Semolina Halva

The famous Lenten sweet semolina halva with honey aroma and rich taste of cinnamon and almonds and raisins.

 
5.0 stars from 5 Chef

Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 20 minutes | Total: 25 minutes
Recipe for: 12 servings

Nutrients for 1 serving
Calories: 468 calories | Fat: 17 gr.

Recipe Ingredients for the syrup:

• Water: 4 1/2 cup 
• Sugar: 2 1/2 cups  
• Honey: 1/2 cup  
• Orange peel: from 1 small orange, only the yellow part
• Cinnamon: 1 stick  
• Carnation: 2 to 3 pins

Materials for the halva recipe:

• Sesame oil: 1/2 cup (or sunflower or light olive oil) 
• Olive oil: 1/4 cup  
• Thick semolina: 2 cups  
• Shelled, unsalted almonds: 1/2 cup  
• Raisins: 1/4 cup

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan put all the ingredients for the syrup to boil. When boiled, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. If it's needed skim. 
2. Meanwhile in large saucepan put the oil and meal and put them in the fire, stirring until the semolina started to change color. Then add the almonds and continue roasting until the semolina to get nice light brown color. Then remove from heat. 
3. Remove from the syrup the cinnamon, carnation and orange and pour in the semolina. This process takes much attention, because splash and vapor turns very hot and can burn you. What suits me well, is to cover the pot with the net for frying and over that to throw the syrup (again carefully and quickly to the vapors). So the splashes are limited and do not need to take off the peel, the cinnamon and the carnation from the syrup, which remains on the net. 
4. Return the saucepan to the heat and add the raisins. Stir until all the syrup is absorbed and halva is tight. Turn off heat and cover the halva for 5 minutes. 
5. Pour the halva in shape and allow to cool. Take it out of the shape and sprinkle with sesame seeds and cinnamon if you want.

Source: Radicio

Glossy Portokalofloudes

The candied orange peels cook easily and are delicious. You can combine them with many sweets and especially chocolate.
 

5.0 stars from 3 Chef

Preparation: 10 minutes and the time for cooling and draining | Cooking: 2 hours | Total: 2 hours and 10 minutes and the time for cooling and draining
Recipe for: 24 tracks

Nutrients for 1 piece
Calories: 64 calories | Fat: 0.3 grams.

Recipe Ingredients:

• Organic Oranges: 6 large 
• Water: 1 liter  
• Sugar: 500 gr.  
• Orange juice: 100 ml

Instructions:

1. Cut the top and bottom of orange (the stem and the belly button) and scratch the skin in four. Carefully remove it from the orange. 
2. Boil water in a saucepan and put the skins for 2 to 3 minutes. Then drain. Repeat the procedure once more. 
3. Put in saucepan 1 liter of water, sugar and juice and put into the fire. Stir the sugar, in order to melt and when it boils, put the peels. Then simmer for about 1.5 hours to soften well. Turn off the heat and leave to cool in the syrup. 
4. Remove the peel from the syrup and put them on a rack to drain overnight. The next day, store them in a jar or bowl in the refrigerator. 

Source: Radicio

Cookies with molasses

Lenten cookies with molasses and olive oil, and very very delicious, perfect for the period of fasting and beyond.

Preparation: 35 minutes | Cooking: 15 minutes | Total: 50 minutes
Recipe for: 35 cookies

Nutrients for 1 scone
Calories: 147 calories | Fat: 6 g.

Recipe Ingredients:

• Light olive oil: 1 cup 
• Molasses: 1 cup  
• Sugar: 1/4 cup  
• Raki: 2 tablespoons  
• Orange: 1 medium, zest and juice  
• Beaten with a little sugar mastic: 1/2 teaspoon  
• Crumbs cinnamon: 1/2 teaspoon  
• Soda: 1 teaspoon  
• Flour: 600 gr. (Some may take more or less)

Instructions:

• Beat olive oil with sugar and molasses. Add the soda dissolved in orange juice, zest, cinnamon and mastic. Finally add a little by little flour, stirring by hand. We need to get a dough pliable but not too hard. 
• Cover the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180 degrees and cover with wax paper or oil 2 large baking pans. 
• Shaped biscuits and place them in prepared pans. Bake them in oven for 15 minutes. Take them out on a rack to cool. When completely cool, store them in airtight packaging. 

