My Greek Table with Diane Kochilas

In Diane's adopted city of Athens, the food scene has everything to offer, from mouthwatering souvlaki to Michelin-starred haute Greek. In this insider's taste of the Greek capital, the amazing flavors of a bustling modern "ancient" city bubble over in every pot. A stop at one of Diane's favorite souvlaki joints is countered by a visit to one of the city's most cutting-edge restaurants for Greek salad "sorbet" and a stuffed grape leaf that looks like an architect's fantasy.

Diane visits a small village in Laconia, the Peloponnese, where the famous Kalamata olive is cultivated, to follow the famous olive from harvest to table. After a chilly day of collecting, scoring, and processing the ripened fruits, Diane heads to the kitchen to whip up an olive feast. First up, a dish fit for a Greek hero, Spartan chicken, with those celebrated olives, tomatoes and feta cheese. Next, Diane shows the simple pleasures of cooking olives with oranges in an easy, elegant appetizer. The olive story doesn't end there, of course.

Diane travels to her family's native island of Ikaria, where locals are 10 times more likely to live to 100 than Americans. Diane's young 85-year-old neighbors share homemade wine and a lesson in making wild herb teas. A beekeeper reveals the honey that is one of the secrets to Ikarians' renowned longevity. Diane's friend Eleni joins her to cook a hearty one-pot summer vegetable stew and savor a rich, plant-based feast.

Diane explores the ancient grains that Greek cooks still love to use. A hearty, soul-satisfying breakfast grain called hondros, or cracked wheat, gives a great start to the day. Fresh vegetables, green apples and mint add a pop of freshness to an easy bread salad made with a classic Cretan barley rusk called dako or paximadi. Pasta tossed with Greek yogurt and half a dozen fresh herbs provides instant comfort with a taste that's quintessentially Greek.

Emerald green Greek extra virgin olive oil is the star of this show, as it flows from tree to kitchen with a stop in between at the massage table. Diane goes on a journey to the stunningly preserved town of Monemvasia in the Peloponnese. Greece's liquid gold transforms a simple vegetable medley into a luscious dish and slips between the folds of billowy rice and greens in a succulent pilaf spiked with a squeeze of lemon juice. Olive oil gives dessert a distinct character too. It's a primary ingredient in Halva, an earthy pudding-like creation spiked with dried fruits, orange zest and nuts.