You could say that it looks like any kind of cream pie that you tried. But it isn't. There is also a big debate—Athens thinks bougatsa is just an ordinary pie filled with cheese or cream. But Thessaloniki knows the secret. The pastry is made differently and tastier than the ordinary cheese pies.
Here is the recipe for you to try.
• Serves: 10 slices
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
• 6 cups milk
• grated rind of 1 lemon (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cups fine semolina
• Confectioner’s sugar
• 3 eggs
• cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pastry sheets
Instructions
Beat the eggs in a bowl with the sugar until creamy. Mix in the semolina. Slowly add the milk while beating continuously. Pour the mixture into a medium sized pot and add the lemon rind (if you are using it) and the vanilla. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Be careful that the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. When it has thickened, remove the pot from the heat, set aside and cover with a lid so 'skin' doesn't form over it.
Take 4 pastry sheets and lay them out on a counter on top of each other. Cut the pastry into 4 quarters - cross wise so you have 16 equal rectangles (1). Brush each fillo rectangle with butter and put to one side.
Take one whole pastry sheet and lay it out. Brush it over with butter. Place 2 of the cut rectangles in the center of the bottom half of the sheet to form a base.(2) Spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of the cream filling into the center of the base. Fold the pastry on the long sides of the base and the shorter end into the center, enclosing the cream filling, then carefully fold the rest of the pastry over and over into a neat package shape.(3, 4 & 5) Use butter, brushed on the pastry sides and ends as a' glue' to hold the fillo down. You can fold them as small or large as you like. Repeat this procedure to make more Bougatses until the cream and fillo are used up.
Arrange the finished Bougatses on a buttered cookie sheet, and brush them with more butter. Bake at 350°F for about 35 minutes or until the pastry is flaky and golden. When done, remove them from the oven and sprinkle them with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
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XpatAthens
Friday, 20 February 2015 15:15
Mmmmm….. Bougatsa
Maybe some of you occasionally have bougatsa for breakfast. Have you ever wondered what bougatsa is? History claims that ancients Greeks used to make pies with every kind of filling called "placountas". Years went by and bougatsa stayed popular in Constantinoupolis and Smyrna. Bougatsa in Turkish means pie filled with cream and topped with sugar powder and cinnamon powder. After the destruction of Smyrna and the exchange of the Greek-Turkish colonies, bougatsa became extremely popular in north Greece and especially Thessaloniki.
We love eating bougatsa early in the morning or really late at night after bouzoukia or clubbing. And I hope you love it too!
squidoo.com
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Greek Food & Diet
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Friday, 20 February 2015 15:14
Appetizing Mezedes
When Greek people dine out they usually share a variety of mezedes, various different dishes which are rather appetizers than main dishes. However, when many of them are combined together, then they create a delicious meal. The mezedes (single: mezes) can also be served before or with main dishes, and are usually accompanied with ouzo or tsipouro. They come in small plates. It is one of the basic elements of the Greek culture to share food and drinks with friends, in a joyful and unhurried environment.
Here are a few to try:
- Tzatziki: Greek yogurt with finely chopped cucumber, garlic and olive oil. Ideal to eat with fresh Greek bread, fried potatoes or fried meatballs.
- Saganaki: Fried cheese. Different sorts of cheese can be found in saganaki. Excellent with a zest of lemon.
- Keftedakia: Fried meatballs of beef, garlic and bread. Excellent dish.
- Spanakopitakia: Small spinach pies with crushed feta cheese.
- Tiropitakia: Small cheese pies, usually made of feta or kasseri cheese.
- Horta: Boiled wild greens with olive oil, salt and lemon.
- Briam: Mix of roast potatoes, eggplants, onions, garlic, tomato sauce and olive oil.
- Dolmadakia: Grape leaves filled with rice and onions and sometimes minced beef.
- Kalamarakia: Small pieces of fried squid with lemon juice.
- Htapodi: Small pieces of octopus served either fried with lemon juice or boiled, with olive oil, vinegar and oregano.
- Feta cheese: The famous Greek cheese can also be eaten alone, as a meze, with olive oil and oregano.
Kali Oreksi!
greeka.com
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Greek Food & Diet
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Friday, 20 February 2015 15:12
GB Corner Store - Now Open
Have you heard? Athens' landmark hotel recently re-opened its GB Corner as a warm and welcoming shop of amazing trendy and traditional products ~ right at street level!
