Fans of My Kitchen Rules will instantly recognise identical twins Helena and Vikki Moursellas who quickly became fan favourites with their Greek family food. Since their appearance on the show in 2014, the twins have become freelance photo chefs, recipe developers and content creators as well as opening their own restaurant and releasing two cookbooks.
This month Helena and Vikki launched their second title, Peináo: A Greek Feast For All, where they share their fun and modern spin on classic Greek dishes. Peináo translates to ‘I’m hungry’ in Greek, which is how you’ll feel flipping through this book. Whether you’re cooking for a dinner party, breakfast for family, or mezze for friends, there’s a delicious Greek feast for every occasion.
"The feeling of feeding our loved ones with our Greek recipes brings us pure joy. "
Introducing Bonnie and Neil x Peináo
We had previously worked with Helena and Vikki on food styling projects so when they asked us to support the launch of their book with custom tableware, we jumped at the opportunity. Using recipes from the book as inspiration, Bonnie designed a limited edition range that celebrates the taste of Greek cuisine featuring fresh seafood and vine leaves alongside abundant branches of lemons and olives.
While we set the table with these vibrant pieces, Helena and Vikki chatted to us about their new book.
Peináo is your second cookbook celebrating your Greek heritage, what is the concept behind it?
We grew up with parents who loved entertaining, so our love for feeding hungry guests started at a young age. The feeling of feeding our loved ones with our Greek recipes brings us pure joy. When we moved out of home, we lived in a shared house, we always had hungry housemates to feed. We wanted to make sure Peináo had recipes that were accessible, delicious and of course simple to make.
There’s a lot of work that goes into recipe development, where do you get your inspiration from?
Each recipe we developed for Peináo has a story. Along our travels throughout Greece we carry a notebook and write down recipe ideas. Our family in Greece loves cooking and knows how much we do too. So there's always a day of cooking with us all together to share each other's recipes.
Do you each have a go-to recipe from the new book and why is it your favourite?
Helena: My go-to is our classic slow-cooked lamb shoulder with patates tiganites, it reminds me of being in Greece at our local taverna in Halkidiki where our Yiayia is from.
Vikki: A hard question to answer! I love our yemista recipe, a centuries old recipe and one of Greece's most famous dishes. Yiayia would make this quite often and every time I eat it I'm there at the kitchen table with her.
As we come into the warmer months, what are your favourite seasonal ingredients to cook with?
When summer is here, we love cooking with Australian stone fruit. The smell and flavour transports us straight to Greek beaches.
"Each recipe we developed for Peináo has a story. Along our travels throughout Greece we carry a notebook and write down recipe ideas. "
What’s next for you both?
We plan on running supper clubs in Sydney and dreaming of book three!
Cookbook images supplied by Vikki and Helena
Bonnie and Neil x Peináo photography by Stephanie Rooney and Timothy Roberts
