Little Cooking Tips - Christmas

Traditional Fried Greek Pastry with Honey and Nuts (Diples)

littlecookingtips — Sun, 17 Dec 2017 16:44:10 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

Servings:

Preparation Time:

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And before we even realize it, it’s almost Christmas! We have been trying to publish this post for days; we prepared the photos, tested the recipe to make the proper measurements and adjustments, wrote most of the text and then….we had to pause: the workload at the office, for both of us, was immense. Instead of getting in the mood for the Holiday Season, we had to deal with various urgent (they’re always urgent aren’t they?) issues. Moreover, we got a bit sick from flu! So, we are posting this right before Christmas, instead of 10 days before. Hopefully, though, you’ll be able to try this recipe in the Holiday Season. If not, it’s still a popular recipe all year round.

Diples: a delicious recipe for sweet fried dough

The recipe we are posting this Holiday Season is the one for Diples. Diples (pronounced thee-ples) is a traditional, festive dessert, that’s mostly served at the Peloponnese but is also popular thought Greece. A similar variation in Crete is called Kserotigana (meaning fried until dry). The word diples literally means “folds”, because one folds a thin sheet of dough while it’s being fried in a pan. Diples are very popular during Christmas but are also served at weddings, baptisms or other celebrations.

We got the idea for posting a recipe for diples, a couple of weeks back. You see, we had a one-day excursion to the Greek country, in the area of the Peloponnese (in Arcadia). It was a winter’s day, and we enjoyed watching the landscape changing colors, to darker shades and the weather getting colder and colder. We stopped by a local bakery, and saw a tray filled with golden diples, dipped in honey and sprinkled with lots of cinnamon and crushed walnuts. Of course we bought a few and immediately told each other that we should share our version on the blog! :)

Our Diples version

Our version for diples is the easiest one. We’ll show you how to make the dough and how to fry them in simple, rectangle-shaped strips. We won’t mess with actually folding the strips in the pan, as this takes quite a bit of practice and it would be hard for someone who never tried diples before to understand how to make them through a blog post.

So, this is the simplest version. The dough is the same –of course- we use in the folded diples as well; the only difference is that we won’t fold them. We’ll make delicious, crusty sheets of fried dough, scented with cinnamon and orange. In our version diples look a bit like Mexican Buñuelos. Only they are rectangle-shaped and not round. The process for making them is also similar to Buñuelos, so if you tried them before, you ‘ll easily follow the instructions in this recipe.

We won’t use ouzo, which is a liquor often used in diples. We want this recipe to be alcohol-free so that your children can enjoy it as well. We remember ourselves as kids, running to the countertop to get some of the diples that had been just prepared by our moms.

Little cooking tips for making great diples

The key to making perfect diples is to roll the dough out, really thin. The thickness should be 2 mm – 1/16in or less. This way, when we fry our little strips of dough, they’ll become crispy and stay this way in the next days (if you manage not to eat them all in the same day– for us at least it’s hard LOL).

Another important factor for making great crispy diples is the syrup. The syrup should be a bit thick and is always scented with cinnamon and quite often with orange zest as well. You must not dip the fried diples in the syrup for too long though. They are usually dipped in the syrup, after they cool down, for just one second. Keep in mind that the fried dough should be cooled down to room temperature and the syrup should always be hot.

If you plan to serve them on the next day, then you can fry the dough, and keep the diples strips in an open container. On the next day, you can make the syrup, dip them in it while hot, and then serve them, drizzling with lots of honey and crushed walnuts. If you don’t have enough time, then you can also make the syrup a day ahead, and warm it up in order to dip the diples in it, before you serve them.

Please never keep the diples in your fridge. They will become soggy. Diples are kept in a humid-free place of your house, uncovered. If you want to cover them, then use a simple cheesecloth or tulle; something that allows the air to circulate.

What we love about them

One of the best things about diples, is that they really easy to make. They are also really affordable, a peasants dessert, made with inexpensive materials: flour, eggs, sugar, honey, and cinnamon are the main ingredients.

Another thing we love about them is that you can easily make them a day ahead, and make some syrup (or warm up a ready one) and serve them on the next day. This makes them perfect for celebrations when you have a ton of things to do.

