SoulChef Sundays: The true taste of Christmas

By Chef Georgia Koutsoukou – “SoulChef”

As Chef Georgia Koutsoukou — the Kalamata-born chef known as “SoulChef” — begins her new series SoulChef Sundays with The Greek Herald, she brings with her not just recipes, but a philosophy: Food is storytelling, memory, and connection shared at one big, joyful table.

And there is no better way to begin than with a Christmas ode to flavour and feeling.

A Christmas that tastes like home

Christmas smells different in every home — but its soul is always the same. It’s cinnamon floating in warm air, citrus zest carried in laughter, syrup dripping from a freshly dipped melomakarono. It’s nostalgia, memory, and the grounding comfort of flavours that remind us who we are, no matter where in the world we live.

This Christmas, I want to ski on powdered sugar. I want to swim in the syrup of the melomakarono and rest on the coarsely chopped walnut. To dive into fresh olive oil and rinse myself off with orange juice. To be sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and to take breaths of cinnamon and clove until someone says, “Bake at 180°C.”

To rest a little, sing the kalanda, and with my pocket money go to give chocolates and socks to the friend I played with the other day — I didn’t know what he was saying, but we laughed a lot. To go rollerblading in the square wearing a Santa hat, because I’m waiting for him, and I know he will come.

Let’s cook melomakarona.

SoulChef Sunday Recipe of the Week – My Mum’s Traditional Melomakarona

Recipe by Chef Georgia Koutsoukou – “SoulChef”

A family recipe from Kalamata, shared with love for every Greek home in Australia. These melomakarona bring together orange, honey, spice and memory — everything Christmas should taste like.

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 9 tea cups All-Purpose Flour
• 3 cups Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Orange Juice
• 1/2 cup Cognac (5-star recommended)
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 2 tbsp Orange Zest
• 1 tbsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Clove
• 1 tsp Baking Soda (dissolved in the orange juice)
• 1 packet Baking Powder

For the Syrup

• 2 tea cups Sugar
• 2 tea cups Water
• 1 tea cup Honey (added at the end)
• Peel of 1 Orange
• Peel of 1 Lemon

For Finishing

• Coarsely chopped Walnuts
• Extra Cinnamon

Method

1. Prepare the Syrup

1. Boil sugar, water and citrus peels for 5–6 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and add the honey.
3. Keep syrup warm.

2. Mix the Wet Ingredients

1. Combine olive oil, sugar, spices and cognac.
2. Add the orange juice with dissolved baking soda.

3. Form the Dough

1. Mix flour with baking powder.
2. Add dry mixture to the wet mixture.
3. Knead very lightly by hand — do not over-knead.

4. Shape & Bake

1. Shape into oval melomakarona (press one side lightly on a grater to texture).
2. Bake at 180°C for 30–40 minutes until golden.

5. Cool & Dip

1. Let melomakarona cool completely — they must be cold.
2. Dip each one in the warm syrup for 1–2 minutes per side.

6. Finish

Sprinkle generously with walnuts and cinnamon.

A Message from SoulChef to the Greeks of Australia

“My heart, which beats with the rhythm of Kalamata, reaches out to you this festive season.
May these flavours bring the warmth of a Greek holiday kitchen into your Australian homes.
Let food connect us — across oceans, time zones and memories — around one big, beautiful table.”

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​Email: gkouts.gk@gmail.com