The Life of Loi: Mediterranean Secrets

>> 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: Did you know Greeks consume almost 25 liters of olive oil per year?

That's the highest consumption in the world.

Compared to Americans, who consume one liter per person per year.

Hey, America, this is not enough.

I am going to change that today.

Come, it's easy being Greek.

Inspired by my trip to a family olive business, I thought to myself, "I must bring these varieties back to New York and showcase their beauty."

After visiting the olive groves in Crete, I realized how important it is to understand olive oil like I do.

>> We're going to take you through a very simple tasting today.

>> LOI: I invite my friend David Neuman to show us so we can feel like experts, too.

>> It stays in your mouth but it doesn't attack you in the back of the throat.

>> LOI: Give it a try, won't you?

>> Beautiful oil.

>> LOI: There is a reason Greece is the land of liquid gold.

Let me show you-- pme.

Sprti-- Sparta.

Here we are.

We are in the new city.

They have good food here.

They make fresh pasta, they make beer, olive oil, honey, and they have excellent olives.

I'm going to visit my friend Katerina to show me how she preserves those olives.

Katerina, you have built a kingdom here.

>> Our family is from here.

>> LOI: Mm-hmm.

>> So my father and my mother were born in Sprti.

I have my grandparents here.

We spent summers here.

These are the olives and the olive oil we used to bring back in our suitcase.

(Loi laughs) It's on our table.

We've ruined many clothes on the trips back from our field, and we decided to come back to be able to share it with more people, not just what fits in our suitcase.

(laughs) >> LOI: So, Katerina, take me around your production.

What is it in there?

>> So this is an all-inclusive facility where we handle the Kalamon olives that we call table olives that you see in the jar, that you eat.

Right before the olives move and are approved for packaging, they go through a conveyor belt where our team-- knowledgeable, experienced people-- check them by eye and hand to make sure that they meet all proper standards.

The human eye and the human hand cannot be made into a machine.

>> LOI: We always speak about olives.

They said that olives, it has to be part of your diet, like the way that you eat.

It's nutrition-- do you know about that?

>> I know a little bit about that.

Our region is famous for the Kalamon olive, also known as Kalamata olive.

It is characterized as one of the highest in polyphenols and health, nutritious value, out of all the varieties that they've tested.

So there's been studies done in the U.S., in Spain, in Italy, Germany, all over the world.

And the variety of Kalamon olives, it has all the antioxidants, it has all that nutritious value, and should be suggested daily consumption.

It's something that you should be eating every day, like you said.

>> LOI: It's the new snack.

>> It's something that you should be giving to children, to adults, to everybody.

It's clean, it's natural, and it's healthy.

>> LOI: You're not doing olives only here.

You're doing olive oil, as well.

>> Yes.

Over here, you're going to see, these are stainless steel vats.

They are nitrogen-sealed, preserving aromas, preserving all the nutritious value of the oil, and they're temperature- controlled to make sure that the oil does not oxidize.

Sun, air, and heat are the enemy of good-quality olive oil, so we handle that by having those under control.

And as you can see over here, they're all closed-loop, and they go out to bottling.

So from the pressing facility, we press them within 24 hours using centrifuge, cold extraction, preserving all the richness of the olive oil, that natural goodness that we know, that our grandmother and great-grandmother have shared with us.

So we're able to share that, and that's, I guess, an act of love.

>> LOI: And you know what we say.

"Everything in moderation, except love, olive oil, and good deeds."

And you have everything-- you've done everything.

I'm proud of you.

>> Thank you, Chef.

>> LOI: We have many varieties of olives, but the most known are Kalamata, Agriniou, Volou, Amfissa, Sparta!

The Kalamata and the Spartans one... (chuckles): They're always fighting.

"Who has the best olives?"

For me, as long as they're Greek olives, they're the best.

Let's make something with olives.

And I'm going to show you how to make the best recipe that you can use, and it's so easy.

These are Kalamata.

Agriniou.

Volou.

Thank you.

This is from Amfissa.

Now we're going to Sparta!

They're really good.

And you know what?

You see dark olives, green olives-- it's the time of harvesting.

In the beginning, they're green olives.

After that, they change the color.

Also, the florini pepper, they're so tasty.

You can add jalapeos in here.

Here, I have the olive from Thasos island.

They're so sweet and so tasty.

And this one is the tapenade.

It has olive oil in here and it has also vinegar.

I will add just... Just one-- we don't need a lot of that.

Whatever you want, you add in here.

I have parsley.

We cut the parsley.

It's like you cut the hair.

(chuckles): With a scissor.

(inhales deeply): Smells so good, wow.

That's it.

And Felipe made for me eggplant.