Moreover: who doesn’t like fried dough?!:) From churros (Mexico) to loukoumades (Greece), from beignets (France) to doughnuts (USA) and from rosettes (Sweden) to banh ran (Vietnam), it seems that sweet fried dough is a universal favorite. Diples are delicious thin sheets of fried dough, with a thin layer of cinnamon and orange-scented syrup: could you resist that? The honey and the crushed walnuts add extra texture and aroma. So when your teeth crack through the crispy dough, you get all these flavors in a single bite, the honey fills your mouth, and you can’t wait to get to the next bite and devour as many diples as you can:)

Along with melomakarona, kourabiedes and Vasilopita, diples is one the most desired desserts during the Holiday Season in Greek households. That is why we included them on our list of Greek comfort foods.

So let’s see how to make these amazing festive treats!

Ingredients:

For the dough:

- 250g / 9oz / 0.55lb (2 cups), all-purpose flour, sifted
- 15g / 0.5oz (1 tablespoon) granulated sugar
- 2g / 0.08oz (1/2 teaspoon) baking powder
- 1.5g salt / 0.05oz (1/4 teaspoon) salt
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 30ml (2 tablespoons) fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4-5g / 0.15oz (about 1 tablespoon) orange zest
- vegetable oil for frying (sunflower seed, corn, soybean or canola oil)
- coarsely ground walnuts, ground cinnamon, and honey for serving

For the syrup:

- 280g / 10oz (1 1/3 cup) granulated sugar
- 250ml (1 cup) water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4-5g / 0.15oz (about 1 tablespoon) orange zest
- 45ml (3 tablespoons) fresh orange juice (about half an orange, juiced)
- 112g / 4oz (1/3 cup) honey

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Preparation:

For the dough:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add all the dry ingredients (pic. 1): the flour, the sugar, the baking powder and the salt. Mix well with a spoon.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, just add the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Add the beaten eggs to the dry ingredients (pic. 2).

Add the orange juice (pic. 3) and the vanilla extract (pic. 4).

Add the orange zest (pic. 5). Start your mixer at a low speed (1/3) and let it incorporate everything and knead the dough for about 4 minutes (pic. 6). The dough is ready once it has come together and holds its shape, without sticking to the bowl. If you don’t have a stand mixer, then mix everything together by hand and knead for 5-6 minutes until you get a smooth and only slightly-sticking result.
Note: Depending on the flour you used and the volume of the eggs, the dough may be a bit sticky. If it’s too sticky, to the point that you can’t work with it (e.g. it sticks all over your floured hands), add a tablespoon or two of flour and knead for a few seconds.

Shape into a ball, and cover with plastic (pic. 7). Let it rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour (we recommend 4-6 or overnight for better results). After the dough has rested, place on lightly floured surface. Lightly dust the dough with flour as well (pic. 8).

Divide it into two or four balls (pic. 9) with a dough scraper. Roll a ball out thin (with flour-dusted rolling pin). Try to shape into a rectangle (pic. 10). The thickness of the rolled out dough must be 2mm or less (about 1/16in).
Note: You can also use a pasta maker to roll the dough into thin sheets.

Using a pasta/dough cutter, cut the excess dough, in order to give your sheet a rectangular shape. Then cut the sheet into 10-15cm X 5-7cm / 4-5in X 2-3in rectangle strips (pic.11, pic. 12).

Place each strip on a damp towel (pic. 13), to keep it moist and prevent it from sticking. Continue with rolling out the next ball of dough. Repeat the process until all the dough is cut into strips. Put a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in 4-5cm/2in of oil. To check if the oil is hot enough, you can use a small piece of dough (pic. 14).

If it rises to the surface and starts bubbling gently (pic. 15), then the oil is hot enough to fry the diples strips. Gently place a few strips (never more than 2 or 3) in the pan (pic. 16). Fry for about 1 minute, flipping once halfway through, using two forks, until golden. Depending on the oil used and how hot it is, you may even need less than a minute, so keep an eye to check if they’re crispy and golden.

Transfer each fried strip (dipla) to paper towel-lined plates to drain the excess oil (pic. 17). You might need more than one because you should not stack them on top of each other but rather next to each other. Let them cool completely. Place all of them on a plate (pic. 18).

For the syrup:

Start making the syrup: Add the sugar, the water, the cinnamon stick, the orange zest and the orange juice in a small or medium pot/saucepan (pic. 19). Place over medium-high heat, uncovered. Once it starts simmering, lower the heat to low and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes, stirring gently from time to time. Remove from heat and add the honey (pic. 20). Stir to dissolve.