The most renowned 'corner of Athens' opens its doors and welcomes you to a magic world filled with unique shopping and gift ideas. Explore the authentic selection of GB Products as well as an exclusive variety of indigenous delicacies and Pernigotti or Valrhona chocolates. The shop is open Monday - Saturday 11:00 - 21:00.
Using the code XPAT10 all XpatAthens readers
receive 10% off purchases made online at the GB Store.
Offer is valid until Friday January 16th.
receive 10% off purchases made online at the GB Store.
Offer is valid until Friday January 16th.
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Greek Food & Diet
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Friday, 20 February 2015 15:09
Prawns (Garides) Saganaki
If you like seafood and/or prawns, then you'll love this dish! It can be served as a starter or a side dish and is actually quite filling. The recipe calls for ouzo and feta cheese, both delicious elements in any recipe! It is served in individual ceramic bowls and for the best effect can be placed in front of your guests piping hot! This recipe is for 4 of these bowls or servings.
Ingredients:
800g prawns
100g grated onion
300g chopped fresh tomatoes
200g feta cheese
100g chopped green pepper
1 hot green chilli pepper chopped
100 ml olive oil
2 cloves grated garlic
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
50 ml ouzo
Salt and pepper
Preparation:
Remove the shell and the intestine from the prawns, leaving the head and tail, and cut in two.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and when it is hot, add the onion, garlic, green pepper and chilli pepper.
Fry for 2 minutes and then add the prawns and stir well.
Add the ouzo and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, parsley, salt and pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Distribute the mixture evenly into 4 ceramic bowls.
Cut the feta cheese into small cubes and place on top of each bowl.
Place the bowls under the grill long enough for the feta to melt and colour slightly.
Serve the 4 individual portions hot, adding some chopped fresh parsley on top if you wish.
Eat and Enjoy!
Real Greek Recipes Blogspot
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Greek Food & Diet
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Friday, 20 February 2015 15:07
TV Chef Vefa Alexiadou Reveals Cooking Secrets
Vefa Alexiadou is a very popular and respected food writer and celebrity chef here in Greece. She is also well-known around the world for her TV appearances and selection of colorful, illustrated cookbooks. In this interview, she shares a few of her secret ingredients for culinary success and turns her thoughts to the future of food and cooking.
You are a well-known, immensely popular, leading culinary authority in Greece. You were born in Volos, a coastal port city in Thessaly, and it is obvious that you have an intense passion for cooking. Where do you think this enthusiasm came from? Did you learn how to cook at a young age?
My passion for cooking began in childhood because of my mother, who was born in Constantinople. She conveyed the beauty of her own homeland in the unforgettable tastes and aromas of food that tantalized everyone’s tastebuds. She had an inexhaustible source of recipes, which she taught me to cook in her own inimitable way, and emphasized the need for each dish to look as attractive as it tasted. I believe she succeeded in passing on her love and flair for cooking to me.
At that time, it was impossible to think how much cooking would influence me in later life. That it would be my main occupation, which even today, after so many years, fills me with joy and satisfaction.
You must have tested thousands of varying recipes over the years. How do you manage to keep coming up with new ideas?
Well, there’s such a variety of products produced by the earth and the ocean, that there are many ways in which we can process and combine them in order to create new recipes. I have already stored about 100,000 selected recipes in my computer. What do I mean by “selected?” Well, dishes which I have thoroughly tested with proven ingredients and in balanced proportions, that have had an accurate result.
There are so many major cultural differences in the approach people around the world take to cooking and eating food. What can you tell me about Greek cuisine in general and how healthy it is?
The Greek culinary tradition, inextricably tied to Greek civilization, is ancient, with roots going back many centuries.
The unique geographical position of Greece, the mild climate, the diversity of its soil, with large mountainous areas, plains and surrounding ocean, created ideal conditions for producing outstanding products from the land and sea. Thus, Greece is well-known for its highly refined and healthy cuisine.
The colonial expansion of the Greek element in the rest of the Mediterranean, as well as contact with other cultures of the East, were equally important factors for the development of Greek cuisine. The final configuration in classical times influenced the cuisines of the cultures that followed, such as the Greco-Roman and later, through the long path of the Byzantine, the cuisines of the middle Ages and modern Europe.
Vefa, you became an even bigger household name when you started appearing on TV, passing on cooking tips and bringing mouth-watering recipes into the homes of thousands. What was that like, cooking on air in front of the bright lights and cameras?
