From Cyprus with love: Georgina Hayden
New to Dishpatch! Food writer, cook and presenter, Georgina Hayden's cooking is inspired by her Greek Cypriot grandparents. Her comforting winter moussaka features flavourful pork and beef, aubergines, potatoes and lots of béchamel sauce. We spoke to Georgina about her fondest food memories, family ties and what makes her moussaka so special.
Tell us about your dish.
This is my family's version of moussaka – a bit like lasagna, everyone has their own way of doing it. This is my granny's recipe. It's more Cypriot than Greek, so there's lots of warming spices in it. I've accompanied it with a salad, which might seem strange, but it cuts through the richness of the ragu and the béchamel. It's a chop salad – olives, onions and loads of coriander (which is a very Cypriot addition).
Are there any family twists in this recipe?
The use of coriander – it's a starring ingredient here. The moussaka itself has a twist – some people don't use potatoes, but I like having some really thinly sliced, crispy potatoes in there to make it a bit heartier. I've used kefalotyri cheese in this recipe, which is similar to pecorino. It's a lovely salty cheese, but not too punchy.
Tell us about your grandparents’ restaurant.
I was really lucky that my grandparents’ restaurant was around until I was about 13 (my grandparents lived upstairs). I've got really strong memories of celebrations there – we hosted all special events in the restaurant.
New Year's Eve in particular was a major celebration – the restaurant would be open to all the regulars. The diners would be enjoying their meze, while the grandkids would be upstairs, ushered away. Around 10pm or 11pm, we’d be allowed downstairs to join the party.
My second book Taverna is based on the restaurant. It was the heart of our family for years.
What has your granny taught you?
What I've learned from my granny is that I will never be able to cook in small batches. If you're cooking, you cook for an army – when my granny makes food, she makes it for the whole community, not just us.
She's taught me to be generous, and to cook with heart. I'm a firm believer that you can have all the training in the world, but that doesn't mean you know everything. If you’re not constantly listening, learning and watching, you will never get better.
Your favourite food destinations?
With Greece especially, there are hundreds of islands to discover and I haven't even scratched the surface – as a country there's lots to learn. But outside of my heritage, I'm really drawn to Asia. I love Asian flavours.
India, is my happy place; I've visited India a few times, and I feel so inspired by all the colours and flavours there. There's only one place that I can spend weeks-on-end and not get bored with food, and that’s India.
I grew up in North London, so a really multicultural part of the city. My childhood best friend was Gujarati, and I feel very lucky to have gotten an insight into Indian cuisine through our friendship. I also used to work in an Indian deli bar; the lady who owned it was really ahead of the game, and she introduced me to something called ‘pani puri’ (which I think people are more familiar with now). They're these little crispy, hollow balls that you pierce on top and fill with chickpeas, cubed potatoes, chilli and tamarind water – and then you pop the whole thing in your mouth. Street food in India as a whole is just incredible
What comfort foods do you crave in winter?
Anything that's warming, and that I can just leave in the oven for a long time and come back to (like moussaka). We also do something called ‘makaronia tou fourno’. It's more of a pasta bake with a ragu – it’s also made with a white sauce that I really crave in the winter.
Another dish to mention is ‘kolokasi’, it’s like a taro stew. It’s a really traditional winter dish as taro is seasonal (in abundance in December and January). You slowly fry it until it's really golden, and then cook it with fresh tomatoes and celery.