The Life of Loi: Mediterranean Secrets

- The Life of Loi is made possible by the Behrakis Family.

Experience Abu Dhabi.

And by the Greek National Tourism Organization.

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.

The Mediterranean diet is considered 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.

Each season, I take the cornerstones of the Mediterranean diet and travel the world, learning about different cultures, gathering inspiration, exchanging ideas... - Oh!

LOI: And then, going back home to share with you.

LOI: On this week's episode, we begin our journey at N.Y.U.

Abu Dhabi, where I meet up with Tala Hammash.

We'll be tasting and talking about some wonderful appetizers.

They are made with liquid gold that I can't live without: extra virgin olive oil.

We then head to the Emirates Palace, where chef Jack Jarrott shows us how he uses gold in his signature lamb dish.

And finally, we travel back to Greece, where Dr. Orlando Gonzalez joins me as we serve up tasty, healthy, easy dishes, inspired by my travels and my liquid gold, olive oil.

It's all happening now on The Life of Loi.

Pme.

I have my new friend here, Tala.

And guess what?

She loves olive oil like I do.

Come over here, Tala.

- Hello.

Hi.

LOI: How's everything?

- Very good.

How are you?

LOI: I see.

Today, you look great, first of all.

- Thank you.

Thank you.

It's the color of olive oil.

LOI: So, what do we have here?

- We obviously have olive oil that is fresh from our family farms.

It is...

Sorry.

LOI: Wait, wait, wait, wait.

Do you have olive oil here?

In Abu Dhabi?

- So, it's actually not from Abu Dhabi.

LOI: Oh.

- All of this olive oil comes from Palestine, everything gets hand-harvested, so every olive gets picked by hand.

Everything gets pressed within hours, and then it gets shipped here.

LOI: And you have olives here, right?

- Yes.

(Loi gasps, chuckles) - My, yeah... LOI: Okay.

- Do you want help?

I'll try my best to... LOI: Yes, please.

- I'm not actually very good at this... (lid snaps) ...but okay, there we go.

LOI: Oh, good.

That's it.

- Okay.

LOI: Thank you.

- And you'll find some olive oil at the top to make sure... LOI: Mmm.

- ...it stays fresh.

So, these you don't need to refrigerate.

LOI: Yeah.

- And they can last you a very long time.

If you notice, each olive... LOI: Mm-hmm.

- ...is not pounded.

Each olive is actually slit by hand with a knife.

And that's the technique that our family uses.

And what this does is, it actually helps the olives retain the oils, retain the texture.

It helps the olives really stay okay for a very long time.

So, everything here is actually kind of still aligned with the way people live, because back in the day, there were no fridges.

And the same techniques have stayed with us, in the family.

LOI: What is this here?

- This is a very, very special ingredient.

It's called za'atar.

And za'atar in Arabic refers to the plant.

It's a variation of wild thyme.

LOI: Mm-hmm.

- And what it is is, it's the plant of the za'atar... LOI: Yeah.

- ...that gets foraged.

It grows very abundantly, especially in places like Jenin, where it's very fertile, it gets a lot of rain.

LOI: Mm-hmm.

- And then it's washed, it's dried in the sun, and then it's pounded and crushed.

And then we add summaq.

So, this is the summaq berry.

Uh, it's not a spice.

Some people call it a spice.

LOI (whispering): No!

- It's not a spice.

LOI: It's a seed.

- Absolutely.

It's like a berry.

LOI: Yeah.

- It has to, it has to maintain its moisture.

Uh, if you ever see, you know this, but anyone, like, whoever sees summaq that looks like a powder, run.

Never buy summaq that looks like a powder.

LOI: And here we have labneh, right?

So, what's the trick, if it's good?

- The test?

LOI: Yeah, the test.

- You taste it?

(both chuckle) LOI: Knife.

- Okay.

LOI: And you cut it, see?

- Ah.

LOI: See?

When you can cut it, that means it's good.

- I didn't know you were going to do this test for me, but I'm so happy I passed it.

LOI: Mmm.

- (chuckles) LOI: Oh, God.

And it's tangy.

- Yes.

LOI: Mmm.

- Yes.

We like sour labneh.

Mm-hmm.

The more sour, the better.

LOI: So, can I have a bit of bread?

- Absolutely.

LOI: I want to try now.

- Let's so, let's dig right in.

LOI: Yeah.

- So, I'm going to cut it like right from the... LOI: Come on.

Cut this piece that I like.

- You can like this one?

LOI: Yeah.

- So, this is all yours.

LOI: Yeah.

Here you go.