Source: Radicio

Kazan Ntipi

Delicious, sweet from Constantinople, with lots of milk and its characteristic burnt cream. Flavored with rose water or mastic, according to your taste.

Preparation: 5 minutes and time for the cold | Cooking: 20 minutes | Total: 25 minutes and time for the cold
Recipe for: 16 servings 

Nutrients for 1 serving
Calories: 283 calories | Fat: 4 g.

Recipe Ingredients:

• Corn flour: 3/4 cup

• Flour: 1/4 cup

• Sugar: 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra

• Milk: 7 cups

• Mastic: 2 small pieces (or 2 tablespoons rose water)

• Butter: 2 tablespoons  

Instructions:

1. Brush with butter the bottom and walls of a 26 cm baking pan (round or square equivalent), to a height 2 to 3 inches,  Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. If you do not have gas fireplaces, it is desirable to use a wide, low pan.
2. Put the mastic with a little sugar in a mortar or blender and hit. Keep it aside. 
3. Take a cup of milk and dissolve the cornflour and flour. Put it in a pan (if it happens to have a lumpy flour, pass it through the strainer) and add the remaining milk, sugar and gum (if you use rose water, put it in after you take the cream out of the heat). 
4. Put the pan into the fire and stir until boil and the cream thickens. Remove from the heat. 
5. Put the pan you prepared on the heat and leave until the sugar starts to change color. Then add a few tablespoons of the cream and spread it on the bottom of the pan (spray with caution because it's bubbling). Leave on the fire until the cream begins to "burn". Remove from heat. 
6. Leave a while to calm and carefully add the remaining cream (it's better to add a little amount every time, with a little spoon, so as not interfere with the burnt). Allow the cake to cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight. To serve, cut it into pieces, which are taken with a spatula and turn it upside down on a plate.

Source: Radicio

Fig Cake

Recipe for sweet figs. Figs collect the authorities in June, still immature.

Preparation: 15 minutes and 1 day waiting | Cooking: 1 hours and 20 minutes | Total: 1 hours and 35 minutes and 1 day waiting
Recipe for: 35 fig moderate 

Nutrients for 1 fig
Calories: 58 calories | Fat: 0 g. 

Recipe Ingredients:

• Green figs: 1 pound

• Extinguished lime: 3 tablespoons

• Sugar: 1 pound

• Water: 1 liter

• Vanilla: 2 capsules

• Juice Lemon: half a lemon

Instructions:

1. Wash figs. In large bowl, dissolve the lime in plenty of water, stir well and put the figs. Let them rest for 1 hour, stirring now and then, because the lime settles. Then remove from the lime and wash well. 
2. With a toothpick or skewer stick, make a hole from the bottom of the fig (there is the mere fig hole) to the stem. Boil water and add the figs. Cook for 4 minutes and drain. Repeat 2 more times (we do this to get the bitterness out of the figs). 
3. Boil sugar with water for 10 minutes. Add the figs and cook for another 15 minutes. Turn off heat and cover the pot. Let the sweet to rest for 24 hours. 
4. The next day, boil again the sweet, until syrup thickens. Just before ready, add the juice and vanilla. When cool, store in sterilized jars.  

Source: Radicio 

Watermelon Delight

Watermelon delight, or watermelon pie, is traditionally made in the Cyclades Islands as well as in some of the Dodecanese Islands.

The traditional recipe uses an August watermelon from a waterless plantation - a field where different fruit and vegetables, such as melons, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, gumbo etc. are cultivated, without a drop of water. These fruits are usually smaller in size and extremely aromatic.

However, in the absence of that kind of watermelon, it can still taste delicious with normal watermelons.

