>> MARIA LOI: Yassou!
Corfu-- Kerkyra in Greek-- is a magical island.
I love it.
Kerkyra sits in the north of the Ionian Sea and is one of the largest and most popular Greek islands.
Much of it is untouched by time.
Spectacular sandy beaches, emerald blue seas, and of course, the incredible Mediterranean cuisine, made with the freshest local ingredients.
Let me show you.
It's all happening now on The Life of 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, the Greek National Tourism Organization, Enterprise Greece.
Additional funding is provided by: >> LOI: Today, I am taking you to Corfu, to a beautiful place with the freshest fish.
You know what?
Instead of me explaining this to you, come with me to the Emerald Beach in Benitsa, so you can see.
Pme!
(singing in Greek): (speaking Greek): >> (speaking Greek): (Loi and chef chortling) Peskandritsa.
>> LOI: Bravo.
(speaking Greek) >> (speaking Greek) (all speaking Greek) >> LOI: The best.
This is Tasos and Alexandros, my two chefs here in Corfu.
And Tasos I know forever.
We're very close friend.
(chuckles): And Alexandros, I met him here.
The chefs have cleaned the fish on the rocks using the water from the sea, right here on Emerald Beach.
>> (speaking Greek): (Loi speaking Greek) >> (speaking Greek): (Loi speaking Greek) >> (speaking Greek) (both speaking Greek) >> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Bravo.
>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: This is a dragon fish.
>> Dragon fish?
>> LOI: Hmm, yeah.
>> Alex will start the kakavia with olive oil and fish.
The first thing.
>> LOI: A lot of olive oil.
>> Of course.
Only olive oil.
(chuckles) >> LOI: Yeah-- okay.
(sizzling) >> We start with a spring onion.
>> LOI: Okay.
>> Carrots.
>> LOI (speaks Greek) Carrots is one of the best vegetables.
>> Of course-- I love it.
>> LOI: Full of vitamins.
>> Onion.
Chili.
>> LOI: Spicy!
>> Of course, spicy.
Everything is spicy in Corfu.
>> LOI: I agree.
>> (laughs) >> LOI: I love spicy.
>> Garlic and tomato.
>> LOI: We're adding some tomato sauce, and let it simmer for a few minutes.
(speaking Greek): >> Course.
>> LOI: I want to show you how to cut an onion by hand.
>> Okay.
>> LOI: Right?
See?
>> (murmuring) (both laugh) It's really very, it's not very easy.
>> LOI: It's not easy because he needs practice.
>> Can try?
Can I try?
>> LOI: Of course.
Careful.
No, no, no, no, you go like that, yeah.
>> Okay.
>> LOI: But be careful with the hands.
>> And now?
>> LOI: Yeah, like this.
>> Oh, it's so easy.
>> LOI: Okay, after ten months, you will be perfect.
>> (laughing) >> LOI: See, the ancient Greeks, they used to say... (speaking Greek) You know?
(speaking Greek): "Like children, they play."
>> Of course.
>> LOI: Okay.
Pme!
Pme!
Next.
>> (speaking Greek): >> Thank you, chef.
>> LOI: Nice.
>> And it's very good for grilling and for soup.
>> LOI (speaking Greek) I'm going back here.
Gavros.
>> (speaking Greek) >> LOI: They're little sardines.
>> I love gavros.
>> LOI: Me, too.
>> For me... (murmuring) >> LOI: Bravo.
>> Only peppers.
>> LOI: Pepper, yeah?
I'll do it.
>> Salt.
>> LOI: Okay.
>> Olive oil.
>> LOI (murmuring) I like this olive oil.
(laughs) >> It's from my village.
>> LOI: Every Greek thinks that the best olive oil comes from their own village.
This is fresh oregano.
But you should not add a lot, because it becomes bitter.
And now, it's ready to go and cook.
So easy.
Those anchovies?
Wow.
The only thing they needed, it was a little bit of vinegar.
My friend Vasilis, when he ate that monkfish, he said, "Why eat lobster when you can eat this?"
And I agree.
Shara loves the taste of lobster, so I am making monkfish with her lobster-style.
>> I'm so happy to be here to cook with you.