I'm going to use my hands, because we use our hands.

(Loi chuckles) - All right.

LOI: Here, girl.

Here.

Just like that, okay.

- Exactly.

LOI: That's it.

- Absolutely.

LOI: That's how you have to cut it.

- Yes.

LOI: Okay.

- That's the way it's done.

LOI: So, doesn't matter if it's not Greek.

Just have olive oil.

Mmm.

- Very simple.

Very simple.

LOI: You know what?

It's amazing.

Hey!

Come over here, guys.

- (laughs) LOI: They have to eat.

- Yes, they do have to eat.

Hey, guys.

- Hello.

- Hello.

Hi.

- How's it going?

LOI: Oh!

(all chuckle) They are so cute.

- Would you guys like to try some stuff?

- Sure.

LOI: Okay.

- Okay, amazing, so... LOI: So what do you think that you want to taste?

- The olives.

- Absolutely, go for it.

LOI: Okay, here.

- So you can use this.

LOI: You can use these... - This is our special fork.

LOI: You can use your hands, too.

- So, have some olives.

LOI: How do you call the olive oil?

- Zayt zaytun.

LOI: No-- you call it liquid gold.

- Liquid gold.

- I want to try that.

- You want to try the bread?

LOI: Bread?

- Yeah, go for it.

LOI: Go ahead.

LOI (chuckles): Yeah.

- (chuckles): Okay.

LOI: That's nice.

Yeah.

- Yeah, you can, you can do here.

LOI: Yeah-- I am so happy today here.

Tala Hammas knew everything about olive oil.

And we met some students while we were there at the university.

I was super-happy.

So today, I decided to make some bread that goes with olive oil, but I have included yogurt and dates.

I am here with Dr. Gonzalez.

Yassou.

- Thank you.

Yassou.

LOI: We are going to make bread.

Super-easy, super-simple, and you can bake it in 30 minutes.

- 30 minutes?

LOI: Only 30 minutes.

- That's quick LOI: Yeah.

- That's a quick bread.

LOI: Two kind of flour.

- Mm-hmm.

LOI: I call it dark... (both chuckle) LOI: ...and white.

- And white.

LOI: Here.

- So what kind of flour is this again?

LOI: Whole wheat.

- Whole wheat flour.

LOI: Yeah.

- Good.

(murmuring) LOI: And, uh, white.

- Okay.

LOI: All-purpose flour.

- Mm-hmm.

LOI: Yup.

- And the white just basically has been stripped of the fiber, but it's just like the wheat without the wheat, right?

The fiber.

LOI: And then Greek yogurt.

- Mm-hmm.

Yogurt is amazing, because it's, uh... Well, you know, I mean, the benefits of yogurt are probiotics, phenomenal for your gut health.

It's one of those... Kind of a miracle superfoods.

LOI: In the yogurt, you can add either baking powder or baking soda.

Just a small teaspoon.

And then some salt.

And I will add this here, in the flour.

- And this is the sea salt.

LOI: Yeah.

- Of course.

LOI: Always.

- Always.

LOI: One glass of water.

- Okay.

Into the yogurt.

LOI: Into the yogurt.

- Mm-hmm.

LOI: You make a mixture.

It's, like, milky, eh?

- Yeah.

LOI: And full of probiotics.

- That's the, the beautiful health benefit about yogurt.

LOI: Mm-hmm, yeah.

And then... - (whispers): Oh, olive oil.

LOI: Some olive oil!

That's it.

(chuckles) And now dates.

- I was wondering what they were doing there.

(Loi laughs) Dates, I love dates.

LOI: We, we cut them, see?

- Uh-huh.

LOI: Smaller pieces, and you put it in here.

- They are super-nutritious, too.

LOI: Mm-hmm.

- Uh, anti-cancer properties, they have sweetness, but it's natural sugar.

It's a great substitute for something that you want to add to get sweeter and actually get some nutrition out of them.

Very high in fiber, as well.

Good for high blood pressure, uh, good for cholesterol.

They're phenomenal for you, they really are, and they taste delicious, so... LOI: Let me mix it over here.

I love it, because you have, like you said, a bit of the sweetness.

- You're adding some good fiber, absolutely.

LOI: Okay.

Yeah?

If the dough is wet, we'll add some more, uh, flour.

- Okay.

LOI: That's all.

And you mix-- yeah.

- That's so easy.

LOI: And you know what?

This is very good when you cook with your kids.

They will love it, because it's one, two, three.

- And get them in the kitchen early so they can appreciate food.

LOI: Yes.

Yeah.

And now I'll do it.

- Use your hands.

