Greek food has come a long way since the days of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. The modern metropolis is flush with global influences and ingredients dancing alongside traditional Greek staples. Greek chef and television personality Diane Kochilas, an Athenian for over three decades, has written a new cookbook that dives deep into the savory twists and turns of cuisine in the Greek capital. In “Athens: Food, Stories, Love,” she offers a cipher to the changing Mediterranean mecca and also fresh takes on Greek classics. Join us for a conversation and live cooking demonstration with Kochilas moderated by WBUR senior correspondent and host Deborah Becker.
Copies of the cookbook will be available to purchase. Kochilas will sign and guests will enjoy a bite from the book following the conversation.
This event is co-produced by Boston University Metropolitan College Programs in Food & Wine.
Athens: Food, Stories, Love
Everyone’s favorite Greek chef, Diane Kochilas, is back with a cookbook dedicated to exploring the food of Athens. Kochilas has lived in Athens for 30 years and has witnessed the significant social and culinary changes around her. To navigate the city’s gastronomic scene today is to discover a city overflowing with new creative energy in its kitchens and a myriad of international ingredients in its markets. These new global influences on the Athenian table live side by side with Greece’s great gastronomic traditions. Souvlaki, hand pies, and the classic pasta casserole pastitsio are included here, along with Athenian “fancy” dishes like Noua, a classic Athenian pot roast, and Chicken Milanese, combining chicken, rice, and a velvety cream sauce. Giving readers a taste of the ways in which the culinary traditions of other countries are shaping the way Athens eats today, Diane offers a recipe for a French-influenced cross between a croissant and spanakopita, shares an Italian twist on a Greek classic with Shrimp Saganaki Risotto, updates a Greek bean dish with a Grec-Mex twist on gigantes, and much more. As with all of Diane’s other books, the recipes in Athens are home-cook friendly. So, bring a taste of today’s Athenian table to your home with “Athens: Food, Stories, Love.”