I've been waiting for this moment for a very, very long time.
>> LOI: I'm going to show you a recipe.
One, two, three.
(snapping fingers) >> Oh, that's what I want.
Something easy.
>> LOI (laughs): Super-easy.
We have the monkfish here.
You know, it's ugly, but it's super-tasty.
How to begin with that?
You add salt and pepper.
You want to do it in here.
>> Sure.
>> LOI: As much as you want.
(softly): Let's see how much she's going to add.
(chuckles) Okay.
>> Looks good?
I know, I love super-spicy, but I'll be conservative.
>> LOI: You don't have to be conservative.
Do exactly how you like it.
>> Okay.
>> LOI (laughs): You can add more if you want.
>> (laughs): Okay, a little bit more.
Okay, there.
>> LOI: Then I add olive oil.
>> Beautiful.
>> LOI: Yeah.
You see?
Always on ice, but no touching.
>> No touching.
>> LOI: Good.
We mix it.
Now we can cook it directly.
>> Okay.
>> LOI: Hot saucepan.
(sizzling) >> So you don't put any olive oil in the pan.
>> LOI: No.
>> You just put it on the pan.
>> LOI: But it has already here.
>> Right.
How high is heat, do you use?
>> LOI: High.
>> High.
On high, wow.
>> LOI: Yeah, because we need to sear the fish.
>> I'm afraid to use high heat, because I always burn things.
>> LOI: When you stop being afraid... >> Ah.
>> LOI: ...you will never burn things.
>> This is why I love cooking with you.
You make me brave.
>> LOI: You know why we destroy the fish?
Because we go like that... (sizzling) ...and then we break it.
>> Oh.
Right.
>> LOI: When it's searing, it will say, "Pick me up!
Pick me up!"
(laughs) (sizzling) A bit more-- now it's ready.
>> Oh, that looks great.
>> LOI: See?
Yep.
(sizzling) I will turn it.
Oh.
I'm telling you, it looks like lobster, it tastes like lobster, and it's inexpensive.
One, two minutes, and then it will be cooked, but we want it to be cooked through.
You know what you're going to add now?
Oregano.
>> Okay.
>> LOI: Yeah.
No, you don't go like this with oregano.
>> (chuckles) >> LOI: You go like this.
You take it-- that's why we keep it on this plate-- and you go like this, here.
>> Oh.
>> LOI: And this plant, the oregano plant, knows exactly how much it has to go in there.
You know, we call it the smart oregano.
>> Oregano intuition.
>> LOI (laughs) Look at this.
Do you like garlic?
>> I love garlic.
(Loi singing) >> Oh, this is going to be good.
>> LOI (sniffing) (exhales) See how it is now?
Lemon juice-- go ahead.
And that's enough.
Excellent.
Done.
I need a plate.
>> Sure.
>> LOI: Thank you.
>> You're welcome.
>> LOI: I like that color.
>> I love that color.
It reminds me of the sea.
>> LOI: The Greek sea, by the Emerald Beach.
I think I should put everything in here.
>> It's a nice contrast, too, the monkfish... >> LOI: This is lobster.
>> Ah, the poor man's lobster.
>> LOI: Good!
(both laugh) You learn.
(both laugh) Can you get some fresh herbs, please?
>> Yes.
(Loi sniffs deeply) And my favorite way to add herbs to any dish-- thanks to you, Maria, thank you... >> LOI: Scissors.
>> It's genius.
>> LOI: Great.
See?
>> I can't wait to taste it.
>> LOI: One moment.
Not too much, because it has a lot of lemon already.
>> Yeah.
Just a sprinkle.
>> LOI: Yep.
(sniffs deeply, exhales) And olive oil.
>> I cannot wait to try it.
>> LOI: Here you are.
>> Thank you.
>> LOI: Go ahead.
>> That tastes amazing.
(Loi chuckles) And it does, it tastes like lobster.
>> LOI: See?
>> Wow.
>> LOI: That was just the beginning of our feast on Emerald Beach.
Let's go back there.
Pme!
(waves lapping) My friends told me to visit the Patounis Soap Factory, a landmark location on Corfu.
