My Greek Kitchen is airing in Discovery's Travel and Living these days. My first impression of this show wasn't very good for two reasons. First, I didn't know Tonia Buxton. Second, I don't think I like Greek cuisine. So, I decided not to watch the show until my eye accidentally caught its setting; the very lovely island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean in the airing of that episode when Tonia attended a traditional Greek wedding.
I asked my babe about Cyprus and that lead us to talk about Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots while watching the said episode together. From then on, I have been waiting to watch more episodes of the show.
I found the Episodes Description from travelandlivingasia.com and it looks like I already missed a lot of them..
Episodes Description
SEA AND WINE
The annual wine festival has come to Limassol and Tonia is invited to taste wine at a family-run vineyard, where she uses it to cook aromatic chicken in red wine. Diving at a wreck site off the coast, Tonia sees a wealth of fish and back at her villa, cooks a tasty and healthy sea bream dish.
MOUNTAIN PICNIC
In the villages of the Troodos Mountains in Cyprus, Tonia visits relatives in a rural community where young and old come together to work on the land. Tonia makes a typical Cypriot treat of spoon sweets, and prepares Keftedes - delicious meatballs - for a picnic in the cool of the mountains.
FASTING AND CELEBRATING
It's a special religious festival in Cyprus in memory of The Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Tonia and her family are fasting by excluding meat and fish from their diet. She makes a traditional fasting recipe, and as the festival reaches its climax, and the fasting comes to an end, celebrations kick off with a family feast.
SUMMER WEDDING
Tonia's friends Sue and Nick have traveled from Britain to Cyprus for their traditional Greek wedding and Tonia helps with the wedding feast. A tasty bean dish is on the menu and Tonia makes traditional almond biscuits for the big day. The cooking may be in hand but will the groom be ready in time?
CYPRIOT KITCHEN GARDEN
Tonia visits her uncle Eddy's vegetable garden to gather the freshest organic produce before preparing a meal for the family. On the menu is a delicious pork dish with cumin and onions that slow cooks in Uncle Eddy's outdoor oven. But knowing what lovers of good food the family are, will Tonia's dish pass the taste test?
SOPHIA'S BIRTHDAY PARTY
Tonia's daughter Sophia is about to turn eight and all her uncles, aunts and cousins have been invited for a family party. The family enjoys a camel ride before returning to their villa to make the party dishes. Tonia prepares Kleftico, and Sophia and her sister Antigoni cook up a storm in the kitchen with a sumptuous dessert.
HAIRDRESSERS' PARTY
Tonia's friends Jo and Andrew opened a hair salon in Cyprus a year ago and plan to throw a first anniversary party. Tonia invites Jo to her villa to make a party treat that they both learned from their mums – Koubes. But can they resist eating them all before the guests arrive?
THE VILLAGE & THE CITY
Tonia visits two contrasting communities where delicious food oils the wheels of life - from the Cypriot capital city, Nicosia and the mountain village of Gilliani. On the menu in Tonia's kitchen are a liver and lemon dish, a cosmopolitan hot chilli corn bread and a cake made from local dates, walnuts and Cypriot bananas.
BEACH BARBEQUE
Tonia is in Cyprus, making a delicious Galombrama cake, and Shoftalia, a type of traditional rustic sausages for a beach picnic in a secluded cove.
TASTES OF THE MIDDLE EAST
Meeting up with some musical traveling minstrels and enjoying the flavours of cuisine influenced by the Middle East, Tonia makes Yalangi - little parcels wrapped in vine leaves, and Soutzoukakia, delicious meatballs in a garlic and cumin sauce.
STUFFED LAMB & ICE CREAM
Being back in her native island of Cyprus, Tonia is revisiting many of the recipes of her childhood. She meets up with her photographer cousin to take some family portraits and to enjoy a beach picnic. She cooks stuffed lamb with dates for her family, and she and her daughters make a Mastikii ice-cream.
MAGICAL OLIVES
Tonia helps her uncle and aunt on the first day of the olive harvest in a Cypriot mountain village. As well as seeing the olives pressed to make their very own olive oil, Tonia makes delicious olive and onion pastries and a typical Cypriot syrupy, nutty dessert called Kataifi.
SEAFOOD DELIGHTS
Tonia searches out the freshest seafood delights as she dives beneath the clear waters off the coast of Cyprus. On today's menu, she cooks octopus, and a delicious stuffed squid dish before finding out what life is like working in one of the busiest restaurants on the island.
DOWN ON THE FARM
Visiting her uncle's farm in Cyprus, Tonia helps to pick the freshest spinach to make Spanakopita, a traditional spinach pie. She discovers more about some of the oldest produce on the island, Cypriot potatoes, and the newest - bananas!
THE VILLAGE FAIR
Tonia and her family are in the Cypriot village of Kalavassos, preparing for the Autumn village fair. They're brushing up on some traditional dance steps and cooking cheese pastries or bourekia me anari to share with the village.
..I wonder how can I watch all the episodes above. I go to work and of course do other things in routine aside from that. I checked the schedule of the show. If they're not airing in my sleeping hour, they are airing in my office hour. How sad :(