Using tongs (pic. 21), dip each fried dipla strip into the hot syrup for just 1 second (pic. 22). You just want them to get coated in syrup, so don’t let them stay in it for long or they’ll become soft and mushy (which is the opposite of the desired consistency for diples).

Place in a large plate, in layers, adding ground walnuts, cinnamon and honey in each layer, according to your liking.

Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. If you don’t plan to serve immediately, it’s better to keep the syrup aside or in the fridge and not dip the diples in it. Then, right before serving the, you can warm it up and dip the diples strips in it. This way, they’ll stay more crispy.
2. Do not store diples in the fridge or they’ll become mushy.
3. Keep prepared diples in a plate or an open container and cover with cheesecloth if you have to (we often store them in the oven before serving them ourselves). High humidity is their worst enemy.
4. You can make the dough a day ahead and the syrup as well, and simply warm the syrup up, for dipping the diples, before serving them. Do not store either in the fridge before this (or after!).
5. We find that the best way to make diples is to make the dough and fry the diples first and then prepare the syrup. This way, the syrup is still hot when the fried diples have cooled down.
6. You can also serve diples sprinkling with a little powdered sugar along with ground cinnamon.
7. Keep the excess dough you cut when giving the sheet a rectangular shape. Knead all the scraps into a ball and make a few more strips in the end.

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How to make Greek Traditional Chicken Soup Avgolemono (with egg-lemon sauce)

littlecookingtips — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 17:26:30 +0000

Photo and text by Mirella Kaloglou and Panos Diotis.

Calories (per serving):

370

Servings:

serves 4

Preparation Time:

15 minutes

Cooking Time:

50 minutes

This week the cloudy, grey skies of the last days, finally cleared up. A glorious sun showered Greece with much-needed warmth and sunshine, to help coping with a recent natural disaster.

We won’t go into much detail –as this makes us really sad, because there were casualties- but a rare phenomenon, a Mediterranean hurricane hit Greece in mid-November. The outskirts of Athens were hit really hard by the storm, and now that it’s over households and businesses affected, have the difficult task to start assessing the situation in order to heal their wounds, if possible.

We don’t want to write much more about this; it’s really a painful situation. In this blog, we prefer to write about the positive things in life, to celebrate food and tradition. As you have noticed through the years, we don’t write about the Greek financial crisis or anything similar. We rather write about the beautiful things that life has to offer. This blog is all about memories, traditions, culture and –of course- food.

So -taking a big breath- we’ll focus on these. Most of us got to enjoy the autumn and the cool weather. Ourselves, we got the opportunity to walk in nearby groves and make small excursions in the country. The setting with the yellow, orange and red leaves is so majestic, isn’t it? And walking (or driving) in the country, offers a panorama of emerald-green meadows and dark woods, that you gaze in awe, in their autumn splendor. The other day, while taking photos, we noticed how a scene of nature in the fall, is as beautiful as the work of an impressionist painter, don’t you agree?

Harvesting Olives

In November, we have the olive harvest, here in Greece. It’s a tradition that hasn’t changed for thousands of years and the process is still more-less performed in the same manner. The olives are hand-picked by the workers -but also to a large extent- by families who own smaller olive groves. During the last years, most people opt for cold-pressing the olives, which means that they have a lower yield of oil, but the quality is higher. Organic groves are also on the rise, which is also great news, as the olive oil produced in them has both an amazing flavor and is free of any trace of pesticides.

Some of the best, chubby olives, are selected for pickling. These will become edible after a simple brining process, as olives are naturally very bitter. After brining, they are stored in olive oil and herbs, to accompany the meals in the months to come. There’s nothing like having selected your own olives and enjoying them in your table. There’s a link here with one’s past, with people who did this before, and people that will follow and continue this tradition.

Winter is coming :)

As November nears to an end, the festive period of Christmas and the New Year is gradually getting closer. The scents of orange, cinnamon, and clove from making melomakarona and diples will start filling the air in Greek households. The aroma of the flower water from buttery kourabiedes will put a smile on everyone’s face.