In a few words, it was a wonderful adventure. I remember my first years on television. The main difficulty I encountered at first, was how to get used to looking into the lens. However, there were numerous other difficulties. For starters, there was no kitchen. I presented dishes on a table and had to show them being prepared in all their stages. This was hard because the food was pre-cooked, ready for final presentation, while I prepared all the ingredients before the TV audience. This meant double trouble and double costs. I had to bring the tools and utensils I needed from home and return with them every day. However, I enjoyed my cooking, and drew strength and courage to overcome those first difficulties. I loved my public appearances and the admiration of my fans.
From cooking delicious Greek dishes, writing innovative cookery books, producing culinary videos, opening the increasingly popular “Vefa House” stores and appearing on TV and in countless magazines: which one of these were the most challenging and the most enjoyable?
In 1980, at a time when, in Greece, there were no serious attempts at writing a cookbook, I decided that having the know-how and the real taste of cooking, I would create my own first cookbook. Its enormous success inspired me to write another three cookbooks, completing a series of books which were titled “Invitations to Dinner, to Cocktails, to Tea and to a Children’s Party”. These books immediately became popular with the Greek public. My career as a writer/ publisher continued with the book “Greek Cuisine” followed by “Greek Pastries and Desserts”. The success of these two books was and remains constant in Greece and abroad. They were translated into English and are especially popular in the US, Australia and Canada. “Greek Cuisine” was also translated into German and is still selling well in German-speaking countries. My next book was “Festive Cuisine”, which has also been translated into English and after that, along with my daughter Alexia, we published the first volume of vegetarian and seafood books, which received an award as the Best Mediterranean Cookbook in Greek from the Salon International Livre Gourmand of Perigueux, France. Since then, we have completed a second volume.
To read more, please visit greekreporter.com
By Lorraine Eyre
You are a well-known, immensely popular, leading culinary authority in Greece. You were born in Volos, a coastal port city in Thessaly, and it is obvious that you have an intense passion for cooking. Where do you think this enthusiasm came from? Did you learn how to cook at a young age?
My passion for cooking began in childhood because of my mother, who was born in Constantinople. She conveyed the beauty of her own homeland in the unforgettable tastes and aromas of food that tantalized everyone’s tastebuds. She had an inexhaustible source of recipes, which she taught me to cook in her own inimitable way, and emphasized the need for each dish to look as attractive as it tasted. I believe she succeeded in passing on her love and flair for cooking to me.
At that time, it was impossible to think how much cooking would influence me in later life. That it would be my main occupation, which even today, after so many years, fills me with joy and satisfaction.
You must have tested thousands of varying recipes over the years. How do you manage to keep coming up with new ideas?
Well, there’s such a variety of products produced by the earth and the ocean, that there are many ways in which we can process and combine them in order to create new recipes. I have already stored about 100,000 selected recipes in my computer. What do I mean by “selected?” Well, dishes which I have thoroughly tested with proven ingredients and in balanced proportions, that have had an accurate result.
There are so many major cultural differences in the approach people around the world take to cooking and eating food. What can you tell me about Greek cuisine in general and how healthy it is?
The Greek culinary tradition, inextricably tied to Greek civilization, is ancient, with roots going back many centuries.
The unique geographical position of Greece, the mild climate, the diversity of its soil, with large mountainous areas, plains and surrounding ocean, created ideal conditions for producing outstanding products from the land and sea. Thus, Greece is well-known for its highly refined and healthy cuisine.
The colonial expansion of the Greek element in the rest of the Mediterranean, as well as contact with other cultures of the East, were equally important factors for the development of Greek cuisine. The final configuration in classical times influenced the cuisines of the cultures that followed, such as the Greco-Roman and later, through the long path of the Byzantine, the cuisines of the middle Ages and modern Europe.
Vefa, you became an even bigger household name when you started appearing on TV, passing on cooking tips and bringing mouth-watering recipes into the homes of thousands. What was that like, cooking on air in front of the bright lights and cameras?
In a few words, it was a wonderful adventure. I remember my first years on television. The main difficulty I encountered at first, was how to get used to looking into the lens. However, there were numerous other difficulties. For starters, there was no kitchen. I presented dishes on a table and had to show them being prepared in all their stages. This was hard because the food was pre-cooked, ready for final presentation, while I prepared all the ingredients before the TV audience. This meant double trouble and double costs. I had to bring the tools and utensils I needed from home and return with them every day. However, I enjoyed my cooking, and drew strength and courage to overcome those first difficulties. I loved my public appearances and the admiration of my fans.
From cooking delicious Greek dishes, writing innovative cookery books, producing culinary videos, opening the increasingly popular “Vefa House” stores and appearing on TV and in countless magazines: which one of these were the most challenging and the most enjoyable?