Ingredients

For a 30-cm baking pan:
1 medium size watermelon
1/2 kg flour
3 - 4 tablespoons sugar
50g sesame seeds
3 tablespoons honey (preferrably Greek)

Preparation

Cut the watermelon in half.

Discard the hard outer skin and place the inside in a bowl.

Remove the seeds and make into a pulp with your hands.

Allow the watermelon to strain for about an hour. (you can keep the juice to drink)

Mix the flour, sugar about 1/3 of the honey with the pulp and place in the baking pan.

Pour another 1/3 of the honey evenly over the mixture and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200 C for about 70 minutes.

When you remove it from the oven, add the remaining honey and the dessert is ready.

It can be eaten straight from the oven, but is also delicious cold.

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Authentic Greek Recipes

Greek Must Cookies (Moustokouloura)

These cookies are a tasty accompaniment for your coffee or tea. They have the distinctive taste of must - which is taken from the pressed grapes before it is made into wine - and a hint of cinnamon. You can make them either soft or crispy, depending on your preference.

Ingredients

250g sugar

170g grape must

150g extra virgin olive oil

200g water

9g ammonium bicarbonate

9g cinnamon

1 kg soft flour

4g baking powder

4g soda powder

Preparation

Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl to form a pliable dough, without over handling the dough.

Cover it with cling film and leave in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.

On a slightly floured surface shape the dough into circular cookies (see photo) and place them in a shallow buttered oven dish.

If you want the moustokouloura to be soft, cover them with aluminium foil, making a few holes in the foil with a fork and keep them covered for 10 minutes after they have been baked.

If you want them to be crispy, then leave them uncovered.

In both cases bake them in a pre heated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.

 

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Authentic Greek Recipes

 

Galaktoboureko

Ingredients

1 Packet Filo Pastry


For the Cream

250g butter – 50g for the cream and the rest for the filo
1 litre fresh milk
2/3 cup fine semolina
1/3 cup thick semolina
Grated rind from 2 lemons
4 eggs
2 vanilla essence
½ teaspoonful grated cinnamon


For the Syrup

2 cups water
3 ½ cups sugar
3 sticks of cinnamon
3 slices lemon peel
1 tablespoonful syrup
15 cloves plus some extra for the filo



Preparation of Galaktoboureko

Remove the filo from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.

Simmer the milk in a large pan with the sugar and the semolina, stirring continuously until the mixture starts to thicken.

Lower the temperature and add the eggs one at a time whilst stirring vigorously.

Allow the mixture to thicken whilst stirring continuously.

Add the remaining ingredients for the cream.

Set the cream aside, covering it with cling film which is in contact with the cream so as that it doesn’t form a crust.

Melt the butter.

Spread half of the filo on the bottom of a large round oven dish and spread melted butter on it.

Spread the cream on top of the filo.

Place the remaining filo, spread with melted butter, on top of the cream.

Cut round the edge of the oven dish to remove the extra filo.

Fold the filo over the edge of the oven dish.

Butter the surface.

With a sharp knife, score the top of the filo diagonally into portion sizes. In the centre of each portion place a clove.

Bake the galaktoboureko in a preheated moderate oven for about 40 minutes or until it has a golden colour.

Allow it to cool and cut it where it has been scored, whilst it is still in the oven dish.

It is better to leave it overnight and prepare the syrup to go on top the following morning.

Preparation of Syrup

Put the water and sugar in a large pan.

Add the rest of the ingredients for the syrup and boil gently for 20 minutes.

Pour the syrup on top of the galaktoboureko, allowing it to be absorbed.



When serving, sprinkle some ground cinnamon on top of each portion.

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Authentic Greek Recipes

 

Pasta Flora Tart

This is a traditional Greek sweet, which I remember from childhood always being served with the coffee or juice whenever we went on family visits. It is more often than not baked in a square or rectangular dish, but can also be baked in a circular shape, as you can see from the photo.

The fruit in the recipe here is quince - for the simple reason that it is my favourite! - but other fruit can also be used, most notably sweetened grapes in syrup.