As mentioned in the kourabiedes post, regarding Greek Christmas, pork is the most popular choice as the traditional meat of the season. But it’s not the only one. Another popular dish for Christmas is the Greek chicken soup avgolemono (egg-lemon sauce). This soup is often the meal at the Christmas Eve dinner, or the first course at the main meal on Christmas.

Both of us have wonderful memories of Christmas past, sitting on the table with the family to enjoy this warm, delicious chicken soup, while the fire was crackling at the fireplace and the discreet music in the background was playing carols or Sinatra (or anything similar from the Rat Pack), staring at big piles of melomakarona, awaiting us for dessert :)

The chicken soup avgolemono

This soup is -of course- also popular all year round and is definitely one of the best and simplest dishes of the Greek cuisine. It’s also one of the most beloved Greek comfort foods. Perhaps that’s why we got many requests for this specific soup from our visitors and friends. These requests especially increased during the last year; as we noticed, this chicken soup is also getting a lot of attention from people abroad, being so easy and delicious as it is. So, we were waiting for the weather to cool down, in order to share it on the blog; and the season right before Christmas seemed to be the perfect time to post this.

Traditionally, this soup is made with a whole, free-range chicken. That is why olive oil was rarely added to the soup (usually only a drizzle when serving it), as free-range chickens have natural fat and one does not need to add more. You can make the soup with a whole chicken, cut into 6 or 8 pieces, in which case we suggest you double the rest of the ingredients of this recipe, as a whole chicken will weigh about 1,5 -2 kg / 3,5-4,5 lbs.

Being more practical, we preferred to use chicken thighs for this recipe. Buying boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs is far more convenient and easier to handle for most people so, we tried both and then adapted and tested the recipe, with just (500-700 gr / 1-1.5lb) of chicken. We found that the thighs work better for this soup, as they do have a little fat and come out tastier in the end, in comparison to chicken breast. Of course, feel free to use whichever part you prefer.

There are countless variations of this recipe. This version is the traditional way our parent’s families make it and a very popular version in general. Plus, it’s really simple. You start by making a broth/stock, simmering the chicken and the veggies with peppercorns and bay leaves. When ready, you remove the chicken and the veggies and keep them aside, to chop and add them later on, when you’ll serve the soup. The broth is strained and then simmered with starchy rice until it softens. And the final step is making and adding the magic ingredient: the avgolemono (literally meaning egg-lemon) sauce.

This sauce is so delicious, that many people abroad are calling this soup simply “Avgolemono”. That’s not very proper though, as the same sauce is added in other dishes as well. For instance, one of the most popular Greek winter (and Christmas) dishes is a pork and celery stew called Hirino me Selino and it’s quite common to add egg-lemon sauce to this. Magiritsa, a traditional Easter soup, is also served with avgolemono, even in its vegetarian version. So, it’s better to call this dish “chicken soup avgolemono”, to distinguish it from other Greek dishes that also contain the avgolemono sauce.

What is avgolemono?

Now, what is the avgolemono sauce? It’s a very simple sauce, where eggs (whole or yolks) are beaten until creamy and fresh lemon juice is then added to them. While whisking vigorously, one starts to add slowly warm broth into the mixture. The purpose is to raise the temperature of the egg-lemon mixture to almost the same level as the broth in a soup. This way, the eggs won’t curd, they won’t become scrambled in the soup. They will turn into a creamy sauce that adds a wonderful silky texture to the soup. You won’t believe that you got this texture without using cream. And it’s really simple to make.

You can use whole eggs (not just the yolks) if you prefer a sauce with more froth. In this case, when you add the sauce in the pot (in the final step), simply hold and swirl the pot, don’t stir. It comes out better this way. Some people also like to beat the egg whites into foam separately, and then mix them with the yolks and the lemon juice. Then they temper the whole thing with the warm broth.
In this recipe we added just the yolks, as we believe that this soup looks better with less frothy sauce. It’s entirely up to you, to use the yolks or whole eggs. It’s simply a matter of preference.

In this post, we share a trick used by many cooks that helps a lot when reheating this soup. If you do this, the reheated soup will look much better. The trick is to add a little cornstarch in the lemon juice and then add this to the beaten eggs (or yolks). If you plan to serve the whole thing at once, you don’t need to do this though.

You can easily make this soup a day ahead without the egg-lemon sauce, and the next day reheat it well, make the sauce and add it to the soup right before serving it. It will be as delicious as it was freshly made.