LOI: Yes.

That's how I used to do when I was a kid.

I would do this.

You knead it this way.

And you don't need to leave it, because usually, we leave it for one or two hours.

- Mm-hmm.

LOI: No, directly.

That's it.

- There you go, that's it.

LOI: I need a bit of olive oil.

Okay.

You can add water instead of olive oil if you like.

- Yeah, but why would you do that?

Lose the nutritious aspect of the oil.

LOI: Yes.

- Of, yeah.

LOI: Exactly.

Why?

- Why?

LOI: See?

Now it's almost ready.

- I can't wait to taste this.

LOI: Yeah.

- I've never, I've had this bread.

LOI: That's it.

- Looks ready.

LOI: You could, you know, you can knead it more, but it's okay.

So you take it like this, make it in small pieces.

See?

- It looks fun, right?

LOI: Is it something that I cook that I don't have fun?

- I know there's not.

But this looks really fun.

LOI: It is.

Put it here.

- Mm-hmm.

What size do you make them?

Do you know?

LOI: Any size you want.

- Okay.

LOI: Like this.

- Oh, that's going to bake like a little pie kind of thing.

LOI: Yeah.

- Yeah.

LOI: And let me cut it now a bit on the top.

- Mm-hmm.

LOI: And it'll be perfect to go... - Making a little symbol.

LOI: Yeah.

My magical touch?

- A little olive oil?

Liquid gold.

LOI: Yeah.

That's what we're talking today, about liquid gold.

- It's beautiful.

LOI: Love.

Love.

- (laughs): Lots of love.

LOI: So let's take this nice (speaking Greek) to the oven.

This size, it needs ten to 15 minutes.

This one maybe 15 minutes, because it's not that thick, okay?

- Mm-hmm.

LOI: But if you have a loaf, you need 30 minutes.

The time has come.

(laughs) - Has it?

LOI: Yes!

- What time is that?

LOI: To eat.

- To eat.

That's right.

(laughs) My favorite time.

It looks amazing.

LOI: So we can cut it, you know, with a knife, but... - Oh, look at the dates.

LOI: ...you can cut it like this, right?

- Wow, yeah.

(Loi inhaling) Smell good, huh?

Mmm.

LOI: Half?

(laughs) - Yes.

LOI: I'll give you the bigger half.

- Okay, okay, thank you.

Okay!

LOI: It's so good.

Look at this.

- Look at that.

LOI: Yeah.

And it's so soft.

- Yes.

LOI: Let me add some olive oil.

- Oh, yes.

LOI: Just a touch for you.

And a touch for me.

Yassou.

- Yassou.

LOI: I am at the most iconic landmark, the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental Abu Dhabi.

We are going to show you a popular local dish, but made with a modern twist and a touch of gold.

This chef started his culinary journey in London, next to Gordon Ramsay.

He is a star in the Emirati cooking world, chef Jack Jarrott.

Australian one.

- I am.

LOI: And we meet in Abu Dhabi.

- I know, a long way from home.

LOI: Today we are going to do the lamb, right?

- Yes.

LOI: So let's start.

So... - So first we get this very hot and then I'm going to start my rice in here.

We, in the pan we just put a very small amount of olive oil.

LOI: I like you already.

- Yes.

(laughs) Now, I'm going to combine some Bomba rice-- I've pre-measured my rice.

LOI: Mm-hmm.

- I put a generous spoon of sofrito inside.

Not so generous spoon of harissa and tomato paste.

LOI: Why?

I love harissa.

- So do I, but not everyone loves harissa, so we try and cook for a mixture of palates here.

It comes together really nice.

LOI: Okay.

Okay.

- Now, most important step here is to amalgamate all the ingredients.

LOI: So what we're doing now?

- So our, our rice is looking beautifully and toasted.

LOI: Uh-huh.

Okay.

- So now we're going to put in our chicken stock.

LOI: All right.

Can you do with vegetable stock?

- Absolutely.

So now this rice, we need to bring it up to temperature.

It going to take about 15 to 20 minutes.

So to go with this dish... LOI: Mm-hmm.

- ...I have two, I call it textures of lamb.

So this is our lamb chop and then this is our lamb shoulder.

So what I've done is, I've cooked the shoulder overnight in, again, just a white chicken stock, and then I've pressed it.

LOI: Yeah.

- So we're literally just using a little bit of olive oil... LOI: Bravo.

- ...and salt.

(Loi chuckles) LOI: Olive oil and salt.

Great.

- We're not trying to mask any of the flavors of the lamb.

LOI: Okay.