In 1980, at a time when, in Greece, there were no serious attempts at writing a cookbook, I decided that having the know-how and the real taste of cooking, I would create my own first cookbook. Its enormous success inspired me to write another three cookbooks, completing a series of books which were titled “Invitations to Dinner, to Cocktails, to Tea and to a Children’s Party”. These books immediately became popular with the Greek public. My career as a writer/ publisher continued with the book “Greek Cuisine” followed by “Greek Pastries and Desserts”. The success of these two books was and remains constant in Greece and abroad. They were translated into English and are especially popular in the US, Australia and Canada. “Greek Cuisine” was also translated into German and is still selling well in German-speaking countries. My next book was “Festive Cuisine”, which has also been translated into English and after that, along with my daughter Alexia, we published the first volume of vegetarian and seafood books, which received an award as the Best Mediterranean Cookbook in Greek from the Salon International Livre Gourmand of Perigueux, France. Since then, we have completed a second volume.
To read more, please visit greekreporter.com
By Lorraine Eyre
Published in
Greek Food & Diet
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Friday, 20 February 2015 15:06
Ekmek (Byzantine Dessert With Fresh Cream)
This dessert consists of three layers. The first layer is a spongy cake with a sweet syrup, the second layer is a custard pastry cream that has been lightened with whipped cream and finished with a generous layer of whipped cream that has been whipped and flavored with vanilla. Finally topped with toasted slivered almonds.
SPONGE CAKE
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
Pinch of salt
4 tbs melted butter
CUSTARD CREAM
2 cups whole milk
½ cup sugar
¼ cup flour
2 eggs
3 Tbs butter
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup fresh whipping cream
FRESH WHIPPED CREAM
2 cups fresh whipping cream
½ tsp vanilla
½ cup slivered and toasted almonds
In a mixer whisk on the highest speed four eggs with one cup of sugar until frothy and pale in color. Remove from mixer and fold in the flour with a shifter. Take turns in mixing melted butter and sifts of flour so that you uniformly combine the ingredients. Do not over mix. You need all the air and bubbles.
Put in a rectangular cookie sheet on top greased baking paper. Bake in a 350 preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. When cooled down, wet with a light simple syrup.
To make the syrup put in a sauce pan 1 cup of sugar with ½ cup water. Allow to simmer for 4-5 minutes.
Now proceed with making the pastry cream.
In a large mixing bowl we whisk the eggs with sugar and flour. In a sauce pan we heat the milk slightly and pour the above paste (eggs, sugar, flour) into the sauce pan with the milk. We return the cream to the heat and whisking constantly on medium heat the cream will thicken. Then we add the butter and vanilla. We mix to incorporate and remove from the heat. Set aside and allow to cool down.
In the mean time whip all three cups of the cream with 1 TBS sugar and vanilla until stiff. Take one cup of the cream and slowly with careful motions incorporate into the pastry cream. Cover and put in the fridge for ½ hour.
Now you are ready to assemble the dessert. It sounds like a lot of work but after you make it once and you know the steps it is really easy.
Choose a nice large platter with agreeable shape of your sponge cake. Place the sponge cake in the dish. Spread the cooled-down pastry cream. Finish with the whipped cream on top and toasted almonds. Place the dessert in the fridge and allow to cool down for a couple of hours before serving.
By Eleni Melirrytou
Published in
Greek Food & Diet
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Friday, 20 February 2015 15:01
Gluten-Free Greek Halva Recipe
Greek halva refers to halva with semolina flour (course wheat flour), which is my personal standard of halva. In Greece, if one receives unexpected special guests whether at one’s home or at a taverna (causal restaurant), halva is one of those desserts that can be whipped up within 30 minutes and the ingredients are always in one's pantry. How to describe it? Something new, yet familiar; almost pudding-like, but can cut like a cake; reminiscent of childhood with the texture and aromatics of cinnamon and cooked cereal.
I like to toast pine nuts for the halva, and garnish it with chopped pistachios for great flavor and eye appeal. Nuts are something you can customize in your halva or leave out completely. It is your choice.
INGREDIENTS
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 ½ cups Cream of Rice
3 heaping tablespoons Spanish pine nuts or blanched and shredded almonds (optional)
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon plus ½ teaspoon, for garnish
¼ teaspoon cloves, ground
¼ teaspoon salt (none if using salted butter)
2 cups boiling water
½ cup chopped pistachios, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
In a large heavy saucepan, heat the butter until melted over low heat. Add the Cream of Rice, stirring continuously. When the mixture begins to turn golden, add in the pine nuts/almonds and stir until the mixture is golden brown. Stir in sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Add in the boiling water with caution, stir until blended and cook for 2-3 minutes until the syrup is absorbed. Remove from heat and cover for about 15 minutes.