Ingredients

325g butter
150g icing sugar
3g salt
2 eggs
1 vanilla essence
Grated rind from 1 orange
½ kg soft flour
1 tin quince fruit in syrup


Preparation

Beat the butter and the sugar well in the mixer and then add the salt, vanilla essence, orange rind and eggs one at a time and beat for another 5 minutes.

Change the attachment on the mixer, and use the one for kneading.

Add the flour to the mixture and knead until you have pliable dough.

Take the dough and wrap it in cling film and place it in the fridge for 1 hour.

When you remove the dough from the fridge, divide it into 2 parts.

Butter a tart dish and evenly spread half the dough in it.

Drain the syrup from the quince fruit and then spread the fruit over the dough, just enough to cover it.

Take the remaining dough and, with the help of flour, knead it into long strings roughly the thickness of your little finger. Use these to make a criss-cross pattern on top of the fruit.

Bake it in a moderate pre-heated oven for approx. 30-40 minutes, until the tart turns a slightly golden colour.

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Authentic Greek Recipes

Ravani

This is a very simple, tasty little sweet. You can have it to accompany your coffee or tea. Nice and easy to make, too!


Ingredients

1 kg all purpose flour
1/8 kg fine semolina
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
¾ litre extra virgin olive oil
½ kg sugar
¾ litre water
Juice from ½ lemon
Grated rind from ½ lemon

Preparation

Put the oil, water and half of the sugar in a pan and bring to the boil.

Add the semolina, flour, lemon juice and rind and the remaining sugar, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.

Reduce the heat to the minimum.

When all the ingredients are well mixed, transfer to a shallow, greased oven dish.

The thickness of the mixture should be 3 – 4 cm.

Smooth the mixture so that it is even throughout the dish.

Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.

Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 – 200 degrees for 1½ hours or until the edges turn golden brown.

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Authentic Greek Recipes

Greek Apple Pie (Milopita)

My mother had this recipe since she was a young girl and it was popular in the north of Greece at that time. It's more of an accompaniment to tea or coffee rather than a sweet at the end of a meal as other apple pies are. Of course, you can eat it with cream (I do!) and it has a nice 'squidgy' apple filling and soft dough.


Ingredients

For the dough
500g self-raising flour
250g fresh butter (quite soft)
2 eggs
200g sugar

For the filling
1 kg cooking apples
300g sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon


Preparation

Dough

Beat the butter and sugar in the mixer for 5 minutes.
Add the eggs and beat for another 5 minutes.
Change the mixer attachment to the one for dough and add the flour.
Beat until you have a pliable dough.
Cover the dough in cling film and leave in the fridge to rest for I hour.

Meanwhile, discard the peel and pips from the apples, thickly grate them and drain well.

Add the cinnamon and sugar and mix. (set aside 1 tablespoon of sugar aside to sprinkle on top at the end)

Butter a round oven dish.

Divide the dough into two and spread the one half in the bottom of the oven dish.

Spread the apple, cinnamon and sugar mixture on top of the dough.

Cut 2 sheets of kitchen grease paper into the shape of the oven dish.

Roll out the second half of dough and place it between the 2 sheets so that it is the shape of the dish and evenly flat.

Remove the top sheet and then turn the dough with the bottom sheet over on top of the filling so that it covers it and remove the other sheet.

Make sure the edges are even and prick it evenly on top with a fork.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on top.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 40 minutes or until it turns golden.

When it is ready, cut it into squares.(see photo)

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Authentic Greek Recipes

Greek Baked Quince With Yoghurt (Kidoni me Yaourti)

This is a really, really simple sweet to prepare - but so delicious! Quince is one of my favourite fruits and when it's baked and served with yoghurt and honey.... Well, just try it for yourself! The yoghurt should be Greek strained yoghurt and the honey should preferrably be Greek as well.

Ingredients

4 quinces
1 cup Greek strained yoghurt
1 tablespoon honey (preferrably Greek)


Preparation

Wash the quinces.

Wrap them in aluminium foil and bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 2 hours.

Remove from the oven and allow them to cool.

Remove the centre with the seeds and slice the fruit.