- So what this olive oil is now doing... LOI: Yeah.

- ...is just locking that salt onto the lamb.

This is a lamb jus.

Inside is just date paste and the lamb jus, and it's coming to be really nice and sticky.

And what we're going to do is pour this on top.

LOI: So that lamb is already cooked?

- It's, it's 100% cooked.

(Loi chuckles) I'm going to turn this lamb now.

LOI: Good.

So next?

- These lamb chops are now ready.

LOI: Uh-huh.

- Now, one of the most key, key parts of the cooking here, uh, is allowing it to rest.

We're almost finished.

We can rest this now.

Just a very... LOI: Yeah.

- ...small touch of Maldon sea salt.

LOI: You can use different kind sea salts from Greece.

- Of course.

LOI: I will send you some.

- Please, I'm looking forward to it.

LOI: Yeah.

- This is just fresh-cracked black pepper.

This is a mixture of confit lemons, lemon juice, and just olive oil.

LOI: Olive oil makes life taste better and healthier.

- It's very delicate now, because it's nice and hot.

LOI (gasps): My God, I can't wait to taste it.

- I'm just going to plate this... (Loi breathes deeply) - ...in no particular fashion over the plate.

Now we put our lamb chops.

Again, in no particular fashion.

LOI: Yeah.

We are free people.

- Yes.

So now we have some beautiful, uh, golden raisins.

It's okay if a little bit of the juice gets on there.

We have some, uh, beautiful roasted cashews.

LOI: Okay.

- I'm just going to break these up with my hand... LOI: Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

- ...to make it look very organic, very natural.

So next, we're adding a little bit of confit garlic aioli, just a little bit here and there.

Now for some green, we have some fresh coriander leaves.

And then a classic pairing, just some fresh mint... LOI: Yeah.

- ...with lamb.

We're almost finished.

We're going to add a little bit of flair.

So I've got some gold leafs that's been pressed very thin, and we're going to give it a bit of flair on there.

Not too much.

LOI: Not too much.

- Okay, I think we're ready to taste it, so... Would you like to do the honors or would you like me to cut all... LOI: No, you can cut it.

- Absolutely.

LOI: And then we'll taste a small piece and I will take the whole thing.

- Excellent.

So the idea of the lamb is that we can... LOI: Oh.

- ...spread it out like that.

It's absolutely falling apart.

(Loi gasps) Mm.

Oh, very nice.

(chuckles) It's the olive oil, is helping it.

(laughs) LOI: No, it's you.

With the great ingredients.

It's the environment here.

- Hmm.

LOI: It's everything good in Abu Dhabi.

Thank you.

- Thank you.

LOI: Thank you very much.

Yassou.

After cooking with chef Jack Jarrott, it's something that we cannot match.

(chuckles) But I think we can match, because we are cooking under the Acropolis with my friend Dr. Gonzalez.

Thank you, Doctor.

- Thank you for inviting me.

LOI: Thank you for coming to Greece.

- I am so happy to be here.

Look at this beautiful... LOI: So beautiful, huh?

- Right under the Acropolis.

LOI: But next time, you come to Abu Dhabi with me, as well.

- I would love to do that, absolutely.

LOI: Okay.

Because they had over there olive oil.

And when I said that, "Can we cook with olive oil?"

He says, "Yes, of course.

And we're going to add gold."

As I said... (laughs): "That's good timing."

- (chuckles) LOI: Our gold, okay?

(laughs): Our olive oil is gold.

- (chuckles) You know Hippocrates, the father of medicine?

LOI: Yeah.

- You know what he said about olive oil?

LOI (laughs): Tell me, tell me.

- He said it was the great healer.

And Hippocrates is from Greece.

LOI: It's all Greek.

- It's all Greek.

LOI: I'm making here a recipe not similar to that, but very Greek.

The recipe, it's so easy.

What do we have here?

Lamb chops.

See?

Olive oil.

- That looks beautiful, yeah.

LOI: Yes.

And then, we'll put this, the special curry, on, okay.

- That's the curry, correct.

LOI: Oh, wow.

(sniffs) Just like this.

You don't need a lot.

- Right.

LOI: Right.

Then I'll put, instead of salt, so... - Some spices?

LOI: Yeah.

- Yeah, with your hand.

You know, lamb has nine essential amino acids.

And the most important one there is one called C.L.A., is conjugated linoleic acid.

And C.L.A.

is really good for actually losing weight.

Lamb is... LOI: What?

- ...the highest, uh, uh, red meat that contains, uh, C.L.A.

No other meat has that.

LOI: What else do we put?

Some lemon juice.

