.

You see that?

Isn't it easy?

Nice!

And now we just need a pan, and some phyllo.

And of course, we need olive oil.

Olive oil makes life taste better and healthier.

And you go like this.

That's it, see?

(inhales) Oh, the aroma.

You see this phyllo?

It's phyllo dough.

It's a pastry.

And in Greece, we have a lot.

You take this and you put it here.

Just like that!

(exclaims) Another one, next to it.

And you see, even if you break it, you don't care.

Even if you go like that, you don't care.

Just like this.

I like phyllo.

We're almost ready.

So we mix this again... And we put it there, see?

You thought that I was going to make difficult things?

No.

You thought that I was going to make the same thing that Chrysoula did?

No.

Thank you, Felipe.

Efkharistó.

Efkharistó means thank you in Greek.

And then, of course, more olive oil.

(breathes deeply) I love the aroma from the cheeses, the yogurt, the olive oil, from oregano.

And you need something else.

Sousáme.

I love a lot of sousáme.

Yeah, on the top.

If you don't have sesame, you know, you can add whatever you like.

You can add bread crumbs.

Here, and that's it, okay.

Preheated oven, 375, 15 to 20 minutes.

And then... Felipe!

>> Yes, Chef.

>> LOI: Thank you.

>> You're welcome, Chef.

>> LOI: So Felipe made it for me, he left it out for half-hour, and I can taste it the way I love it.

>> Ready, Chef.

>> LOI: Okay, bravo, bravo.

It is okay?

Good.

>> Yes, Chef.

>> LOI: Let me cut it.

(hums, inhales) Smells so good.

Do we need anything else, Felipe, with it?

>> Yes, I have some arugula, Chef.

>> LOI (chuckles): He knows me very well.

Thank you, thank you, Felipe.

Yeah.

Next we add, like, some arugula here.

(laughs): You don't know me yet?

(laughs) And then...

It's for me.

It's creamy, it's bright, peppery-- come on, Felipe, you want some?

>> Yes, Chef.

>> LOI: Here, take this one.

>> Thank you.

>> LOI: Okay.

I'm going to Athens now.

If you want, you can come with me.

Páme!

♪ ♪ The port of Piraeus is the largest port in Greece and also one of the biggest in the Mediterranean and the rest of Europe.

The time is 3:30 in the morning.

It's not even dawn yet.

I brought my friend Christian here to show him this impressive Greek place.

(voices echoing) The entrance here is only allowed for professionals, but we got in with a very special permit.

And once we find the fresh fish we want, we will buy it for our table.

Here a buzzing crowd of people gather, negotiate, and finally, manage to provide huge quantities of all kinds of fish to restaurants, fishmongers, and street markets, not only in Greece, but all over the world.

(speaking Greek): >> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Oh!

It's like the stock exchange here.

It's like that, you go in, you give a lot of money to get the best fish.

(speaking Greek) You give and you take.

>> (talking in background) >> LOI: Fresh sardines!

Here, they're here.

>> Wonderful.

>> LOI: That's what I want.

I want to get some sardines, because I'm going to cook sardines today and everyone will love it.

Can we have some sardines?

Oh, this is the way to do it, right?

Oh, look at that.

(speaking Greek): >> Uh-huh.

>> LOI: Okay.

(Loi cheers) >> LOI: Sardines is the best fish for you to eat.

Omega-3, omega-6.

That's what we need.

Good, bravo, okay.

That's good I made one, right?

See?

Bravo.

(speaking Greek) How much?

>> Oh, it's a gift.

>> LOI: Oh, come on.

>> No, no, no.

>> LOI: You work hard here.

>> No, no, no, it's a gift.

You are welcome.

>> LOI: You see the Greeks, how they are?

That's what it means, Greek hospitality.

♪ ♪ We have here sardines, clean, without the bones.

First of all, we start with the onion, like my grandmother, but don't do this if you don't practice.

I will add the olive oil.

Will add the garlic.

I love garlic, is very good for you.

Lowers high blood pressure and it's very good for your cholesterol.

Greek olives, the best.

You have to eat five olives per day.

Look how I'm putting the olives.