You can also add more rice if you prefer a thicker soup. This is only suggested if you serve the whole soup at once. If you plan to serve it on the next day, the rice will continue to absorb the broth and the soup will be very thick, with almost no broth, so keep that in mind when you want to add extra rice.

So let’s see how to make this yummy chicken soup with avgolemono!

Ingredients:

- 500 – 700g / 1 – 1.5 lb (2 large) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut in 2 or 4 large pieces *
- 1-2 carrots, peeled
- 1 stalk celery, cut into two pieces
- 1 large onion, peeled
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon peppercorns
- 1 chicken stock bouillon (optional)
- 2 lt / 8 cups / 2qt water
- 1/3 cup medium-grain rice **
- salt, pepper

For the egg-lemon (avgolemono) sauce:
- 2 egg yolks (from large eggs)
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional, but highly recommended)

* You can also use chicken breast
** Choose a starchy rice, like Arborio, Carnaroli

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Preparation

Place the chicken, the carrots, the celery, the onion, the bay leaves, the peppercorns and the bouillon in a large pot and cover with 2lt/qt of water (pic. 1). Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once it starts simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low.
In case white foam forms on the surface, using a slotted spoon, skim off and discard (pic. 2).

Simmer covered, for 30 minutes. Then remove the chicken (pic. 3) and the veggies with a slotted spoon and place on a plate (pic. 4).

Place a fine sieve/colander over a large bowl and strain the stock from the pot (pic. 5). Pour the strained stock back into the pot, place over medium-low heat, and add the rice (pic. 6), salt and pepper (season well). Simmer for 20-25 minutes, depending on the type of rice you chose. Taste some of the rice to see if it’s soft (not chewy). When ready, remove the pot from the stove and set aside.

Add the cornstarch in the lemon juice and stir to dissolve. This is optional, only if you use cornstarch (which is highly recommended). In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the yolks until creamy, for a couple of minutes (pic. 7). Add the lemon juice (pic. 8) while whisking continuously.

Start adding broth from the pot (keep whisking continuously), one ladleful at a time (pic. 9). Add broth from the surface of the pot, to avoid adding much rice. It’s ok if the broth you add contains a little rice.
Add very slowly the first two ladles with broth, whisking vigorously (pic. 10). You will need about 3 full ladles to warm the sauce up. The whole point is to increase the temperature of the egg-lemon mixture to that of the level of the broth. This way, the yolks won’t become solid.

Once hot, pour the frothy sauce mixture into the pot (pic. 11), and stir. Ready to serve (pic. 12)

Shred the chicken (it’s now cool enough to handle) with your hands or chop it with a knife, and serve the soup with it, adding some chopped carrots or celery as well if you like, and freshly crushed pepper and/or finely chopped parsley.

Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. You can make this dish with chicken breast, or even a whole chicken, cut into portions. If using whole chicken, simply double the ingredients, it will come out amazing.
2. The reason for suggesting the use of cornstarch is that it helps when reheating this soup to avoid cooking the yolks.
3. You can make the soup a day ahead without the egg-lemon sauce, and the next day reheat well, make the sauce and add it to the soup right before serving it.
4. You can also use whole eggs (not just the yolks) for a sauce with more froth. In this case, when you add the sauce in the pot (in the final step), simply hold and swirl the pot, don’t stir.
Some people also like to beat the egg whites into foam separately, and then mix with the yolks and the lemon juice.
5. You can add more rice if you prefer the soup thicker (like a stew) or less if you prefer a clean, broth-like soup.
6. You can also try this with any short pasta, like orzo, or couscous. It’s not the traditional way to make it, but it does make for a great soup.

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Greek New Year's lucky cake (Vasilopita)

littlecookingtips — Sun, 25 Dec 2016 16:41:01 +0000

Photo and text by Mirella Kaloglou and Panos Diotis.

Calories (per serving):

291

Servings:

Preparation Time:

Cooking Time:

It’s been very chilly in Athens this December. Usually, the first month of the winter is mild here in southern Greece, with lots of sunshine and nice temperatures, up to 19C/66F. This year though things are different; freezing temperatures and cold winds are the key characteristics of the weather. Most mornings and nights, everything is covered in frost.