- Lemon, citrus.

LOI: Yeah.

- You know, vitamin C, anticarcinogenic, so anti-cancer.

It's really good.

LOI: That's it.

- It's delicious.

LOI: Yeah, it is, it...

They are going to be amazing.

- It smells so good.

LOI: You know?

They...

I'm telling you, this is how it could be.

So I'll give it and cook it.

Do you like potatoes?

- Love potatoes.

LOI: Same deal.

Olive oil.

Makes life taste better.

- Liquid gold.

LOI: Yeah, oh, yes.

- Yes.

LOI: That's it.

- Do you know who termed it liquid gold?

I do.

LOI: Who?

- Homer, another Greek.

That's wonderful.

LOI: Yeah.

- So it's the same thing we're doing with the, yup.

LOI: Yeah.

LOI: Or you can do just oregano.

- Mm-hmm.

LOI: So it can take a lot of flavor.

Oh, it's so nice.

- (whispers): God.

LOI: That's it.

- That looks delicious.

LOI: Yeah.

- Yeah.

LOI: Some oregano.

(both chuckle) - You need to cut it?

LOI: I got it from here!

- Oh, yeah, that's right.

LOI: Yeah.

- It grows everywhere.

LOI: Yeah.

From (speaking Greek).

And that's all.

- That's all?

LOI: Yeah, because this salt is already here.

Salt and pepper.

- Right.

LOI: Right?

The curry.

- Mm-hmm.

LOI: And you can use oregano, you know, the dry oregano, but, uh, you can use fresh oregano, as well.

I put it here because it gives a lot of aroma.

But make sure that you don't add a lot.

- Right.

LOI: So we need this to go again into the oven.

- Okay.

LOI: And then we'll take it and we'll eat it, right?

- And we'll eat it.

LOI: Voil!

(laughs) - (laughs): Voil!

Gorgeous.

I can't wait to taste it.

LOI: And it's... And they're very tasty, I'm telling you.

- Are they?

LOI: So let me put it here, nice, okay.

Then, what about the potatoes?

- That looks delicious.

LOI: Okay, it, delicious.

And you see how it is now?

The olive oil, and all the herbs, everything.

- (whispers): Yeah.

Kind of, almost marinated.

LOI: Yeah.

- And... Yeah.

(Loi chuckles) It's so tasty.

Such a simple recipe is what, this is the thing, you know?

You know, potatoes are really good for you, because they, they contain a little starch, but they actually are filling and they contain fiber.

LOI: How many things you learn today from Dr. Gonzalez?

- (chuckles) LOI: It's not only cooking, the show.

- That's right.

Food is medicine-- remember that.

LOI: These are, uh, spicy.

I'm going to put here some pieces, okay?

- Mm-hmm.

LOI: And then, that's how my, my father and my grandfather used to do.

Instead of bread, they were using some spicy pepper.

Is it good, a spicy pepper?

- Oh, it's delicious, number one.

LOI: Yeah.

- Number two, it contains, uh, a ingredient called capsaicin.

So what people don't know about chili is, capsaicin... LOI: Mm-hmm.

- ...is really good for you, because it decreases, it thins your blood.

So it decreases... LOI: Oh.

- ...heart attack risk, stroke risk.

It's really good for you.

LOI: Uh, you like lemon, huh?

- I love lemon.

LOI: Okay.

- Mmm.

LOI: I love lemon.

- I do, too.

Look at that.

LOI: Yes!

- Can't wait to try this.

LOI: Let's taste.

- All right.

Okay.

LOI: Go ahead.

- (laughs): Oh, go ahead.

I'm waiting for you here.

LOI: Mmm.

- Let's see.

Let's try this out.

Mmm.

It's so juicy.

LOI: Are you jealous?

- (chuckles) LOI: Come to Athens.

Come see the Acropolis.

So, Doctor... You have your shot today, right?

- I, uh, have.

LOI: One or two?

- It's going to be my second, but I can drive still.

LOI: I know.

(laughs) - (chuckles): Thank you.

LOI: Try this.

- Okay.

LOI: It's a fresh olive oil, you know, from Crete.

- From Crete?

LOI: Wow.

When I drink it... - Look at the color.

LOI: Yes.

And the taste.

And the vitamins!

- Vitamins.

LOI: Yeah.

- This is liquid gold.

LOI: Yassou.

- Yassou.

LOI: And yassou.

Remember, everything in moderation, except love, olive oil, and good deeds.

- The Life of Loi is made possible by the Behrakis Family.

Experience Abu Dhabi.

And by the Greek National Tourism Organization.