Serve with strained yoghurt with honey poured over the yoghurt.

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Authentic Greek Recipes

Greek Orange Spoon Sweet (Gliko Koutaliou Portokali)

It's common practice in Greece if you visit someone during the day or early evening, to be offered a spoon sweet, or 'gliko koutaliou'. This is a sweet made from fruit and kept in a jar, to be served on sweet dish (preferrable glass) whenever someone comes. All types of fruit are used, but this particular recipe is for orange. It's really easy to make and is a delightful sweet to eat.

Ingredients

4 large seedless oranges – preferably with a thick skin.
Sugar – the same weight as the oranges after they have been boiled.


Preparation

Wash the oranges and thinly slice off the top and tail.

Put them in a pan with enough water to cover them and boil for 1 hour.

Let them cool and then weigh them.

Cut in half horizontally and then cut the halves in half vertically.

Cut the quarters into thin slices – 1cm approx.

Empty the water from the pan and put the oranges in.

Add the same weight of sugar.

Bring to the boil and then simmer until it becomes a syrup – not too thick. This should be about 30 minutes.

Put the hot sweet into hot sterilised jars and save.

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Authentic Greek Recipes

Greek Halva (Halva Tis Rinas)

There are many types of halva, especially in the middle eastern countries. My own particular favourite is from Constantinople in Turkey, but obviously I can't put the recipe for that in a blog with authentic Greek recipes! In Greece we have Macedonian Halva from northern Greece - a hard halva - but the manufacturers keep the recipe a secret. We also have Halva tis Rinas (Rina's Halva) and that is the recipe that follows. Ideally it is served with some whipped cream on top, but that is optional.

Ingredients

400g fine semolina
6 medium eggs
120g grated almonds (with skin removed)
220g fresh butter at room temperature
150g sugar
100 ml milk
Grated rind from 1 lemon
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
2 teaspoons baking powder
250 ml double cream whipped (optional)

For the syrup

450g sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Peel from 3 – 4 lemons
600 ml water


Preparation

Separate the egg yolks from the whites.

Put the yolks and the sugar in a mixer and beat well.

Add the lemon rind and the milk and continue beating for a short time.

In another bowl mix the semolina, vanilla essence, baking powder and grated almonds and then add them to the yolk and sugar mixture.

Stir slowly.

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and rinse and dry the mixer bowl well.

Put the egg whites in the mixer bowl and with the appropriate mixer head beat them into a loose meringue in the mixer.

Gradually transfer this to the first mixture and fold it in.

Grease a 30cm oven dish, 6cm deep and pour all the mixture into it.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until it is a golden brown.

While the halva is in the oven, prepare the syrup - Put all the syrup ingredients in a pan and boil for 5 minutes.

Remove the lemon peel.

When you remove the halva from the oven, allow it to cool a little and then cut it into portions in the dish.

Pour the syrup all over it.

Cover it and allow it to rise while it is cooling.

When it has cooled completely, serve the portions with a little whipped cream on top.

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Authentic Greek Recipes

Greek Walnut Cake (Karidopita)

Old ladies from high Athens society used to sit in the tea and coffee houses eating this rich walnut cake as an accompaniment to their tea and gossip. It is delicious accompanied by whipped cream! The thing to be careful with is for it to be neither too dry nor too syrupy.

Ingredients

100g walnuts very roughly chopped
400g grated walnuts
400g all purpose flour
400g sugar
125g butter
8 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons cognac
1 tablespoon crumbled rusks

For the Syrup

320g sugar
400ml water

Preparation

Beat the butter, sugar, cinnamon the yolks of the eggs in a mixer for 10 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

Clean the mixer bowl and beat the whites of the eggs in the mixer until it becomes a meringue.

Add half of the meringue to the yolk mixture.

Mix the baking powder with the 400g grated walnuts, gradually adding the flour.

Add this mixture to the egg yolk mixture along with the remaining meringue, stirring gently.

Transfer the whole mixture to a 30cm oven dish, 6cm deep, which has been well buttered, and the crumbled rusks sprinkled over the bottom.

