Yiayia Next Door is a book about the power of food to bring people together, featuring 60 classic Greek recipes and one incredible true story of kindness and community
When Daniel and Luke Mancuso lost their beloved mother Teresa to domestic violence, the Greek grandmother next door stepped in and started looking after them, passing home-cooked meals over the fence. This simple act of kindness helped Daniel and Luke navigate the fog of grief that followed, and captured the hearts of Australia when they started to share the meals and their special relationship with ‘Yiayia’ on social media.
Now we can all enjoy Yiayia’s home cooking, with this collection of traditional recipes from her kitchen and those of yiayias all around Australia. Yiayia’s food is pure comfort: pastries such as spanakopita and tiropita; warming soups made with chickpeas, lentils, and beans; hearty pasta and rice dishes such as moussaka and yemista; the unmistakable flavors of barbecued lamb and keftedes; and delicious desserts such as baklava and custard-filled galaktoboureko.
This dish is very close to Yiayia’s heart, as it was taught to her by our mum, Teresa. Like Yiayia, Mum had a fondness for cooking and, more importantly, for making sure we were always well fed and cared for. One of the many things we miss about our mum is her cooking. We are very fortunate that she passed this recipe on to Yiayia, so we can still enjoy it to this day and help the void in our hearts.
Mum’s cannelloni
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 500 g fresh ricotta, plus extra to serve
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 small bunch of flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped (Yiayia always uses scissors) plus extra to serve
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 250 g dried cannelloni
- 700 g jar passata
- 150 g shredded mozzarella
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced).
Place the ricotta in a large bowl and use a fork to break it up.
Add the egg, parsley, garlic, and salt and gently mix with a spoon
until well combined.
Using a small teaspoon, fill the cannelloni with the ricotta
the mixture, then place the filled cannelloni in a 30 cm × 20 cm
baking dish in a single layer. Evenly pour the passata over the
top, then sprinkle over the mozzarella, transfer to the oven and
bake for 55 minutes or until the cannelloni are cooked through
and the sauce is bubbling.
Serve with extra ricotta and parsley scattered over the top.
— Yiayia Next Door by Daniel Mancuso, Luke Mancuso (Pan Macmillan Australia) is out now.
Yiayia Next Door
Recipes from Yiayia's kitchen, and the true story of one woman's incredible act of kindness
A book about the power of food to bring people together, featuring 60 classic Greek recipes and one incredible true story of kindness and community
When Daniel and Luke Mancuso lost their beloved mother Teresa to domestic violence, the Greek grandmother next door stepped in and started looking after them, passing home-cooked meals over the fence. This simple act of kindness helped Daniel and Luke navigate the fog of grief that followed, and captured the hearts of Australia when they started to share the meals and their special relationship with 'Yiayia' on social media.
Now we can all enjoy Yiayia's home cooking, with this collection of traditional recipes from her kitchen and those of yiayias all around Australia. Yiayia's food is pure comfort: pastries such as spanakopita and tiropita; warming soups made with chickpeas, lentils and beans; hearty pasta and rice dishes such as moussaka and yemista; the unmistakable flavors of barbecued lamb and keftedes; and delicious desserts such as baklava and custard-filled galaktoboureko.
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