Peináo: A Greek Feast for All by Helena & Vikki Moursellas
Peináo: A Greek Feast for All, by sisters Helena & Vikki Moursellas, shares their take on Greek classics – all with a fun and modern spin. Whether it’s a dinner party or mezze with friends, there’s a delicious Greek feast for every occasion.
Words: Hande Renshaw I Photography: Helena Moursellas, Jorge Rivera & Pawel Soltysinski
Identical twins and authors of Peináo: A Greek Feast for All, Helena & Vikki Moursellas.
Roasted red piperiés from Peináo: A Greek Feast for All.
Helena and Vikki Moursellas are identical twins born in Adelaide, South Australia. They learned how to cook from their Greek grandmother, Koula, and grew up with a passion and love for Greek cuisine.
‘For us, food memories are held close to our hearts. It’s incredible how many times a recipe of yiayia’s or mum’s has saved us from wanting to get into bed and cry because we’re homesick. With one mouthful, we are back at yiayia’s stovetop eating spaghetti from the pot and listening to Aliki Vougiouklaki on the TV, and we instantly feel safe and content,’ says the sisters.
Finalists on Australia's TV show, My Kitchen Rules, the twins won the hearts of the nation with their Greek family food. Their new (and second) cookbook, Peináo: A Greek Feast for All is a collection of their favourite Greek recipes, all created with a fun and modern spin.
Peináo translates to ‘I’m hungry’ in Greek, which is exactly how you will feel flipping through the book – recipes include pork and feta keftedes (Greek meatballs), moussaka – two ways, yemista (stuffed vegetables) and coffee baklava with dried figs.
Join them and discover the joy that comes from gathering around a table filled with delicious, soulful dishes made with love – whether you’re cooking for a dinner party, breakfast for family, or mezze for friends… there’s a delicious Greek feast for every occasion.
This in an edited extract from Peináo: A Greek Feast for All by Helena & Vikki Moursellas, published by Thames & Hudson. Purchase the book online now here.
‘For us, food memories are held close to our hearts. It’s incredible how many times a recipe of yiayia’s or mum’s has saved us from wanting to get into bed and cry because we are homesick. With one mouthful, we are back at yiayia’s stovetop eating spaghetti from the pot and listening to Aliki Vougiouklaki on the TV, and we instantly feel safe and content.’
Melomakarona (Walnut & honey cookies) from Peináo: A Greek Feast for All – recipe shared below.
Peináo: A Greek Feast for All by Helena & Vikki Moursellas is available now!
Greek cooking kitchen staples pictured in Peináo: A Greek Feast for All by Helena & Vikki Moursellas.
MELOMAKARONA – WALNUT & HONEY COOKIES
These delightful rich and syrupy cookies, with flavours of walnut and honey, will definitely satisfy a sweet craving. Melomakarona are usually baked at Christmas or Easter, but we love making them all year round. If you have our first cookbook, Taking You Home, you will be very familiar with this recipe.
This time around we have used two coatings for the melomakarona: dark chocolate with pistachios; and white chocolate with pink peppercorns. The pistachios can be replaced with walnuts or almonds, and you can omit the peppercorns and leave them plain, if you prefer. We first tried the white chocolate and pink peppercorn combination in Thessaloniki a couple of years ago; we thought it was a little strange to have peppercorns on a biscuit but, trust us, they’re absolutely delicious.
INGREDIENTS
450 g (3 cups) self-raising flour, sifted
180 g (6½ oz) fine semolina
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
115 g (½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
80 ml (¹⁄₃ cup) freshly squeezed
orange juice
125 ml (½ cup) olive oil
125 ml (½ cup) vegetable oil
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
150 g (1½ cups) walnuts, roasted and crushed
Lemon honey syrup
115 g (½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
175 g (½ cup) honey
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Dark Chocolate & Pistachio Coating
180 g (6½ oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), melted
150 g (1 cup) shelled pistachios, toasted and chopped
White Chocolate & Pink Peppercorn Coating
180 g (6½ oz) white chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon pink peppercorns, crushed
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Line two baking trays with baking paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, semolina, cinnamon and nutmeg.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar, orange juice, olive oil, vegetable oil and brandy (if using). Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until a dough forms.
Roll heaped tablespoons of the mixture into oval shapes and place on the prepared trays. Bake the melomakarona for 20–22 minutes, until lightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool slightly.
Meanwhile to make the lemon honey syrup, place the ingredients and
60 ml (¼ cup) of water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for
3–4 minutes, until syrupy.
Dip the cookies in the syrup for 30 seconds on each side, then return to the wire rack with a baking tray underneath to catch the excess syrup. Sprinkle the melomakarona with the walnuts.
Place the melted dark chocolate in a small bowl and the melted white chocolate in another small bowl. Dip half the biscuits in the dark chocolate and the remaining half in the white chocolate. Sprinkle the pistachios over the dark chocolate melomakarona and the pink peppercorns over the white chocolate melomakarona.
The melomakarona can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, then kept in the fridge for up to 10 days.