Remember, we have cleaned the sardines and they are filet.

They have no bones.

Each sardine, we put it above the olive.

You can even eat it like this, because sardines are the Greek sushi.

I will add some pepper.

Just a touch of salt.

It needs a bit of acid in there, so that's why I use tomato.

Lemon, only on the sardines.

>> Maidano.

>> LOI: Maidano, okay.

Parsley.

Cover them.

We are going to enjoy with old friends and new friends here in Plaka area, in Taverna Zorbas, with Chrysoula.

Thank you, Chrysoula!

>> Thank you, Maria.

(Loi speaking Greek) >> YPSILANTI: >> LOI (speaking Greek): >> YPSILANTI: >> LOI: What my grandmother said, that sardines make you happy.

And I always said to her, "Ah, because they are not expensive fish, you know, like that."

And she said, "You know something?

The diet for poor people, it's the best diet."

>> (speaking Greek): (people talking in background) >> LOI: Gemistá!

I love gemistá.

(speaking Greek): All of you.

(speaking Greek) Thank you very much that you came here, and thank you out there.

Love you!

♪ ♪ Branzino, Mediterranean sea bass.

It's delicious.

All right, Christian, come on in, don't stay there!

>> Hi, Chef, hello, Chef.

How are you today?

>> LOI: Yassou, yassou.

>> Yassou.

Ti kaneis?

>> LOI: Oh, he speaks Greek now.

>> (chuckles) >> LOI: So, we'll show them how to make this branzino.

>> Okay.

>> LOI: You want to do a lemon?

>> Yeah, I'll do a lemon.

>> LOI: All right, juicy.

>> Juicy, you got it.

>> LOI: Here you are.

>> Thank you.

>> LOI: That's good, and then I'm going to do the onion.

Greek food without onion, I don't think it exists.

(chuckles) So it's so easy.

We have the branzino in the refrigerator.

I will tell Felipe the right time to take it out.

See the onion?

You know how to do that.

>> Not that way, that's amazing.

>> LOI: Well, practice, practice, practice.

Usually, we put the onion into the freezer.

That's a good way, when you cut the onion, you don't cry.

But it's okay, I'm used to it by now.

How, how's your lemon?

>> Juicy.

>> LOI: Go more.

>> Okay, I'll do some more.

>> LOI (laughs): 'Cause I have to do more of this!

Do you know how to do that?

>> Yeah.

(Loi exclaims) >> LOI: That's good.

>> How many do you want?

>> LOI: One, two, three, for each slice.

Then olive paste.

I have to do something with the paste because I love tomato paste, I love olive paste.

Everything paste-- it's Greek olive paste.

So we need also some crunchiness.

And that's why I add some spastes elies.

What is that, spastes?

>> Chopped olives.

>> LOI: Good, he's good.

I love this briny and saltiness that the olives have.

What else we have to put up?

>> Let's see.

You want some parsley?

>> LOI: Come on, Christian, I need more garlic.

Garlic is good for you.

>> Okay.

>> LOI: When you have high blood pressure.

Can I have two more, please?

>> Yeah, absolutely.

>> LOI: What do you think now we have to add more?

>> Let's see, parsley?

>> LOI: Yes, we can add parsley, and we can add a tomato.

>> And a tomato.

>> LOI: Yeah.

>> Which goes first, tomato or parsley?

>> LOI: Anything!

Remember about the parsley?

I'll do the tomato.

>> Okay.

I'll do the parsley, I think I just tear it, right?

>> LOI: Are you asking me after so many times?

>> I know, well, I've seen you do it two ways.

I've seen you cut it and I've seen you pluck it.

>> LOI: But I always cut it with a scissor.

>> Right.

>> LOI: I use scissors, okay?

To prevent bruising.

And we need all the goodness into our food, not to our cutting board.

>> What do I do with this?

>> LOI: You leave it over there, because we are going to have stock.

>> Oh, okay, great, we can use that for stock.

>> LOI: Vegetable stock.

Are you done with that?

>> Okay, I'm all done with that.

>> LOI: Good.

>> You tell me, is that enough?

>> LOI: It's enough now.

