Debbie Matenopoulos. Photo Credit: Mark Steines.
Emmy-nominated TV host Debbie Matenopoulos spoke about her new Greek cookbook “Greekish.”
Matenopoulos sat down with this fellow Greek-American journalist at The Great Greek restaurant in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
“We are at The Great Greek restaurant, which is very fitting to talk about this new cookbook,” Matenopoulos said. “The owner, Dionisi, is incredible and the Greek food here is absolutely delicious. I hope I make this proud because his food here is really good.”
Idea for her ‘Greekish’ cookbook
On her idea for “Greekish” cookbook, she said, “My first Greek cookbook is called ‘It’s All Greek to Me’ and it was an instant bestseller.”
“Honestly, I was so proud of that book, and I am surprised that it made the bestseller’s list for three months. That cookbook had generations and generations of my families’ recipes,” she noted.
“For years after I wrote that book, people kept on asking me when I was going to write my second cookbook, and I always wanted to, but it takes a long time and it’s a lot of work. This book really was a labor of love,” she explained.
“My new book is called ‘Greekish’ because it’s not just Greek recipes… it allows people to take recipes and put their Greek twist to it. My friends inspired me to include my other recipes in there to share with people for when I do barbecues and dinners,” she elaborated.
“I make amazing nachos and a great steak and smashed potatoes, and I decided to add those recipes in the book, especially since I don’t only cook Greek food, so that’s how ‘Greekish’ was born,” she said.
Favorite recipe in the book
While choosing her favorite recipe in this book is like being asked to pick a favorite kid, she listed the “Paidakia” one as her personal favorite, which is “Lamb chops.”
“My daughter Alexandra loves them too,” she admitted. “Ever since she was a little girl, she would pick a lamb chop up and eat it like a lollipop, so we called it the ‘Lamb Lollipops,” she explained.
Favorite Greek desert
Her favorite Greek desert is “Portokalopita,” which is traditional Greek orange phyllo cake.
On her daily motivations to do everything that she does, Matenopoulos responded, “Being Greek. We have pride and a fire that is in our DNA, and its inexplicable.”
Lessons learned from this book
On the lessons learned from this book, Matenopoulos reflected, “It taught me a lot about patience, and it taught me that sometimes, mistakes end up being better than the original. I made a mistake in a recipe, and it ended up tasting better than when I made it before.”
“Some of the best recipes really happen by accident,” she admitted.
Matenopoulos on whether or not lettuce belongs in a Greek Village salad
For once and for all, Matenopoulos clarified whetehr or not lettuce belongs in a Greek Country or Village salad.
“There is no lettuce in a traditional Greek Village Salad. If there is lettuce in it, you need to get up and leave,” she said with a sweet laugh. “A salad with lettuce would not be a Greek salad… it would be a lie.”
“Let us be honest, there is no lettuce of any kind in a Greek salad,” she underscored.
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she revealed, “The Chrysalis”
Success
Regarding her definition of the word success, she said, “Success means being at peace. When I can put my head on the pillow at night and feel at ease.”
Debbie Matenopoulos on ‘Access Hollywood’ with Mario Lopez
Most recently, she was on “Access Hollywood” where she cooked her Greek lemon chicken with artichokes. “Summer and Greek food mean everything to me; it’s my life,” she exclaimed.
“Access Hollywood” host Mario Lopez described Greek food as “the type of food that reminds him of summer.”
Message for her fans and followers
For her fans and supporters, she expressed, “Honestly, I do all of this for you. Thank you for being on this journey for me ever since I was 21 years old… that is a long time. The fans are so supportive and so loyal.”
“I don’t do any of this for the accolades or the awards… all of those are nice but they are secondary. The truth is without the fans, I wouldn’t be nominated for an award or get any accolades,” she expanded.
“If it weren’t for the fans, I would have nothing. I would write a book, but nobody would buy it. So, what’s the point? Thank you to the fans for everything,” she said, effusively.
Closing thoughts on the book
“Don’t be afraid to cook,” Matenopoulos told prospective readers. “There are bar codes at the bottom of each page, and if they scan the QR code, I pop up and I teach them how to cook.”
“I teach them how to make these recipes if they don’t want to read them. I sometimes do that barefoot in my kitchen with no makeup and I teach them how to cook,” she said.
“Make mistakes, play around and be creative,” she noted. “Cooking is an art and baking is a science (if you mess up a baking recipe it goes bad), but cooking, you can change things up all the time.
“Cooking is fun and it shouldn’t be pressure. You need to break some eggs to make an omelette,” she concluded.
Her “Greekish” cookbook is available on digital service providers by clicking here.
For more information on Greek-American TV host Debbie Matenopoulos, follow her on Instagram.