The founder was Apostolos, who passed on the factory to his two sons, Spiros and Achilleus.
Spiros was the chemist, while Achilleus operated the business night and day.
Achilleus's son Alexandros helped continue the factory operations, and his granddaughter Xenia grew up there.
Spiros's son Apostolos studied abroad until the age of 30, then returned to the factory.
And today, he's going to show me how they make their olive oil soap.
(singing in Greek) It's the truth.
>> What we consider special about this operation and these products is the fact that we use natural oils that are friendly to the skin, and the final product contains no additives.
>> LOI: And I'm so glad that you speak English, so this way, everyone will know what you're doing here.
>> Well, we make soap.
(both laugh) But perhaps most important is the fact that we use our ancestral recipes unchanged.
That means we still make soap the way we made it in the old days.
>> LOI: Tell me about your family-- five generations?
>> It's five generations in soapmaking, yes.
Here, the soap has been cooking for a long time.
It's settled in this mold.
We have a piece of string, which has color on it, and the coloring we use is hibiscus tea.
And once we've drawn the grid, we're going to stamp between the lines, and we're going to cut on the lines.
>> LOI: It's fascinating.
>> This is the way soap was made in the old days.
>> LOI: And today, here.
>> And today, here, but only here nowadays.
So now, we're ready for stamping and for cutting.
Would you like to try?
>> LOI: Can I stamp one?
>> Yes.
Wow, I tell you, these, these bars of soap, I'm going to keep them.
They're precious.
>> LOI: Oh, okay.
>> Stamped by Maria, all right.
(Loi giggles) >> (laughs) >> LOI: Thank you.
>> Cutting is not an easy job.
>> LOI: It's like that you cut spanakopita.
Wow.
>> Now, this is not ready to use.
It'll go up on the drying racks, which is behind us, and it'll stay there for a minimum of four months.
And this soap, the way it is made, the older it gets, the better it is.
I have tried soap of my grandfather's.
(chuckles): It was 85 years old, and it was perfect.
>> LOI: But you have all those names over there, you know, on the wall.
>> Ah, I have a small surprise for you.
Is your village there, also.
>> LOI: Thermo?
>> Thermon, yes.
Which means that in earlier times, we were selling to Thermon.
>> LOI: Which years?
>> I don't know.
It was my grandfather's time.
It was from 1930s to 1950s, maybe?
>> LOI: If your grandfather was selling... >> To Thermon.
>> LOI: ...my village, Thermo... >> Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
>> LOI: ...you were selling to my father's place.
>> Your father had a shop there?
>> LOI (laughs): Yes.
>> Oh, bravo.
>> LOI: Oh, wow.
>> Wow.
It is a small world, huh?
>> LOI: Yassou.
Garides.
Shrimp.
>> Garides-- shrimps.
Recipe's saganaki.
>> LOI: Uh-huh.
>> Olive oil, of course.
>> LOI: Yeah.
>> Garlic, onion, tomato... >> LOI: Mm-hmm.
>> ...and feta.
And nothing else.
It's very simple.
>> LOI (speaking Greek): It's so simple, huh?
One, two, three.
(speaking Greek) >> I think that we need the ouzo now.
>> LOI: Ouzo?
>> Thank you.
>> LOI (singing in Greek): It's not from Tyrnavos, but it's okay.
Shrimp here?
They're drunk.
He put so much ouzo.
(laughs) Not too salty.
If we add a lot of salt, it's not good, because we're going to add the feta cheese.
And we say all the time, "Everything is betta with feta."
The law.
>> Of course.
>> LOI: It's ready, huh?
Some feta cheese.
I don't add a lot here, because Chef Tasos is going to add on the plate.
>> And greens.
>> LOI: Smoked wild greens.
I never made this before.
It's always something new.
And especially when you come to Corfu.
When we will serve it, we'll have a feast.
Feast that only here you can have it.
That's what they say.
The freshest fish is in Benitsa, one of the most beautiful places in the world.
So, come over here.
I want to take a picture with both of you.
ALL: Benitsa.
(shutter clicks) >> LOI: Come with us.
We're going to taste everything, what we have made.
Come on, la!