>> Okay, perfect.

>> LOI: When we will take the pan out from the oven, we can add more parsley or whatever we like.

We can add lemon.

We can, like, lemon zest, whatever you like.

But now I will add tomato.

Our tomatoes are very juicy, sweet, and delicious.

Here!

(chuckles) I forgot something.

>> What?

>> LOI: My grandma, she says in order to cut the tomato, you know, you have to cut the first piece on the top.

See, I went directly, so I can give you that.

>> Thank you.

>> LOI: All right?

Put it over there.

And then you go like this again.

>> That's how you do it.

>> LOI: Yes.

>> I think if I did it, I'd have to start much slower than you do it.

>> LOI: Okay.

>> You know?

>> LOI: You can do that.

>> Yeah, I'll try.

>> LOI: Isn't it an easy recipe?

Tell me.

>> It's, I love it.

>> LOI: Here you are, thank you.

>> Thank you.

>> LOI: Mm.

(inhales) Smells so good, this tomato.

We got all the ingredients in here.

What else do you think we will get?

>> I bet it would look beautiful with some olive oil on it.

>> LOI: My gold.

>> Like everything.

>> LOI: Liquid gold.

It is... >> Beautiful.

>> LOI: I will add some ground pepper here, because when we will add the fish on the top, it doesn't go directly down.

It stays only on the fish.

>> Got it.

>> LOI: I need also my oregano.

>> Good stuff.

>> LOI: Yeah.

Felipe.

>> Yes, Chef.

>> LOI: Could I please have the fish?

Felipe, he did filet the fish for us.

You don't have to do that.

You can go to your supermarket, to your fishmonger, anywhere, and you just tell him, "Could you please filet the fish for me?"

>> You know, don't we call this fish lavráki, too?

It's... >> LOI: The real name is lavrax, from the Ancient Greeks.

Then we named lavráki, and then the Italians, they said branzino.

Look how beautiful this filet.

It doesn't have to be, like, dark color, and to be shiny, actually, like this.

And... (inhales): Smell it.

If it smells fish, don't buy it.

I will put the fish on the top over here.

>> Okay.

>> LOI: Okay?

I'll do that.

And then... >> More olive oil.

>> LOI (laughs): Of course, more olive oil.

And then where's your lemon?

>> Right here.

>> LOI: Good.

Let me see.

>> Yes.

>> LOI: Oh, yeah.

He's done a good job, so okay.

>> (chuckles) >> LOI: That's it-- wow!

I will show you what my grandma had for the lemon juice, see?

And you keep whatever you don't want.

So you can put it there.

>> Thank you.

>> LOI: Thank you.

See how easy it is?

Now we have to give it to Felipe to put it in the oven.

>> Terrific, excellent.

>> LOI: Felipe, do you have another one ready for us?

>> Yes, Chef.

>> LOI: Okay, you can put it here.

Let me grab a plate.

You want to taste it?

>> Do I?

Can't wait.

>> LOI: It's really great, this fish.

Look at this, the tomatoes, they're just enough cooked, you know?

And the garlic smells so good.

It's a good mixture.

>> Yassou.

>> LOI: And now let's taste this fish.

Wow, right?

>> It's beautiful, mm-hmm.

>> LOI: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

>> Oh.

(Loi laughs) Olive oil.

>> LOI: It's never enough.

>> Beautiful.

>> LOI: You can eat it.

>> Cheers.

>> LOI: Yassou!

Yassou!

(chuckles) >> So good, takes me back to Greece, right back to Greece.

>> LOI: I should do something else, as well.

Get your glass.

>> Got it.

>> LOI: I'll get my glass.

Okay.

And... >> (murmurs) >> LOI: Make this dish.

You will love it.

It's tasty, healthy, and easy.

>> Bravo.

>> LOI: Thank you again.

>> Oh, my pleasure.

>> LOI: I love you.

>> S'agapo.

>> LOI: My heart melts.

>> Cheers.

>> LOI: Cheers, yassou!

♪ ♪ >> Funding for this program is provided by the Behrakis family.

Additional funding is provided by the Greek National Tourism Organisation.

♪ ♪