• A bit more to this': How the story of the Yiayia next door came full circle

When tragedy led to Daniel and Luke Mancuso meeting Yiayia Next Door, little did they know their connection would inspire a cookbook.

I first met the famous "Yiayia Next Door" in May 2019 after getting in touch with brothers Daniel and Luke Mancuso through their Instagram account, having watched videos of their elderly Greek neighbour sharing her cooking with them. I soon found out there was a lot more to the story.

I had the same question as many of their fans when I first watched Daniel and Luke's viral videos: who are these guys?

The videos showed Yiayia's hands reaching over an unassuming steel fence to deliver a platter, plate or dish. The food could be chicken and rice, or a warm pot of lentil soup. Whatever it was, Yiayia's home cooking looked so tasty you could almost smell it through the screen.

"Thank you, Yiayia" was how the brothers always responded, calling her "grandmother" in Greek.

When they started posting videos of the meals Yiayia shared with them, via their Instagram account Yiayia Next Door, Daniel and Luke had no idea how big it would become.

I was working as a newspaper journalist, so my editor at the time asked me to check out how the relationship had started. "There's a bit more to this that we'd like to share," Daniel told me when I reached out to him.

Yiayia's hospitality was extended to me as soon as I got to the brothers' house in Melbourne's northern suburbs to record an interview.

I walked through her bountiful vegie garden, commenting on the flourishing lemon tree and dried chillies hanging from the roof. She gave me bags full of both to take home later.

The Age's photographer, Joe Armao, took Yiayia's photo, but she did not want to be named or have her face included in the frame. "Not the face!" she said repeatedly. She didn't really see what the fuss was about.

Inside was a plate of spanakopita – flaky pastry stuffed with spinach and cheese – to eat with our morning coffee as the brothers told me what had unfolded one night several years earlier.

Their mother, Teresa Mancuso, died in a violent attack in the house she had lived in with her family for several decades. It was her Greek neighbour who heard her cries for help and called the police, but it was too late. The boys' father was convicted of the murder.

After Teresa's death, Daniel and Luke moved into their mother's former home, and Yiayia quickly took the boys under her wing. She regularly sent food to the house and they became family to her. "She was just trying to be like a mum for us, or a nonna or yiayia," Daniel says.

Often, Daniel and Luke would come home from work wondering what to have for dinner and they'd get a phone call from their adoptive Yiayia or Pappou (grandfather).

"I love to cook," she says. "Whenever I do, I cook extra."

It's in her genes, she says, to feed them. "And their Pappou too, he likes them to eat. Him more than me, I think."

While Yiayia loves to cook for them, the boys like to help her out too. They are happy to drive to the local market to pick up groceries or fill up the petrol tank in Pappou's lawnmower. Yiayia even taught Luke the best way to grow tomatoes.

When they started posting videos of the meals Yiayia shared with them, via their Instagram account Yiayia Next Door, Daniel and Luke had no idea how big it would become. The story was one of the most read on The Age's website all year and won the 2019 Melbourne Press Club feature writing award.

And now the story, which began with tragedy followed by one woman's incredible act of kindness, has become a collection of recipes from Yiayia's kitchen, including Luke's favourite, Yiayia's chicken and rice.

They hope people get enjoyment out of making meals they themselves are lucky enough to eat regularly, or maybe they'll even drop some around to their own neighbours.

Daniel and Luke want their story to encourage people to connect with their neighbours. Focusing on the positives and having fun is the best way to achieve this, they believe.

"It has been big for us because we're living in this home. We didn't have Nonna in here, we didn't have Mum," says Luke. "That sense of warmth and gathering has changed our lives."