He grill it a bit, and then he put it in the oven, just for 20 minutes.

Make sure that you have some of the skin that is burned.

That will give you this nutty umami taste.

And I will mix them.

Look how good these colors!

Liquid gold!

The olive oil comes from olives, that's why it's all about olives.

And we don't add salt.

Because olives are salty.

Because we preserve the olives in brine.

But add pepper.

We mix it again, and I will show you how to serve this amazing spread, sauce.

You call it any way you like it.

We call it elies spastes.

What a beautiful tray is this one.

You like it?

We have the pita bread, we have the dakos bread, comes from Crete, but you can serve it at any bread you like.

Felipe, what did we make before?

Please...

Please give me the plates here.

>> All right.

We have pasta.

>> LOI: This is pasta, like, this kind of angel hair, or you call it fedelini, whatever you want to call it, or any pasta you like.

Felipe, what else?

Oh, chicken.

You can put it on the top.

And you can add it here.

Next, next, next-- pme.

See how many?

Fasolada, it's a bean soup.

And then, meat and chickpeas will go together.

Our elies spastes in here, and we can make a different dip.

I love this.

It's, it's a new recipe we just created.

It's a Loi recipe.

But you guys make it in your home.

I give it to you.

Enough talking, I want to taste it.

I'm going to try it, I can.

Cheers.

Wow, it's amazing.

I have to taste everything.

But don't wait for me, just go to Greece.

I'm with my friend Niko.

He's a farmer here, and I love him.

(speaking Greek): >> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Mm-hmm.

>> (speaking Greek): LOI: That's how I remember myself, as well, going to the small farm and working with my parents.

And I loved it.

(speaking Greek): >> KOUKOUVITAKIS and LOI (speaking Greek): >> KOUKOUVITAKIS: >> LOI: That's beautiful.

His daughter works with him here in the fields.

>> LOI and KOUKOUVITAKIS: (both laughing) >> LOI: Of course, her name is Maria.

(speaking Greek): >> KOUKOUVITAKIS: (Loi laughing) >> LOI: You know how they are here.

They just get that compliment in there in a minute.

Well, okay, I'll take it.

(speaking Greek): I will meet with Kostas here, in the field.

>> (speaking Greek): >> KOUKOUVITAKIS and BOUYOURIS: >> LOI: It's so beautiful here.

>> I hope you realize you find yourself in a forest, even if it is an olive forest.

Is Nikos telling you about what he's, does with olives?

>> LOI: Actually, what he told me, that he was five years old when he started with his father, but now he's getting knowledge from every one of you.

And I'm jealous, actually.

>> What for?

>> LOI: I didn't have that.

>> Because like all the farmers in the world, they are working in nature.

Not only on nature, but also in the soil.

So what we are doing with Nikos... >> LOI: Uh-huh.

>> ...and his fellow farmers is to make them realize what are the rules of nature and how can they work with them.

>> LOI: Well, yes.

Rules of nature.

(speaking Greek): >> So first of all, they need to grasp the fact that nature is the most powerful, most effective, and most productive engine on this planet.

It is in the nature of nature to be productive.

So we, performing our activities in nature, we have to work with its rules so we can use this productivity, we can milk it.

Nature is not our enemy.

This is what Nikos is learning now.

>> LOI: It's fascinating.

>> Yeah, but there are some rules in that.

So you see, if you watch around you in nature, rule number one, the soil is never bare.

Nature is never having bare soils.

And what do we do with agriculture?

We take the machineries and we destroy all the vegetation on the soil, so this is against the rules.

>> LOI: And here, the vegetation in Crete is big.

>> Nature is having bare soils only in desert.

We do not want to produce desertification, we want to produce food.

Rule number two is, everything starts and ends with the soil.

If we have a healthy soil and the plant can breed its connection with it, then we'll not have so many problems with pests and diseases.

Of course, there are ways of dealing with the pests and diseases.

However, our major priority is soil health.

And this gets, leads us into working with organic food, sustainable food.

>> LOI: I like that.

To go back to our grandfathers.

>> Yes, with using all the modern technology.

So Maria, we have to realize, no farmer, no food.

Whatever we do as consumers, as companies, we have to assist the farmers staying on the land, having their children there, and being happy for that.

>> LOI: No farmer, no food.

>> No food.

>> ALL: No farmer, no food.

(laughing) >> LOI: That's great.

>> LOI: People say that I am the guru of olive oil.

Well, yes...

I have found my match.

David Neuman.

He wrote books, he does olive oil tasting.

I want to ask you, how these people over there, and everywhere in the world that they will see us, how they have to choose the best olive oil.

