Celebrate the best in Greek and Cypriot cooking as Theo A. Michaels brings you three flavour-packed dishes
Greek and Cypriot
SALAD FOR THE SOUL – KOLYVA
By Theo A. Michaels Serves 6-8 as meze | Prep 25 mins Cook 45 mins
160g (1 cup) wheat berries (whole wheat grains)
40g (¼ cup) white quinoa
40g (¼ cup) black quinoa
2 tbsp sesame seeds
3 spring onions (scallions)
¼ of a red onion
a handful of fresh mint
a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
a handful of fresh coriander (cilantro)
seeds of 1 pomegranate
20g (2 tbsp) raisins
1 fresh red chilli
a handful of flaked almonds, toasted
1 lime
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil, for drizzling
1Start off by cooking all of the grains. You cook them all in simmering water, the only difference being the duration. Cook the wheat berries for about 40-50 minutes, until they are soft but still a little chewy – you don’t want any crunch to these; their gift is in their chewiness. Cook the black quinoa for about 20 minutes, and cook the white quinoa for about 12 minutes. All in different saucepans.
2Once cooked, drain the grains and lay out on a baking sheet to cool and steam dry. Leave the quinoa naked, but dress the wheat berries with a drizzle of olive oil and some seasoning while still warm.
3Separately, steep the sesame seeds in a little boiling water until you are ready to use them – this just helps to soften them and plump them up.
4Finely slice the spring onions, including the green parts, and place in a bowl. Finely dice the red onion and chop all the herbs. Add to the bowl. Cut the pomegranate into quarters and then hold each one and whack the skin side with a wooden spoon (or any fairly large object for that matter) so it kicks out all the seeds. If you get carried away you’ll pebble-dash your kitchen in red dots. Add all the seeds to the bowl.
5Coarsely chop the raisins, finely chop the chilli (add as much or as little as you prefer), throw in the toasted flaked almonds and season generously, and I mean generously.
6Add the cooled grains to the bowl and mix it all together. Give it a good drizzle of olive oil and squeeze in the juice of half a lime, taste, and decide if you want to add the rest.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Calories (per serving) 226 | Total fat 7.9g Saturates 0.8g | Salt 0.17g | Sugar 4g Carbohydrates 33.5g | Protein 7.9g
SLOW-COOKED WHITE BEANS IN TOMATO SAUCE – FASOLADA
By Theo A. Michaels Serves 4 | Prep 15 mins | Cook 45 mins
1 small onion, finely diced
1 stick (½ cup) of thinly sliced celery, plus
a few leaves, finely chopped, to garnish
80g (½