This wouldn’t stop us of course from enjoying a walk in nature and the warmth the sun has to offer. Even in winter however, there’s a lot of produce to look forward to. We harvested the last of the olives in the last month and the last of the pomegranates. Now it’s the lemon and orange trees’ turn to offer their gifts. In fact they are so many that we have to pick them almost every day or so. Of course since there are a lot of them, we share them with friends and family and use them in countless recipes.

The recipe we’re posting here is one of them. Scented with orange zest, it’s the cake we bake every holiday season for the New Year’s eve: Vasilopita (Saint Basil’s pie). Every family in Greece celebrates the arrival of the New Year by serving this right after midnight. A few seconds before the clock strikes twelve, it is also the custom to turn the lights off in the house to let go of the old year in darkness, and celebrate the arrival of the new one at twelve by turning the lights back on! At this point everyone wishes “Happy New Year, with lots of Health” to everyone (yes; everyone has to wish “happy new year” to everyone who’s present in the household at the moment). It’s a wonderful tradition and perhaps the most popular one here.

The tradition of cutting the Vasilopita cake is not the only popular one though; there’s a lot more customs, some of which are centuries old: the smashing of the pomegranate, the hanging of the squill bulb (a large onion) on the door and the podariko (the lucky first entrance into the household). Since all of these are quite interesting, and very popular, we’d love to share a few details about them.

First, the smashing of the pomegranate: since ancient times, pomegranates are symbolizing prosperity and fertility, because each fruit contains a lot of seeds. So after midnight, when the New Year has arrived, each household has to “sacrifice” a pomegranate by smashing it right in front of the main entrance of the house. After the “Happy New Year” wishes, all the guests and the family members are stepping out of the house for this custom. It’s a great honor for a family member or a guest to smash the pomegranate, as the one who smashes it, has the “responsibility” to scatter as many seeds as possible in order to bring good fortune for the household.

Hanging a large wild onion (squill bulb) on the front door: this custom is truly thousands of years old. Since Pythagoras, back in the 6th century BC, onions have been hanging on Greek front doors, for good luck, health and prosperity. Why is that? Well, onions have the ability to sprout and rebirth, even though they are uprooted. It’s a symbol of strength and resilience and therefore this custom survived to this day. Of course after the New Year, the onion is removed from the door and it’s placed somewhere inside (usually a warehouse) to keep for good luck.

The podariko: the custom of the First Footer. Right after midnight, the first person to enter the house is supposed to bring good or bad fortune. So usually if a year turns out to be bad, this person will not be selected for the custom again:) If the year turns out to be a good one, this person will become the most popular in for this tradition, and will be selected again and again to perform the First Footer custom. It’s supposed to be all about the positive energy and the generous feelings this person brings into the household. That’s why it’s quite often to select a child to enter the house first, as children are pure, innocent and good hearted. It’s very important to enter the house with the right foot first. The right side is supposed to be the blessed side. So everyone shouts “me to deksi!” (Meaning with the right one) to remind the person performing the custom that he must not forget to enter with the right foot.

However, the custom that everyone is waiting for with excitement, is the cutting of the Vasilopita cake, which is a Lucky New Year’s cake. Why is it called lucky? Because there’s a coin hidden inside it. Whoever gets the coin in their slice, is the person receiving the best luck for the New Year. There’s a ritual in cutting the cake:) The eldest member of the family or the host of the New Year’s Eve party is cutting the cake and serving the slices. First, he makes the sign of the cross on top of the cake. Then, there are a number of slices that are reserved. These may vary, according to local customs or family tradition.

Usually, the first slice is cut for Jesus, the next one for the household and the next one for Saint Basil. Some people also cut a slice for Virgin Mary or the Poor. These slices are reserved but not thrown away. They are simply eaten last, by family members the next days. The next slices are all cut and distributed among the family members first and then the rest of the guests. Whoever gets the coin in his or her slice, is the person who receives the best of luck for the New Year. It’s not uncommon to give money are a gift to this person as well. If the coin is inside one of the first, reserved slices though, the luck is supposed to be equally divided among the people present. Isn’t that a lot of fun?

The pie is named “Vasilopita” after Saint Basil of Caesarea. The Greek “Santa Claus” is Saint Basil, called Agios Vasilis. Saint Basil was a very generous bishop and a great philanthropist who lived in Minor Asia (modern day Turkey). He was a thin, kind hearted man, who helped everyone in need, especially the poor. St. Basil was very compassionate and also established the first orphanage ever recorded in history. Since he was so generous, he is associated with joy and happiness, that’s why a blessed New Year is related to his story and the New Year’s lucky cake is named after him.