Spread the 100g roughly chopped walnuts on top.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the sugar and water in a pan and boil for 15 minutes.

Remove the cake and cut into pieces with a bread knife and spread the syrup over the top, followed by the cognac.

 

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Authentic Greek Recipes

 

Baclava (Baklava)

Well, it was only a matter of time before we had the recipe for Baclava (or Baklava) here! It's probably one of the best-known sweets from this area of the world and quite rightly so, in my opinion! You should be able to obtain the sheets of filo pastry where you live - it's available in most parts of the world, I believe.

Ingredients

500g butter

300g grated walnuts

40 sheets filo pastry

1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the syrup

650g sugar

80g glucose

400g water

Preparation

Melt the butter in a pan.

Cut all the sheets of filo pastry into a circular shape to fit the round, medium-sized oven dish you will use.

Butter the oven dish and start placing 20 sheets of filo pastry individually, buttering each one as you do so.

Mix the cinnamon with the walnuts and add the mixture to the dish on top of the 20 filo sheets.

Place the other 20 sheets on top, again individually and buttering each one as you do so.

Place the dish in the fridge for 10 minutes.

When you take it out, cut the baklava into diamond shapes (see photo) making sure you make the cuts right to the bottom.

Spray it with water and bake it in a pre heated oven at 150 C for 90 minutes.

While the baklava is baking, prepare the syrup.

Put all the ingredients for the syrup in a pan, bring to the boil and continue boiling for 3 minutes.

When you remove the baklava from the oven, pour the syrup evenly on top of it. This has to be done when both are still hot.

 

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Authentic Greek Recipes

 

Greek Yoghurt Cake (Yaourtopita)

This is a refreshing and easily prepared cake for the summer months (or any other time of the year!) prepared with Greek strained yoghurt. Although it can be eaten warm straight from the oven, it is best eaten when it is cold.

Ingredients

400g fine semolina

400g sugar

500g Greek strained yoghurt

5 eggs

50g almonds very finely chopped

0.6g vanilla powder

1 tbsp baking powder

Grated peel from 1 lemon

Pinch of salt

For the syrup

350g water

600g sugar

3 thin strips of lemon peel

Preparation

Put the eggs, sugar and grated peel in a bowl and beat well with a hand whisk.

Add the yoghurt and beat well until it is well mixed.

Set aside 1 tbsp of semolina and put the rest in a bowl and add the almonds, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Mix well.

Add this mixture to the yoghurt mixture and mix well.

Take an oven dish 30cm diameter and 5cm deep, butter it and sprinkle the tbsp of semolina you have previously set aside.

Put the mixture in the dish and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.

In the meantime prepare the syrup by boiling all the syrup ingredients for 5 minutes.

When the cake is ready, cut it into portions in the oven dish and pour the syrup over it.

Remember, the cake should be hot when you do this and the syrup warm.

 

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Authentic Greek Recipes

 

Greek Loukoumades

Those of you who have eaten loukoumades will know what a delicious treat they are! There are cafes here that serve them and you can just walk in off the street and order a plateful of them to eat. However, home made loukoumades are much cleaner and tastier. They are ideally eaten as they are made - nice and warm with the syrup all over them! To be honest, they are more of a winter dish, but that plateful of loukoumades in the photos disappeared down my throat in no time at all even now in the middle of summer! Not a problem!


Ingredients


1 kg hard flour
50g fresh yeast
150 ml sunflower oil – for mixture
Approx 500 ml sunflower oil – for deep frying
450-500 ml tepid water
15g sugar
10g salt
4 tbsp icing sugar
1 level tbsp cinnamon

For the syrup
600g sugar
300 ml water
200g honey (preferably Greek)


Preparation

In a bowl dissolve the yeast in the tepid water, along with the sugar and salt.

Add the flour and dissolve it well in the water with your hands.

Add the 150ml oil and stir well.

Cover it and let it rest in a warm place for at least 1 hour, to rise.

Prepare the syrup by boiling the sugar and water for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the honey.

Put the 500 ml oil in a deep pan and heat.