Pme!
>> LOI: Yamas!
>> (toasting) >> LOI (speaking Greek) (glasses clinking) Sant!
>> Sant.
>> LOI: Salud.
>> Salud.
(music begins) >> LOI: L'chaim.
>> L'chaim.
(clapping to rhythm) (music continues) >> (singing in Greek) (music continues) >> (speaking Greek) >> LOI: Oh, smells so good.
(music continues) We love him, right?
>> Yes.
>> LOI: All right, a round of applause!
(clapping) For Tasos and Alexandros!
And look at the presentation.
(people talking in background, glasses clinking) >> LOI: And cheers to you, too.
That feast we had was out of this world.
And that little boy, Alexandros?
So cute and so smart.
My friend Shara also has two amazing little kiddos.
And Shara herself is a super-talented kiddo, even though she is a great interior designer.
We are making garides Kerkyraikes, Corfiot shrimp.
So Shara, we are doing now garides.
You know, shrimp-- you eat shrimp, right?
>> Yes, I love shrimp.
>> LOI: Good.
>> Is it necessary to keep the shrimp on ice?
>> LOI: Yes, please-- all shellfish.
We don't want the shrimp to touch the ice.
>> Ah, okay.
>> LOI: Because as we say, in my country, "We are burning the fish," or the shrimp, or whatever it is it comes out from the sea.
I'll take one by one, and I'll put them in.
Hot saucepan.
(sizzling softly) How many we have there?
We have four or five, okay.
I want some with the shell, as well, because the shell gives all the flavor.
Felipe?
>> Yes, chef.
>> LOI: Can you take this please, the shrimp?
Thank you.
>> Do you have an easy way to clean the shrimp?
>> LOI: It's very easy way to clean the shrimp.
Take it, you break it.
>> Right.
>> LOI: Okay?
And then you get all the flesh out.
You see?
(sizzling) They turn pink, and I didn't fry them.
>> They're kissed by the pan.
>> LOI: You told me you like garlic, right?
>> I live for garlic.
>> LOI: So, I add some garlic.
Let me take it by hand.
Now, here... >> Put a lot-- put a lot.
(sizzling softly) >> LOI: And garlic is very good for you.
>> It's medicinal.
>> LOI: Yes.
>> It's like a natural antibiotic.
>> LOI: And now... >> The best part.
(Loi laughs) (hissing) Beautiful.
>> LOI: You see?
>> So, is this called deglazing the pan?
>> LOI: That's exactly what it is.
Shara, we need, like, one minute, okay?
Now we just add olive oil.
(sizzling softly) Let me add some fresh tomato.
(pan sizzling) >> This looks like a very easy dish.
I feel like my boys would love it.
>> LOI: Your boys love everything that I make.
>> (chuckling): They do.
>> LOI: I'm adding some, your favorite tomato paste.
We'll add some pepper and salt.
We'll add now some parsley.
And we never throw away this.
We make stock with that, remember?
>> Ah.
>> LOI: And then... >> I love this cutting herbs.
>> LOI: Yes.
>> It's life-changing.
(Loi laughs) >> LOI: We just have to add some feta and we're ready to eat.
Lower the heat.
I am going to add feta.
I'll take a fork, and then... See, I have the brine, as well?
>> Yes.
>> LOI: And I'll put this feta in here.
So the shrimp are here.
>> They look very happy.
>> LOI: And I am happy.
(laughs) Feta is melted.
>> Ooh.
>> LOI (sniffs): Wow.
Some more parsley.
I cannot live without it.
This is my signature.
And the lemon zest.
(sniffs deeply) Yeah, it's good.
(sniffs deeply): Wow.
(laughs) >> Delicious.
>> LOI: Now let's cheers.
Of course, always with olive oil.
>> I love it.
>> LOI: Yassou.
>> Yassou.
>> LOI: And yassou to you, too.
Remember, metron ariston.
Everything in moderation except love, olive oil, and good deeds.
Yassou.
>> Closed captioning provided by Genetic Networks.
Funding for this program is provided by the Behrakis Family, the Greek National Tourism Organization, Enterprise Greece.
Additional funding is provided by:
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