The Vasilopita lucky cake has many different versions. The oldest one is a sweet bread, scented with various spices, like anise. The most common one nowadays, is a spongy, fluffy cake, usually scented with orange or lemon zest. Some people also like to add liquor, like brandy or bitter almond liqueur (amaretto). Others add mahleb or Chios mastic for extra flavor. There are versions with ground almonds or ground walnuts as well. The topping may be flaked almonds, powdered sugar or a classic glaze.

The recipe we are sharing here is Panos’ mom Eleni (Helen), which is very old and is basically a wonderful orange flavored fluffy cake, topped with lots and lots of powdered sugar. The photo with the old notepad has the actual hand writing of his mom back from when she was in her teens. It’s a fool proof recipe which we’re using ourselves to this day and has never failed us. It makes for an aromatic large cake, to serve up to 20 people.

The best part of this cake is that’s also great as a snack in the next days. We love to serve this with coffee or tea. Also try to spread some Nutella on a slice; it’s a combination made in heaven!

So let’s see how to make this Greek New Year’s Lucky Cake: Vasilopita! Wishing you all a happy, prosperous, healthy and inspiring New Year!

Ingredients:

- 500g / 17.6oz / 1.1lb (4 cups) all purpose flour, sifted
- 250g / 9oz (2 sticks and 1/4) butter, cut in cubes and softened (room temperature)
- 450g / 15.8oz / 1lb (2 1/4 cups) granulated sugar
- 6 medium sized eggs, yolks separated from whites, in room temperature
- 9g / 0.3oz (3 teaspoons) baking powder
- 5g / 0.17oz (2 teaspoons) orange zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 250ml (1 cup) milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- powdered sugar, for dusting the cake

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Preparation:

Butter and flour the bottom and sides of a 25x6cm/10x2.5in spring form pan.

Divide the eggs into yolks and whites (pic. 1). In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sugar (pic.2) for 8-10 minutes, using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, on medium-high speed.

You may need to stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl at least once, to make sure everything is being well mixed (pic.3). Once creamy and fluffy (pic. 4), the butter mix is ready.

Add the zest and the orange juice (pic. 5). Continue mixing for a few seconds to incorporate. While the mixer is on, slowly add the yolks. Allow each yolk to be incorporated before adding the next one (pic. 6).

Once everything is nicely combined (pic. 7) stop and empty the mixture into another large bowl. Clean the original mixer bowl and beaters thoroughly. They are needed again later on. Pat everything dry. In another bowl, mix the flour with the salt and the baking powder (pic. 8).

Add half of the flour mixture into the butter-sugar-eggs mixture (pic. 9). Mix well with a rubber spatula until everything is combined. Add the milk (pic. 10), and again, mix well with the rubber spatula until everything it's incorporated.

Add the rest of the flour (pic. 11) and mix well to combine (pic. 12). Preheat the oven at 170C / 340F (convection oven - fan assisted baking).

Whisk the egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks are formed (pic. 13). Take half of this meringue and add it to the bowl with the cake mixture (pic. 14). Fold into the mixture, but don't overmix. Once incorporated, add the rest of the meringue and again, fold into the mixture.

Empty the bowl into the prepared pan (pic. 15). Take a washed, clean coin and wrap it in aluminum foil (pic. 16).

Place into the mixture (pic. 17).

Bake in the middle oven rack for 1 hour, or more; until baked through. Check if ready by inserting a knife into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's ready.

Top the cake by sprinkling lots of powdered sugar.