Turn into an 8-by-8 inch dish, press down firmly and even out with a spatula. While it is still hot, garnish by sprinkling on a light dusting of cinnamon and the chopped pistachios. Gently, but firmly press with hands. Allow to cool slightly, and then cut into 16 pieces. Serve. Any leftovers can be stored in refrigerator, covered.
Recipe Details
Makes 16 servings
Time: 30 minutes
By Erin Swing
INGREDIENTS
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 ½ cups Cream of Rice
3 heaping tablespoons Spanish pine nuts or blanched and shredded almonds (optional)
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon plus ½ teaspoon, for garnish
¼ teaspoon cloves, ground
¼ teaspoon salt (none if using salted butter)
2 cups boiling water
½ cup chopped pistachios, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
In a large heavy saucepan, heat the butter until melted over low heat. Add the Cream of Rice, stirring continuously. When the mixture begins to turn golden, add in the pine nuts/almonds and stir until the mixture is golden brown. Stir in sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Add in the boiling water with caution, stir until blended and cook for 2-3 minutes until the syrup is absorbed. Remove from heat and cover for about 15 minutes.
Turn into an 8-by-8 inch dish, press down firmly and even out with a spatula. While it is still hot, garnish by sprinkling on a light dusting of cinnamon and the chopped pistachios. Gently, but firmly press with hands. Allow to cool slightly, and then cut into 16 pieces. Serve. Any leftovers can be stored in refrigerator, covered.
Recipe Details
Makes 16 servings
Time: 30 minutes
By Erin Swing
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Friday, 20 February 2015 14:59
Greek Sparkling Wines – A Champagne Alternative
Christmas and New Year celebrations are deeply connected with the sound ‘pop’, generated when opening a precious champagne. But there are other alternatives – more economic – that can fill as well our flutes. Greek wineries can propose sparkling wines, capable to replace champagne worthily. We have tried some of them, graded them and we present them to you.
1. CAIR ROSE RESERVE 1996 BRUT – 81.3
Reserved sparkling wine by Athiri and Mandilaria with continuous thin bubbles and high acidity. Delicate aroma of red fruits and ripe peach. Notes of baked walnut. Long aftertaste.
2. CAIR BLANC DEMI SEC – 81.3
Sparkling semi dry wine by Athiri with medium but continuous sparkling. Apricot and vanilla with a honey-like taste. Balance of acidity and bubbles in the mouth. Long and pleasant aftertaste
3. ΑΜΥΝΤΑS BLANC DE NOIR DEMI SEC – 80
Sparkling semi dry wine by Xinomavro with soft and pleasant babbles forming a continuous ‘rope’. Unripe apple and flower honey. High acidity and metallic notes. Sweet and pleasant aftertaste.
4. KTIMA EFHARIS EVA ROSE – 79.7
Salmon colour and medium persistent bubbles. Sweet rose and red fruits of medium intensity with vegetal notes. Sweet and fruity mouth. Pomegranate and red fruits in the aftertaste
5. POEME ΖΙΤΣΑ DEMI SEC – 79
Medium lemon colour and thin interrupted bubbles. Complex nose, with unripe white fruits and baked aromas. In the mouth, there is bread and fruits of white flesh while acidity diminishes. Medium length aftertaste.
We also tasted: 6. EMERY GRAND PRIX BRUT 7. ΑΜΥΝΤΑΙΟΝ ROZE DEMI SEC 8. AMYNTAION ROSE SEC 9. CAIR BRUT 10. POEME ΖΙΤSΑ BRUT
gourmed.gr
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Friday, 20 February 2015 14:58
Olive Bread - Eliopsomo
This Greek olive bread recipe is just teeming with the flavours of Greece and the Mediterranean, with the delicious rustic bread, oozing with plump, rich olives, herbs and red onions. This bread is usually made with white flour, and with so many Greek recipes, enriched with a little olive oil. There is nothing like the wonderful aroma of freshly cooked bread wafting from the kitchen to gather everyone around for a tasting. This Eliopsomo - Olive bread recipe has a lovely rich flavour, and the sight and smell of this bread tempts all the senses. Eliopsomo literally means olive bread - Elio - olive, Psomo - bread.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this olive bread recipe instead of normal bread at a Greek meal.