Tom Cowie

Kokkino rizi me kotopoulo and spanaki (Red rice with chicken and spinach)

Yiayia's family love this dish and often ask her to make it for them. Yiayia is always happy to cook food for others. The paprika makes the rice a deep red colour, while the chilli flakes give the dish a hint of spice.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 chicken drumsticks
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 red bullhorn peppers (or capsicums), diced
• 1 tsp ground paprika
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 1 bunch of English spinach (about 600g), washed and trimmed
• 500g (2½ cups) medium-grain rice
• 1 tsp salt
• crusty bread, to serve (optional)

METHOD

1. Pour 2.5 litres of water into a large saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the chicken drumsticks and cook for 20 minutes, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface, until the meat starts to fall away from the bone. Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside to cool. Keep the stock in the pan.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the onion, pepper, paprika and chilli flakes and cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Using your hands, tear the spinach into even-sized pieces.
4. When cool enough to handle (not many people have hands as tough as Yiayia's), peel and discard the skin and fat from the chicken, then tear the meat into chunks. Discard the bones.
5. Bring the stock to the boil, then add the rice, the onion and pepper mixture, the chicken, spinach and salt. Stir until well combined, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the rice is soft, but there is still some liquid remaining.
6. Divide the rice and liquid among plates and serve with bread (if desired) to mop up the juices.

Serves 4-6

Mum's cannelloni

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 fill the void in our hearts.

INGREDIENTS

• 500g fresh ricotta, plus extra to serve
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (Yiayia always uses scissors), plus extra to serve
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• ½ tsp salt
• 250g dried cannelloni
• 700g jar passata
• 150g shredded mozzarella

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 170C fan-forced (190C conventional).
2. 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.
3. Using a small teaspoon, fill the cannelloni with the ricotta mixture, then place the filled cannelloni in a 30cm × 20cm 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.
4. Serve with extra ricotta and parsley scattered over the top.

Serves 4

Keftedes (meatballs)

Yiayia receives many requests from her children and their friends for her famous meatballs. They are loved and devoured by everyone and it's almost impossible to stop at just one or two.

INGREDIENTS

• 250g pork mince
• 250g beef mince
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 50g (½ cup) dried breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
• canola oil, for shallow-frying

METHOD

1. Place all the ingredients except the canola oil in a large bowl. Using clean hands, massage and squeeze the ingredients for 5-10 minutes, until completely combined and homogenous. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour if you have time.
2. Divide the mixture into even portions and roll into walnut-sized balls, then slightly flatten. You should get about 18 balls.
3. Heat enough canola oil for shallow-frying in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the meatballs for 2-3 minutes on all sides, until cooked through and golden brown. Enjoy!

Serves 4-6

Village-style baklava

When Yiayia's mother visited Australia, she taught her daughter this simple baklava recipe from their village back home. Yiayia still makes it to this day. It holds a special place in her heart.

INGREDIENTS

• 200g (2 cups) walnuts, plus extra, finely chopped, for sprinkling
• 375g packet of frozen filo pastry, thawed
• 125ml (½ cup) canola oil
• 460g (2 cups) caster sugar

METHOD

1. Blend, process or chop the walnuts until finely chopped (Yiayia uses a mouli grater).
2. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
3. Working with one sheet of filo pastry at a time, and keeping the rest covered under a damp tea towel while you work, gently brush a little oil and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of finely chopped walnuts over the pastry. Starting at the edge closest to you, concertina the pastry sheet into a long strip. Bend the top third of the strip to the right and the bottom third of the strip to the left, to create an "S" shape. Repeat with the remaining pastry, most of the oil and all the walnuts.
4. Transfer to a baking tray and brush the remaining oil over the folded pastry. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, at which point the tops should be golden brown. Turn the baklava over and cook for another 5 minutes or until both sides are golden.
5. Meanwhile, place the sugar and 500ml (2 cups) of water in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and you have a light syrup. Set aside to cool for 8 minutes.
6. While still warm, dip each baklava into the sugar syrup to completely coat, then transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle with extra chopped walnuts and serve.

Makes about 22

Note For extra yumminess, drizzle honey over the baklava and serve with vanilla ice-cream.

This is an edited extract from Yiayia Next Door by Daniel & Luke Mancuso (with Yiayia), published by Plum, photography by Mark Roper, RRP $36.99. Buy now