Curated Cuisine: Diane Kochilas on the greatest dishes from Athens

Curated Cuisine is a monthly series examining all things edible, from the chefs cooking the food to the writers reviewing the recipes. Meet the people shaping the food industry, both local and national and enjoy a post-show bite inspired by the conversation.

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 from our bookstore partner Brookline Booksmith. Kochilas will sign and guests will enjoy braised chickpeas with olives, pistachios, and roasted tomatoes from the book following the conversation.

This event is co-produced by Boston University Metropolitan College Programs in Food & Wine.

About “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 been witness to the enormous social and culinary changes all around her. To navigate the city’s gastronomic scene today is to discover a city overflowing with new creative energy in its kitchens and 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."

Ways To Save

WBUR’s Legacy Circle, Murrow Society, Sustainers and Members save $5.00 on tickets to this event. To apply the discount to your ticket purchase online, you’ll need to enter a promo code. You can get your code by emailing membership@wbur.org.

Registrants may be contacted by CitySpace about this or future events.