Ravani (Honey Cake)
Halva Tou Fournou (Semolina Cake)
Halva Tou Fournou (Semolina Cake)
Halva Tou Fournou (Semolina Cake)
Fresh Halva Baked In The Oven Very Different Than Store Bought A Different Taste Of A Semolina Cake Quality.
Ingredients
- Prepare Syrup:
- 3 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 lb. butter
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 orange slice
- 1 lemon wedge
- Combine Above ingredients in saucepan and boil for 20 minutes. Set Aside.
- Prepare Halva:
- 2 cups semolina
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 12 eggs separated
- Grated rind of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Combine Above ingredients in saucepan and boil for 20 minutes. Set Aside.
- Instructions For The Halva:
- Beat egg yolks until light and creamy.
- Add sugar alternately with semolina.
- Beat egg whites until stiff.
- Fold into egg yolk mixture.
- Pour into buttered 11x16 inch pan.
- Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from oven.
- Cool 10 minutes.
- Cut into diamond shapes with buttered knife.
- Pour the above syrup over Halva.
Notes
You can substitute bottled lemon juice, for the equivalent amount of, lemon juice. You can make this in a bundt pan, or cake pan, but you might have to alter the time on it.
Spanakopeta (Spinach Peta)
Spanakopeta (Spinach Peta)
Spanakopeta (Spinach Peta)
Delicious Greek Savory Pie Filled With Spinach And Greek feta Cheese.
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb. fresh spinach or 2 large cans spinach
- 1 lb. Phylo Philo pastry sheets or 20 pastry sheets
- 1 lb. butter
- 2 cups chicken broth or water
- 2 lb. Feta cheese
- 4 eggs beaten
Instructions
- Clean spinach and bring to boil, remove from heat and drain well. ( Same procedure for canned spinach.)
- In a large bowel mix eggs, 1 cup crumbled Feta cheese, and spinach.
- Prepare pastry.
- grease a 14 inch diameter pan.
- Set aside.
- Combine broth, butter and remaining cheese.
- place 10 pastry sheets in pan, brushing each generously with broth mixture.
- Add spinach mixture , spreading evenly over entire surface.
- Place additional 10 pastry sheets, brushing each generously with remainder of broth mixture.
- Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until golden brown.
Notes
To prevent excessive browning, cover with paper towel and continue baking. After cooling cut into squares. For appetizer, cut squares small. Excellent served as appetizers for a buffet supper. Can also be reheated and served the next day, or frozen for future use.
Note: If commercial philo is used, a large rectangular pan is recommended.
Also note: For vegetarians, or vegans, substitute vegetable broth, for the chicken broth, or just use, the water recommended.
Galatobouriko
Galatobouriko Greek Custard Pie
Galatobouriko
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. Pastry Sheets or 16 Pastry Sheets Using From A Box OF Phylo or Filo Dough In Your Specialty Freezer grocery Store
- 6 cups Milk Whole
- 3/4 cup Cream Of Wheat Minus 1 Tbs.
- 9 Egg Yolks
- 2 Cups Sugar White Pure Cane
- 1 Tbsp. Butter
- 1 Tsp. Vanilla
Instructions
- Scald milk and add sugar.
- Add cream of wheat gradually, stirring constantly until thickened.
- Remove from burner.
- Beat egg yolks and add hot milk mixture to egg yolks and stir while pouring.
- Cool and add butter and vanilla.
- Grease 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan.
- Brush 8 pastry sheets individually with butter and place in pan.
- Pour custard mixture over sheets and top with 8 more pastry sheets which have also been brushed with butter.
- Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes or until light brown.
- Syrup:
- 1 1/4 cup of sugar
- 3/4 cup of water
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Bring above to boil and boil for 5 minutes.
- Cut pastry in diamond shapes.
- Ladle hot syrup onto hot Galatobouriko.
Notes
You can pre-cut pastry ahead of the ladling. You can also use equivalent bottled lemon juice, if you do not have fresh lemons available.
Kourambiethes
Kourambiethes
My Daughter Making Kourambiethes During The Christmas Holidays
Kouriambiethes
Ingredients
- 1 C. Blanched Almonds. Ground
- 2 TBSP. Sugar–You an Sub Powdered Sugar I do
- ½ LB. Butter
- 1 TBSP. Vegetable Shortening
- 2 Egg Yolks
- ½ TSP. Vanilla
- ½ TSP. Baking Powder
- 1 ⅔ – 2 C. Flour
Instructions
- Caramelize sugar, remove from heat, quickly stir in almonds. Cool and Crumble.
- Melt butter and shortening over medium heat, bring to a boil. Remove from heat, skim off the froth. Cool.
- Beat eggs and vanilla until thick.
- Gradually add butter, beating continually until mixture is thick and creamy.
- Beat in baking powder
- Stir in almonds and flour, mixing thoroughly.
- Dough should be soft but not dry.
- Shape into balls the size of walnuts, flatten slightly.
- Bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 275 degrees. I lightly grease mine with soft margarine or butter
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Cool slightly.
- Dust generously with powdered sugar.
