 ALAN'S CHOICE |
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| OLIVE OIL | ||||||
| OLIVE OIL IN SWEETS | RECIPES FOR: | |||||
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New Year’s Cake with Olive Oil New Year’s cake or Saint Basil’s cake is the symbol of the Greek New Year’s meal. It is either a cake, pie or bread prepared almost all over Greece, although in various ways. A coin is inserted before baking, and whoever finds it in his/her slice is supposed to have good luck in the coming year. It is a survival of the sacred bread of Greek antiquity. Ancient Greeks used to offer such bread of the gods on great feast days. Later, during Roman Saturnalia (Greek celebrations in honour of Cronus), they cast lots to elect the “King of the celebration”. New Year’s cake is cut by the head of the family and the first slice is for Christ, the second for the Virgin Mary, the third for Saint Basil, whose feast is on 1st January, and then there follow slices for the household and the members of the family. 1.5 cup olive oil Preheat oven to 180° C. Beat olive oil with sugar and continue with yolks, vanilla or brandy, orange rind, orange juice, milk, flour and finally the egg whites beaten stiff. Combine carefully and pour the mixture into an oiled No. 30 baking tin. Do not forget to insert a coin. Bake in preheated oven (180° C) for about 1 hour without opening the oven door, at least during the first 40 minutes. [top]A very popular Greek sweet, which seems to have its roots in Ancient Greek gastronomy, when they used to wrap various ingredients in puff pastry and prepare sweets. Such a sweet was “Gastrin”, which was mentioned by Athenaeus, a writer of Roman times, as a Cretan sweet. 1 g roughly chopped walnuts In a large bowl mix walnuts, toasted bread, sugar, cinnamon and clove powder. Brush a rectangular oven tray with olive oil and place 4 pastry sheets, one at a time, brushing each one with olive oil. Spread about 1/3 of the nut mixture over the last sheet and place 2 pastry sheets over the nuts, one at a time, brushing again with olive oil. Continue in this manner till all the ingredients are used up. On top, place 4 pastry sheets, each one brushed with olive oil. Sprinkle the top sheet with a little water and olive oil. Cut into serving portions with a sharp live, first vertically and then horizontally. Bake in preheated oven (180° C) till golden brown. In the meantime prepare the syrup: In a large saucepan put sugar, honey, water and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes and pour hot syrup over hot baklavas, as soon as you remove it from oven. [top] ½ cup olive oil½ cup sugar 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon grated orange rind ¾ cup fresh orange juice ½ cup grated carrot ½ cup grated apple ¾ cup seedless raisins ½ cup coarsely ground walnuts 4 tablespoons brandy 1.5 cup all purpose flour 2 tablespoons baking powder Beat olive oil with sugar, add cinnamon powder, orange rind, orange juice, carrot, apple, raisins, baking powder diluted in brandy and finally flour. Combine well. Brush a baking pan with olive oil, pour mixture into it and bake in preheated oven (180° C) for about 1 hour. [top]½ cup olive oil Beat olive oil with sugar and continue by adding yolks, lemon rind, yoghurt, flour sifted with baking powder and finally egg whites beaten stiff. Combine very carefully and transfer the mixture into an oiled No. 30 baking tin. Bake in preheated oven (180° C) for about one hour. [top]1.5 cup olive oil in a large bowl, start beating olive oil and sugar and then add boiled cinnamon, baking soda diluted in orange juice, baking powder diluted in brandy, cinnamon and clove powder, orange rind, walnuts, raisins and finally flour, working the mixture as you go along. Transfer the mixture into an oiled No. 40 baking tin and baked in preheated oven (moderate heat) for 1 hour and 20 minutes. [top]½ cup olive oil Prepare the mixture: Beat olive oil with sugar and continue with cinnamon and clove, egg yolks, baking soda diluted in lemon juice, baking powder diluted in brandy, flour and finally the egg whites beaten stiff. Combine carefully and pour half mixture in an oiled No. 32 baking tin. Place fruit on top and pour the rest of the mixture on the fruit. Bake in moderate heat (preheated oven) for almost an hour. [top]1 cup olive oil In a large bowl, start beating olive oil with sugar and add yolks, cinnamon and clove, walnuts, baking powder diluted in milk and the flour, stirring the mixture continuously. In the end add egg white that have been beaten very well and combine very carefully. Pour the mixture in an oiled No. 32 baking tin and bake in moderate heat for about an hour. Remove the cake from oven and let it cool down a little. Prepare the syrup: Put sugar, honey, water and lemon juice in a pot and boil for 10 minutes. Pour hot syrup over warm walnut cake. (If desired, you can prepare a cream with milk and corn flour, spread it on top of the walnut cake and sprinkle with chopped walnuts). [top]1.5 cup olive oil In a large bowl, beat olive oil and sugar and continue by adding yolks, cinnamon and clove, lemon rind, baking soda diluted in lemon juice, baking powder diluted in milk, flour and finally egg whites beaten stiff. Combine the whites very carefully with the rest of the mixture, transfer in oiled No. 32 baking pan and bake in preheated oven (moderate heat) for about an hour. [top]1 cup olive oil In a large bowl, beat olive oil and sugar and continue by adding yolks, vanilla extract, milk, chocolate cut into small pieces, flour and finally egg whites beaten stiff. Pour mixture into oiled No. 32 baking tin and bake in moderate (preheated oven) for a little less than an hour. [top]Kourambiethes (sugar-coated biscuits) with Olive Oil Kourambiethes are the traditional Christmas sweets all over Greece. They are sold in Greek cake shops on those days or can be found packaged in supermarkets. In any case, it is customary to prepare kourambiethes at Christmas in every Greek house. 