Try making Greek meatballs or some Greek chocolate slice with Mosaiko and Pork & Feta Keftedes recipes

Indentical twins Helena and Vikki Moursellas are the authors of OPA! Recipes inspired by Greek tavernas. They learned how to cook from their Greek grandmother, Koula, and grew up with a passion and love for Greek cuisine.

The pair were finalists on Australia’s TV show My Kitchen Rules, the twins won the hearts of the nation with their Greek family food.

They can be found on instagram @helenaandvikki

Mosaiko (Greek chocolate slice)

Makes: 12

Every country has its own version of mosaiko, and this is how the Greeks make it. In our cookbook Peináo, we included a mosaiko recipe that featured walnuts and sour cherries, and we had to include another version here again as it’s such a popular sweet to finish the night on. Usually, nuts are added into the mix, but we have kept this version simple. Brandy is optional, but really complements the chocolate.

This is truly one of the easiest desserts to make, and you can prepare it well in advance.

Ingredients

• 160g unsalted butter, chopped
• 397g tinned condensed milk
• 220g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
• 60g Dutch cocoa powder, sifted, plus extra for dusting
• 2 teaspoons brandy or full-cream milk
• 225g plain sweet biscuits (such as Arnott’s Marie)

Method

1. Line a 10 cm × 25 cm loaf (bar) tin with baking paper.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the condensed milk, chocolate and cocoa powder and mix until melted and well combined. Stir in the brandy or milk.
3. Break the biscuits into roughly 2cm pieces, and transfer to a large bowl. Pour the chocolate mixture over and gently mix until the biscuit pieces are well coated.
4. Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin and use a spoon to flatten the top. Cover with baking paper and leave to set in the fridge overnight.
5. The following day, remove the baking paper and cut the mosaiko into 2cm thick slices. Serve dusted with extra cocoa powder.

Tips

You will need to make this the day before and leave it in the fridge overnight. The mosaiko will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Usually, mosaiko is enjoyed on its own, alongside a cup of coffee or hot mountain tea.

Pork & Feta Keftedes (Greek meatballs)

Makes: 14

If we close our eyes and inhale the smell of freshly cooked keftedes, our eyes start to water.

Sizzling meatballs frying away on the stovetop is very nostalgic for us.

Our memories of Yiayia’s kitchen are always present; we remember her squeezing the mince between her fingers, combining the ingredients and rolling the keftedes into small balls.

To this day, we still make them and instantly feel like we are back home and in that moment with Yiayia.

A great mezze to start a dinner party, these keftedes pair perfectly with our roasted garlic tzatziki.

Leftover keftedes can be mashed up and added to a frying pan with eggs and grated kasseri cheese for a breakfast option. We also enjoy cold keftedes.

Ingredients

• 500g minced (ground) pork
• 1 red onion, grated and patted dry to remove excess liquid
• 60g Greek feta, crumbled
• handful of parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped handful of dill fronds, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
• 3 teaspoons Mashed Jammy Garlic (or roasted garlic paste, see Tips)
• 1 tablespoon salt flakes
• 80ml olive oil
• Oregano yoghurt pita breads

Method

1. In a large bowl, combine the minced pork, onion, feta, parsley, dill, egg, 2 tablespoons of the flour, the garlic and salt flakes. Mix with your hands until well combined.
2. Sprinkle the remaining flour on a plate. Roll 2 tablespoons of the pork mixture into a meatball, then roll to coat in the flour. Repeat to make 14 keftedes.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, add the keftedes and shallow-fry, turning occasionally, for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Transfer the keftedes to a serving plate, scatter with dill fronds and serve with pita breads on the side.

Tips

To make a roasted garlic paste, roast whole bulbs in foil at 180C until soft, then squeeze and mash the cloves into a paste.

Mashed garlic is a pantry staple for Helen and Vikki, and it features in many of their dishes as a a flavour base. Their full recipe for Mashed Jammy Garlic, which is recommended for this dish, appears in their book Peináo: A Greek Feast for All.

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