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Cypriot Grain Salad

This Cypriot Grain Salad, originally by George Calombaris, has featured at our Christmas Table for the last 12-15 years. When I first started making it, the children were very young and time was always of the essence – so I took a few short cuts and I also did a little pre-prep. I toasted the nuts the day before I made the salad. This really helped on Christmas Day, as it saved me 30 minutes of pan-watching and nut-tossing. I also used fine bulghur instantly cooked with boiling water, and canned lentils, rather than cooking the freekeh and French lentils from scratch, as the original recipe called for.  

As I have made the salad over the years, I have modified ingredient quantities. I have doubled the nut and blackcurrant quantities and I have learned a few tricks to truly perfect this salad. 

The children are all grown up now and they even help me make the salad, so we make it with the dried freekeh and dried French lentils, but no matter which way you make it, I am sure it will be a hit at your table. 

Dimitrios Lazaridis’ Piroski

Dimitrios, creator of @the_original_greek, shares his family recipe for piroski. These delights have their culinary roots in eastern Europe. They are part of Dimitrios’ culinary heritage by way of his pappou, a Pontian Greek who resided in Odessa, Ukraine, until he fled to Greece to find safety. In Greece, these piroski became part of a regular ritual of making and feasting with family and friends.

Dimitrios has now brought this tradition to his new homeland, Australia, where he shares these light, savoury delights with his loved ones, as a celebration of togetherness.

Make them too and celebrate the love in your life!

Mario & Chrisanthi’s Spetsofai

Mario and Chrisanthi Michael are the creators of Greek Time – an online foodie website offering high-quality Greek food that saves you the time and effort of preparation.

Mario’s heritage is Cypriot Greek and Chrisanthi’s is Greek. This much-loved family dish of Spetsofai with Pastourma Sausages fuses both culinary heritages in the most delicious way!