2 cups olive oil In a large bowl, beat olive oil and sugar thoroughly and continue with eggs, brandy, cinnamon, almonds and slowly four until you have soft dough which does not stick to the hands. Take pieces of dough the size of a walnut and shape round, oblong or oval kourambiethes. Place on oiled baking pan or on cookie sheet and bake in moderate heat for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven, let kourambiethes cool slightly and sift icing sugar over them until they are completely covered. [top]1 cup olive oil Dust raisins with a little flour and mash in food processor for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, beat olive oil and sugar and add cinnamon, clove, orange rind, baking soda diluted in orange juice, baking powder diluted in brandy, almonds or walnuts, raisins and slowly the flour until the dough becomes soft and smooth. Take pieces of dough the size of a walnut and shape round biscuits. Place on baking sheet and bake in moderate heat for 20 minutes or until they are golden brown. [top]Melomakarona, like kourambiethes, are traditional Christmas sweets. 2 cups olive oil In a large bowl, beat olive oil with sugar and honey. Add orange rind, cinnamon and clove, baking soda and baking powder diluted in fruit juice, walnuts and semolina, eating all the while. Slowly add flour until the dough is soft and malleable. Cover and let the dough stand for 30 minutes before using. Take pieces of dough the size of a small egg and form rounded oblong melomakarona. Place on baking sheet and bake in moderate heat for about 20 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove from oven and let them cool. While melomakarona are cooling, prepare the syrup by combing sugar, honey and water in a pot and boiling them for 10 minutes. Reduce heat, dip melomakarona in the syrup and allow them to soak up for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a serving tray. Sprinkle when still wet with ground sesame seeds or walnuts and ground cinnamon. [top]Olive Oil Biscuits (Koulourakia) 3 cups olive oil In a large bowl, beat olive oil and sugar until creamy. Add baking soda diluted in juice, cinnamon, baking powder diluted in brandy and sesame seeds, beating all the while. Slowly sift flour as much as needed until the dough is soft and elastic. Cover and put dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Take pieces of dough the size of a small walnut and roll into a rope. Join the ends to form circles and place koulourakia on baking sheet. Bake in moderate heat for 20 minutes, until golden brown. [top]1 cup olive oil In a pot, over medium heat, bring sugar and water to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add raisins and let syrup cool slightly. In a large pot, heat olive oil until it begins to sizzle. Slowly add semolina, stirring constantly for about 10 minutes with a wooden spoon until semolina is lightly brown. Add walnuts and then the syrup very slowly stirring constantly and being careful not to burn yourself as the mixture will bubble. Stir over low heat for about 10 minutes, until the syrup is completely absorbed by the semolina. Remove from heat and pour chalvas in a large mould or in several small ones. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and walnuts, if desired.(Instead of raisins you can add dried plums or crystallized fruit. You can substitute walnuts with almonds or pine seeds). [top]4 envelopes of dry active yeast In a medium bowl dilute the yeast in 1 cup lukewarm water. Dust raisins with a little flour and put aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour and sugar, make a well in the centre and add diluted yeast, olive oil, orange juice, cinnamon, mastic and raisins. Stirring constantly, add lukewarm water (about 2 cups) until soft and elastic dough is formed. Cover and let it rise until double in size, about 1-2 hours. Divide into balls, the size you want and shape oblong loaves. Place in bread tins, cover with towel and allow them to rise again until double in size. Brush with milk or beaten egg and bake in moderate heat for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown. [top]2 cups olive oil In a large bowl, beat olive oil and sugar until creamy. Add cinnamon and clove, baking soda diluted in orange juice and finally flour sifted together with baking powder stirring constantly until a dough begins to form. Knead well until the dough is soft and elastic and doesn’t stick to the hands. Cover with a towel, refrigerate for half an hour and then shape the biscuits. Take pieces of dough the size of a walnut and roll into a rope. Join the ends to form circles and place koulourakia on cookie sheet. Bake in moderate heat for 20 minutes until golden brown. [top]1 cup olive oil Combine the above ingredients in a large bowl and knead to a soft and elastic dough. Shape the biscuits as above, brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake in moderate heat for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. [top] |
New Year’s Cake with Olive Oil Baklavas with Olive Oil Carrot Cake with Olive Oil Yoghurt Cake with Olive Oil Raisin Cake with Olive Oil Apple Cake with Olive Oil Walnut Cake with Olive Oil Olive Oil Cake Chocolate Cake Kourambiethes (sugar-coated biscuits) with Olive Oil Raisin Biscuits Honey Biscuits (Melomakarona) Olive Oil Biscuits (Koulourakia) Semolina Pudding (Chalvas) Raisin Bread Orange Biscuits Unsweetened Biscuits |
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