Have as a light lunch with cheese and ham.
Toast it and drizzle extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of freshly ground salt and pepper.
Have it fresh or grilled with slices of fresh, juicy tomatoes and crumbled feta.
Cut thin slices and have with dips.
Include in a meze, with a selection of appetizers, ideal with a drink.
Use good quality, rich oily olives for this olive bread recipe, you will appreciate their flavour in the bread.
Try not to use canned ones, they will not taste as good.
For a variety, use olives marinated in herbs.
Ensure all the olives are pitted before using, you do not want any olive stones in the bread!
Ingredients
1 red onion, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons olive oil, for frying
675g/1 1/2lb / 6 cups white bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
25g/1oz fresh yeast OR 2 teaspoons dried yeast
350ml / 12 fl oz /1v 1/2 cups lukewarm water
5 tbspn olive oil
175g / 6 oz/ 1 1/2 cups pitted black olives, roughly chopped
2 tbspn fresh coriander, marjoram or oregano, finely choppped
extra flour for dusting
Makes 2 small loaves or 1 large loaf
Preparation
1. Fry the onion in the olive oil until soft.
2. Remove from pan and put aside till later.
3. Sift the flour and salt into a large Mixing Bowl, and make a well in the centre.
4. If using dried yeast, add to the flour. OR
5. If using fresh yeast, blend it with half the water in a jug and then add to the flour.
6. Add the rest of the water and the olive oil.
7. Mix it all in until a soft dough, using a round bladed knife.
8. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth.
9. Place in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
10. Grease 2 Baking Sheets.
11. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times.
12. Roll the dough out into a large circle and sprinkle the olives, herbs and fried onion evenly over the dough.
13. Bring the sides up over to cover the filling and gently knead the bread until the filling is mixed through the dough.
14. Cut the dough in half and shape each half to an oval bread shape.
15. If you prefer to do rolls, just cut into many small round or elongated shapes, or alternatively 1 large loaf.
16. Place each loaf on a baking sheet.
17. Cover with lighly oiled cling film and leave in a warm place until doubled in size.
18. Place 2 or 3 diagonal cuts - about 1 inch / 2cm deep along the top of the bread to create a nice rustic appearance once cooked.
19. Dust the loaves lightly with the flour.
20. Preheat the oven to 220 oC / 425 oF / gas 7
21. Once the loaves have risen, place in a preheated oven.
22. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until the loaves are golden color and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
23. Transfer to a wire Cooling Rack and leave to cool.
If you wish to use this olive bread recipe to make rolls, you would reduce the cooking time to about 25 minutes. If you are making 1 large loaf, you would probably need an extra 10 minutes baking time.
Enjoy your olive bread recipe!
To read more, please visit http://www.macheesmo.com/2009/10/olive-bread/ and http://www.macheesmo.com
Published in
Greek Food & Diet
Tagged under
Friday, 20 February 2015 14:57
Amygdalota: Greek Almond Cookies
My favorite cookies are Amygdalota: delicate Greek almond cookies that are slightly crisp on the outside and chewy and sweet on the inside. Topped with sliced almonds they are the perfect treat to enjoy with coffee or tea and I personally can’t get enough of them. The other day I had a real hankering for Amygdalota and decided to try my hand at these cookies for the first time.
I think I did well for my first time making Amygdalota and not going by a substantiated recipe per se. Next time I will indulge a little more and add a couple more egg whites to get the cookies to thicken up a little more yet still retain their light texture inside.
** Note: I piped the cookies onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet to better shape them. If you don’t have piping tips or bags, don’t fret: just fill a plastic sandwich/food storage bag with the “dough,” cut one corner and pipe your cookies onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Makes 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients
1 can (227 grams) almond paste
1 1/2 cups (about 175 gr.) powdered sugar
3 egg whites
1/2 cup (100 gr.) ground almonds
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Method
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well. Now, I found the almond paste to be too stiff and I couldn’t get it to mix well with all the other ingredients just by using a wooden spoon and stirring by hand, so I emptied the “dough” into the bowl of my food processor (which was out to chop the almonds) and pulsed it until it was well combined.
Fill a piping bag with the dough and pipe rounds of “dough” onto the baking sheets (or use a cookie scoop/spoon to do so). Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until golden around the edges; cookies will still be soft when you remove them from the oven but will harden as they cool. Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack then store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks … if they last that long!
To read more, please visit kalisasorexi.com
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