Turn the dough in the bowl a few times with your hands.

Take a handful of dough and, with your hand in a fist, squeeze until the dough comes out as a ball between your thumb and index finger. Using a tablespoon which you have dipped in a small bowl with oil, scoop this ball and place in the deep pan to fry.

If you want them to have holes in the middle (see photo), then there is a technique using your fingers instead of a spoon. Using the thumb and middle finger of your free hand, take the dough from the hand that is holding it and press a hole in the middle with your index finger before putting it in the pan to fry.

Repeat this process, dipping the spoon into the oil each time, until you have covered the surface of the oil in the pan.

Once the one side has become golden brown, turn the balls over in the oil so that the other side gets done. The process should only take about 2 minutes or so.

Remove the balls and place on kitchen paper to drain.

Repeat this process until you have used all the dough.

Put all the loukoumades (balls) in a large bowl and pour the syrup over them.

Holding the bowl with both hands, shake the loukoumades so that the syrup goes over them all.

Arrange the loukoumades in serving dishes.

Mix the icing sugar and cinnamon well and sprinkle evenly over them.

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Authentic Greek Recipes

Greek Tiganites

We got a special request for this recipe from Diane, so here it is. These are very similar to pancakes and were very often made by grannies for their young grandchildren - they're really easy to make. Here we've given a recipe with Greek strained yoghurt in them, which makes them especially delicious.

However the most common way of making them, especially in the villages, was just with flour and water - no yoghurt, eggs, butter or sugar that you see in the recipe below - just the flour and enough water to make a thick but runny mixture that could be fried. The honey and cinnamon was then spread on top at the end.

Ingredients


200g white self-raising flour
3 eggs
300g Greek strained yoghurt
2 level tbsp sugar
75g melted butter
300ml sunflower oil
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp honey
½ tsp cinnamon


Preparation

Beat the eggs and sugar with a whisk.

Add the butter, yoghurt and salt and stir well.

Add the flour gradually and continue stirring – avoid lumps – to make a smooth, thick but quite runny mixture.

If the mixture is too thick, you can add a little water.

Heat the oil in the frying pan.

Using a ladle, preferably with a small spout, add the mixture in round shapes to the frying pan – as many as your pan will comfortably take.

Lower the heat – you don’t want it too strong – and fry the tiganites for approx 1-2 minutes on each side.

Remove and place on kitchen paper to drain and continue until you have used all the mixture.

Place all the tiganites on a large plate and evenly spread the honey over them and sprinkle the cinnamon over them.

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Authentic Greek Recipes

Greek Apple Spoon Sweet (Glyko Koutaliou me Mila Firikio)

We previously posted the recipe for Orange Spoon Sweet and this is the recipe for a spoon sweet with firikio apples. I haven't been able to find the English word for firikio, but they are small, tasty apples - you can see the ones we picked in the photo at the bottom. As I mentioned previously, it's common practice in Greece if you visit someone during the day or early evening, to be offered a spoon sweet, or 'gliko koutaliou'. This is a sweet made from fruit and kept in a jar, to be served on sweet dish (preferrable glass) whenever someone comes.

The recipe below has 2 kg of sugar, but some people use less. You can try it and see what suits your taste. It's really easy to make and is a delightful sweet to eat.


Ingredients


1 kg firikio apples
2 kg sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
10 cloves
4 cups water
Juice from 1 lemon
8 tbsp glucose
Peeled almonds


Preparation

Peel the apples and core them so that they are still whole but there is a hole through the middle.

Place the apples in a bowl of water and add the lemon juice.

In a pan boil the sugar with the water and the glucose.

As soon as it comes to the boil and the sugar has dissolved, add the apples, cinnamon sticks and cloves.

Continue boiling the mixture, removing the froth every so often, until the syrup has formed. After about 30 min. you can check the apples with a fork and if they are cooked and the syrup has formed, you can remove from the heat.

Let it cool, remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves and fill in the hollow core with almonds.

Put the mixture in a large glass jar, ready to serve whenever you wish.

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