Notes
Greek Butter & Powdered Sugar Cookies
Kourambiethes
(Powdered Sugar Cookies)RECIPE
Ready in 20 minutes or until lightly browned Serves Yield 2-3 Dozen 57 calories Tips: This is just one version of Kourambiethes to make You can also shape these cookies into round balls, or a short rope, curved, into a half a moon, like a crescent shape. Greek Powdered sugar cookies or Kourambiethes are served around Holidays. Like Christmas, New Years, and Easter, Mostly. But, anytime during the year, when you want to be festive, and to celebrate, and for family, and friends to get togethers. Make it part of your tradition during the Holidays. Note: If you think your pans won’t hold up, and will stick, then lightly grease them with butter or olive oil spray. Or with some margarine or butter. Which is very highly advisable, and I always do.Melomakarona
About: Cookie And Tips: These are wonderful hand shaped cookies. Which is also excellent for vegans, and vegetarians. These are traditional Greek Cuisine Cookies. Made at Christmas, New Year, and Greek Easter. These cookies are the closest to my own homemade recipe. That I have used for years. Premium Cognac is the best, and what makes this cookie recipe premium in quality. That will be used for your family for years to come, during Christmas time. And, making it a family tradition.
Melomakarona
Ingredients
- I Cup Mixed Nuts mixed in ( Optional but highly recommended)
- 9 cups of flour
- 2 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1 tsp. Baking Soda
- Pinch Of Salt Optional I leave out Pinch Of Salt (Optional)
- 3 Cups Mazola Oil or half EVOO Extra Virgin Olive oil half vegetable oil
- 1 Cup Of Sugar
- ½ Cup fresh orange juice
- ½ Cup whisky or cognac I suggest Premium Quality Cognac
- 1 soup spoon cinnamon and nutmeg mixed together (see below for other suggestions)
- Or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and one orange grated peel
- Syrup is below the recipe
- Procedure: And Ingredients
- Make Syrup Mixture: Of 2 Cups Pure Honey
- I suggest clover honey, or your choice.
- ½ cup Water
Instructions
- Procedure:
- 1.Measure Mazola oil into a large mixing bowl
- 2.Mix in dry ingredients and alternate with orange juice and cognac.
- Shape into oblong pieces.
- Bake in a 400 degree oven on a low rack until brown, on the bottom, or firm for about
- 20 minutes. I bake my cookies at 350 degrees and for 25 to 35-40 minutes depending on
- the cookie size.
- 5.Allow cookies to cool after removing from the oven.
- Procedure:
- Make Syrup Mixture: Of 2 Cups Pure Honey
- ( I suggest clover honey, or your choice)
- ½ cup Water I do equal amounts of water to the honey
- Bring to a boil, remove white film accumulated on top. Dip cookies in warm honey
- mixture and allow to penetrate for about 30 seconds.
- Drain and roll. You can use a spouted drainage spatula to pull them out of your dipping
- pot. Drain and roll in chopped walnuts, or pecans. You can also sprinkle them very finely
- chopped nut mixture on top of each melomakarono
Notes
Notes
- Extra Premium Bonus Recipe Tips: You can replace the mazola for all extra virgin olive oil, or half vegetable oil, and half extra virgin olive oil. You can also omit the nutmeg completely if you like. You can add ½ tsp. To 1 tsp. Of ground cloves. Or just leave it, with one teaspoon of cinnamon, instead of a tablespoon, of the spice. Grated orange peel can be optional, and included. Orange juice can be from frozen orange juice concentrated, then diluted, as package direction suggests.
Yield: 8 dozen or more, and sometimes less according to size of cookie.Tip: Use a Tablespoons, measuring spoon equivalent to tablespoon, or very small ice cream mini scoop for scooping up the mixture, then forming it into an oval shaped ball flattened down with the use of your fingers.
Baklava For Christmas
Easy
Baklava For Christmas
RECIPE
(Sweetened Nut Pastry)Ready in 90 minutes
Serves 12+ people
One of the Best recipes, to make around, the Christmas, and Winter Holidays, is homemade Baklava. The very best is to stick to the traditional type as much as possible, with the only exception, to the rule, for me, is changing out the nuts, if you prefer some other ones to use. My son, Nick, asked for this. One of my biggest traditions, in our own home is making Greek Christmas traditional cookies. As my daughter called it, meaning our Greek Christmas cookies, mom, this is our family tradition! I thought, when does every year making our Greek Christmas cookies ever become, a family tradition! That, and her other favorite saying is, sharing is caring! So, the Baklava, comes in as running the last item, coming in, from the race. So, for this reason, my son, Nick, has bought, store bought, Baklava, which does not even come in second, in this race. I would love, to start the site, with some homemade Baklava recipes for his reason, alone.
Baklava
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups coarsely ground pecans
- 1 ½ cups coarsely ground English Walnuts
- ½ cup sugar
- 11/2 tsp. cinnamon
- Grated rind of 1 orange or 2 tsp. Grated orange peel
- 1 c. butter melted
- 1 lb. filo phyllo dough
- Syrup
- 2 c. sugar
- 1 c. honey
- ½ lemon
- 5 whole cloves
Instructions
Notes
Easy
Baklava
RECIPE
Ready in 90 minutes Serves 12+ people You can choose to use all ground walnuts instead. This will then make it, 3 full cups, of coarsely ground English Walnuts. No Pecans, at all. They can also be more finely ground up. Best tip to give you would be a handheld device, These are not ground up like nut butter. Note: Filo dough is available in specialty food stores.
(Sweetened Nut Pastry)