>> So Maria, my goal is to really help the American consumer understand this complicated food that you grew up with, that you've known since birth, but is not indigenous to how we were raised.

And so, the easiest way to do that is to trust your nose and your mouth and let them be the arbiters of quality in your life.

>> LOI: So you never had any idea when you were a kid, you know, how the olive trees are, or...?

>> I wrote in my book, "I don't think I put olive oil in my mouth until I was 30."

>> LOI: So, you see?

You can do it, too.

You can learn about olive oil.

>> We're going to take you through a very simple tasting today.

>> LOI: Mm-hmm.

>> That I encourage every consumer to do to a lesser or greater degree based on their available tools at home.

And make sure that the extra virgin olive oil that you put on your food is actually going to be something that you enjoy.

Otherwise, you've wasted your money on something that may have been called extra virgin olive oil on the label, but it actually isn't.

>> LOI: I will tell you, and I will tell you, what my grandfather taught me, how to choose the best olive oil.

It's so simple.

Here.

Put this there.

Okay, that's enough.

Enough.

You don't have to swallow, you don't have anything that you do, just go like this and you heat it up.

>> Warm it up.

>> LOI: Yep.

And then what you do, you go like this.

(both inhale deeply) You see?

You have this... >> Yes.

>> LOI: Scent over there, right?

>> Yes, the perfume is beautiful.

This is extra virgin olive oil.

>> LOI: Excellent.

>> The skin is our largest organ in our body, so the olive oil is being absorbed into our skin, which is a healthful practice.

I learned that in Greece.

So I want to take you through a quick tasting... >> LOI: Yes, let's go.

>> ...if I can, Maria.

So the first thing we're going to do, if you notice that we've covered the glass, so the aroma is not escaping, and we've poured an oil in.

We are going to start with an intense oil.

Olive oil varies in three intensities, intense, medium, and mild.

>> LOI: Yes.

>> And a different oil for a different use.

Just like red wine with meat, white wine with fish, an intense oil should be used with a savory dish that requires a little bit more strength of flavor and bitterness.

I will remove the glass lid... >> LOI: Okay.

>> ...and cover the opening with my hand and place the glass in my palm.

And what I'm trying to do is warm the oil up, because our bodies are at 98 degrees and the room temperature in your kitchen is about 75.

The warmer the oil is, the more aromas that'll be expressed for us to determine with our nose.

>> LOI: So my grandpa knew what he was telling me, to heat up the olive oil in my palm.

>> Absolutely.

Heat it up and use our nose.

>> LOI: Yeah.

>> Because our nose is far more perceptive than our mouth.

We bring the glass toward our nose.

(both inhale) And this is a trick that I learned in school, if you can smell the olive oil from your chin... >> LOI: Mm-hmm.

>> ...it's intense.

>> LOI: It is.

>> Which I smell.

If you had to bring it up to your nose... >> LOI: Yeah.

>> ...it would be a medium.

And then if you have to go all the way in... (both inhale) ...it would be a mild.

>> LOI: Okay.

>> We're going to taste a little bit in our mouth.

>> LOI: Oh... >> And when we taste the oil... >> LOI: Okay.

>> ...we are not going to drink it like a beverage.

We're going to enjoy the flavors that we just smelled.

And our mouth is going to now pick up some bitterness, as well as fruitiness.

It's still in my mouth.

I have not swallowed it.

(tongue squeaks) I'm allowing my tongue to pick up all of the beautiful fruitiness and bitterness.

(tongue squeaks) >> LOI: Mm-hmm.

>> And as we swallow, you're going to start to feel that pungency in the back of your throat.

It's a wonderful pungency.

(Loi coughs) Those are the healthy antioxidants, particularly in intense olive oil.

>> LOI: Polyphenols.

>> The polyphenols.

>> LOI: And the oleocanthal.

>> And the oleocanthal, and that is the benefit of real extra virgin olive oil that our customers always want to know about.

So to clear our palates... >> LOI: Mm-hmm.

>> ...we're going to have a bit of an apple... And the green apple will remove the flavor and the bitterness and clear our palate with a little sip of water.

>> LOI: Mm-hmm.

>> And my palate is clear, I have no waxiness, no oiliness.

I've had the beautiful flavor, and now I'm ready for the next oil.

>> LOI: Excellent.

Okay.

>> Okay.

>> LOI: I know what the Greek olive oil is.

Medium.

>> I'm ready to try it.

I'm looking forward to it.

>> LOI: How about you?

>> Yes, please.

>> LOI: Right in here?

>> Yes.

So we'll do the same thing, Maria.

>> LOI: Yeah.

>> And we're going to warm it up, because it, the oil needs its moment to express its aromas, just like we did before.

