summer 2019 real food 53magazine afterward, she always returned to
Greece. “I can’t get through the year if I don’t
spend the summer in Ikaria,” she says, only
partly joking.
The island is special, even among the
6,000 that Greece boasts, she says. “Culturally,
it’s very different. There’s no natural port, so
it was never a stopover on any trade routes,
and because the waters around it are very
rough, it was always a place of exile, the place
the politically unwanted were sent. As a
result, there’s an open-mindedness that’s
part of people’s DNA and a strong sense of
solidarity. It’s also not a particularly materi-
alistic place, so it’s a breath of fresh air.”
It also happens to be full of exceptionally
healthy people, something Kochilas noted
long before the New York Times Magazine
trumpeted Ikaria as part of the “Blue Zone,”
where life expectancy far exceeds the norm.
On Ikaria, one in three people live beyond
90, and few ever develop heart disease or
dementia. The old people may be wrinkled
and stooped with age, but they are still gath-
ering in cafes and climbing the stone stepsto church. “People are walking everywhere
and gardening—bending, stretching, killing
the lambs,” Kochilas says.
That’s the place where Kochilas’ approach
to food began to take shape. “It’s the
Mediterranean diet,” she explains. “Lots of
foraged foods—mushrooms, wild greens
and herbs—simply prepared. And seasonal
—the cuisine is based on really fresh food
in season.” While she eats meat, Kochilas
thralls to the diversity and resourcefulness
of Greek cooks when it comes to plant-
based cuisine. “Greece probably has more
vegetable main courses than any other cui-
sine in the Mediterranean,” she says. “There
are all sorts of beans and pulses, and all sorts
of greens and vegetables, that are steamed
or stewed with a lot of olive oil.”
Reading “My Greek Table,” it’s clear just
how resourceful and creative Greeks have
been over the centuries, taking humble ingre-
dients and preparing them in countless fla-
vorful ways, often influenced by the myriad
cultures that have left their impressions on
the land. There are the ravioli that nod to the
Venetians who once occupied parts of Greece
and that Kochilas moves into the modern era
by using wonton wrappers instead of hand-
rolled pasta. The five eggplant dishes come
from Lesvos, an island she says claims at least22 unique recipes—a nod to the island’s
proximity to Turkey. This means that when
you turn to a recipe for Greek Honey Hot
Sauce, it doesn’t come across as strange;
rather, it’s Kochilas doing what Greeks have
always done—absorbing influences and
making a dish her own. That particular rec-
ipe was inspired by staff meals she has had
while working in professional kitchens, many
of which are staffed by Mexicans. “Staff meals
are always these cultural hybrids,” she says.
“Some of my best cooking is in fact those
dishes. And I like spicy.”
But if you want to cook like a Greek, it’s
best to start with the basics—and the basics
are terrifically easy. All you’ll need is a bottle
of good Greek olive oil and a lemon. “Greeks
are the third largest producers and first in
consumption of olive oil,” Kochilas tells me,
“and we love lemon.” Lemon juice, in fact,
combined with olive oil, makes up what she
calls “the most fundamental flavor profile in
the Greek kitchen.” Whip together one part
lemon juice with three parts olive oil, and
you have ladolemeno, a creamy dressing
traditionally poured over vegetables and
grilled fish. At home Kochilas will some-
times use it in place of mayonnaise dressing
in a coleslaw, or add extra lemon so she can
make a Greek-accented ceviche.PHOTO
THOMAS JASTRAM - ADOBE STOCK
KOCHILASGEORGE VITSARASIKARIA, GREECEDIANE KOCHILAS