What's nice is, this won't be as strong or as bitter.

And that, again, that intense oil is really a polarizing oil.

Some people love it, some people find it a little too strong.

>> LOI: Yes.

>> The medium is the most popular of the intensities.

I do smell it from beneath my nose.

It's a beautiful medium fruitiness.

(inhales deeply) No defects.

This is extra virgin, and we'll taste it.

>> LOI: Okay.

(tongue squeaks) >> The oil is beautiful in my mouth.

(tongue squeaks) It's not thick.

It's got a beautiful green fruitiness, grassy.

(tongue squeaks) It stays in your mouth, but it doesn't attack you in the back of the throat, so I do have the feeling of some pungency, which are the good polyphenols... >> LOI: Mm-hmm.

>> But it's very usable and very easy to use amongst a wide range of food applications.

Beautiful oil.

>> LOI: Thank you.

>> So lastly, I want us to try... >> LOI: Mm-hmm.

>> ...a mild, but before we do, let's just grab a quick bite of apple.

>> LOI: Okay.

>> And I'll toast with you.

>> Cheers.

>> LOI: Yassou.

>> Yassou.

And again, this will clear our palate and allow our mouths to be ready for another oil.

(sips loudly) And this is a mild fruitiness.

So this oil is particularly nice for dishes that don't require a lot of flavor.

So if you notice on this one, I have to go all the way in... >> LOI: Oh, yeah.

>> ...to the glass.

>> LOI: Yeah.

>> All the way in.

And I do have a mild fruitiness, very subtle.

Delightful, but not nearly as interesting as possibly the medium, for me.

>> LOI: But it's good, I like that, too.

>> It's good, but... >> LOI: Yeah.

>> In the olive oil world, we call this sweet.

>> LOI: Sweet, okay.

>> It's not sweet like sugar, it's just sweet as in a mild.

So I'll taste it.

>> LOI: Okay.

(tongue squeaks) >> If you notice, very little bitterness in the mouth.

(tongue squeaks) Very little pungency.

So it's usable, but it doesn't have the health benefits because it doesn't have that same aggressive greenness.

>> LOI: The polyphenols.

>> The polyphenols.

So it's quite usable as an extra virgin, but not nearly as healthy.

>> LOI: No, I like to have the polyphenols, so I like the medium and up.

>> Absolutely.

>> LOI: So what do we have?

We have another one?

>> So the last one that I wanted to bring for you is a typical supermarket "olive oil."

And the reason I bring it today is because this is what customers will find on shelves today.

The question is, how does a customer avoid buying this product?

>> LOI: How?

>> Okay, well, you can never tell by the label.

>> LOI: Yeah, of course.

>> Because unfortunately, people are driven by the money, and so they're going to charge up even if the product doesn't quite meet the expectation.

But I'm going to show you a very quick tip today.

>> LOI: Okay.

>> We are going to do the same thing with this bottle, this oil, as we just did in the previous ones, we're going to warm it up and give this its due, and we're going to let the aromas tell us.

Now, if it has a defect, it will not smell green-grassy, it will not be fruity, it will not have a pleasant, herbaceous aroma.

It could have smells like waxy, paint, nail polish, salami.

And you will know that this is unpleasant if it is, has a defect.

So now bring it to your nose.

>> LOI: No!

>> And you tell me what you think.

>> LOI: I don't want to bring it to my nose.

>> You don't want to eat this oil?

>> LOI: No.

>> So I actually recommend not putting this in our mouth because it's so bad it could corrupt our palate.

Our nose is telling us as a warning, "This is not good."

And yet, most Americans buy this oil every day and use it in their food.

>> LOI: Please, don't do that.

It's worth it to invest, to buy three, four bottles different and check it out.

And follow what David said, and you will have in your house the best olive oil for you, for your health.

>> And if you don't have these fancy glasses, that's okay.

We have brought today a wine glass that you have at home.

We've poured this beautiful Greek olive oil in here.

And again, you can warm it up with your hands and cover it so the aromas are trapped, and do the same thing.

(inhales) And smell.

>> LOI: Yep.

>> Without having to have these fancy glasses that we use in our school.

So you can do this at home, you should do it at home.

And make sure you only ever use real extra virgin olive oil for your daily life.

>> LOI: We have the shot glasses.

You know.

(laughs) >> You cannot end an olive oil tasting without taking a shot of excellent extra virgin olive oil to close your day.

>> LOI: Sost.

It means... (laughs) "That's right."

So, David, until we'll meet again next.

Okay?

>> To good friends and to extra virgin olive oil.

>> LOI: And to you people.

Yassou.

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

Additional funding is provided by the Greek National Tourism Organisation.