Tips:

1. Use a small grater and take off only the rind of the orange's skin. Be careful not to take the white pith as well, as it is bitter.
2. Remove the butter from the fridge at least a couple of hours before using it. This will allow it to soften. Cutting it into cubes helps as well.
3. One of the most important tips for meringue: The bowl you will use to beat the egg whites must be very clean. To achieve this, wipe it with a paper towel dipped in vinegar, to eliminate any fat residue.
4. Depending on the oven (how even the temperature is inside it) some people may get domed cakes. To avoid a domed cake you can also try to bake at a slightly lower temperature, 160C/325F. It will take a bit more to bake, but you will reduce the risk for crackings and a dome in the middle of the cake. Tapping the batter on the counter to release trapped bubbles before baking may also help. If you still get a dome in the middle of your cake, don't worry! Use a serrated knife and cut it off, horizontally. Then cover the top with lots of icing sugar (or your preferred frosting) :)

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Greek Christmas Butter Cookies: Kourabiedes

littlecookingtips — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 18:36:03 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

206

Servings:

12+ slices/pieces

Preparation Time:

30 minutes

Cooking Time:

20 minutes

Up until the last couple of weeks the weather was very kind to us here in Greece; lots of sunshine and warm temperatures, allowed for long walks and enjoying the scenery.

If the leaves hadn’t already fallen off the trees, one may had the impression it was spring and not autumn! This changed a few days ago and it seems now that the winter is finally here. The first snow has fallen up in the mountains, especially in the north, helping us to get into a festive mood, which is after all, appropriate for Christmas and the New Year celebration!

Of course, the winter was already here, at least according to the calendar, providing us with lots of yummy fruits and veggies. We especially enjoyed the quinces, made quince spoon sweet (you can read more about spoon sweets here) and cooked a wonderful ancient Greek recipe with roasted pork and quinces, which Panos learned from his grandfather (who also learned it from his own grandfather before). It’s a very old recipe and of course we’ll share it in the blog at some point).

Fresh carrots are also amazing this time of year, and are very versatile. We used them in soups (especially in the fasolada bean soup), in coleslaw, made carrot cakes, and so on and so forth:)

Another delicious sweet fruit you can enjoy this time of year is the persimmon. If you haven’t tried persimmons before, you’re missing out. They usually have a mild aroma and are very juicy and sweet. They’re packed with vitamins and are full of antioxidants. You should’ve seen us devouring those like kids eating candy, all smiling and making a mess.

Do you remember the green oranges back in the summer (in this post)? Check them out in their photo we are sharing now! Ripe and sweet, this year’s oranges are perhaps the best we had for a long time. And for some strange reason the trees in Evia were very generous, we got much more than we could eat and then turned some into jams, preserves etc. So we started sharing them with friends, like an Orange Santa, passing by on a weekly basis.

Speaking of Santa, we’re so excited that the Christmas season is here! Greek Christmas food is delicious and full of memories of times passed. Just like everywhere around the world, wherever people celebrate this season, the food this time is special, and it's shared among family and friends. It’s this loving setting that sears these memories in our hearts and makes them so unique.

The main ingredient of the season here, is pork. Back in the day people didn’t consume much meat, but they raised a pig which was slaughtered around Christmas and then shared in a large table with family and friends. Some of the parts were also used in sausages, while others were put in salt or were smoked, in order to preserve some of the meat for the next weeks (or months). By the way, if you’ve never tried Greek sausages, called Horiatiko Loukaniko, you should try them at least once!

Another popular recipe this time of year is chicken avgolemono (egg-lemon) soup. It’s a creamy delicious soup, usually including starchy rice, which is served with lots of fresh ground pepper and artisan old-school crusty bread. Even as we type those lines and remember all about it, we’re drooling all over the keyboard :)

A big part of the Greek Christmas tradition, is of course enjoying the local sweet treats: Melomakarona, kourabiedes and diples. Melomakarona and kourabiedes are the most popular ones, and if you’re in Greece around Christmas you’re bound to fall in love with them. You will find them in every household, any pastry shop, even in super markets and grocery stores. When you’re a guest, you know you’ll be treated a melomakarono (singular for melomakarona) or a kourabies (singular for kourabiedes). And even though you most certainly will have tasted many of them already, you will again devour another one with excitement :)

Melomakarona and kourabiedes are traditionally homemade. When we were kids ourselves, singing carols, many neighbors were giving us kourabiedes or melomakarona as a holiday treat. Back at home of course, we also had our own families’ versions.

They’re pronounced “koo-ra-bee-ye-thes”, and yes, it’s not that easy for a non-Greek speaking person to pronounce the word! But, if you only say “kourab-yeh” to any Greek, he will immediately understand what you’re asking for, and will give you the proper cookie. With a big smile on his/her face.

Those traditional, shortbread butter cookies include almonds, lots of powdered sugar, vanilla and usually rosewater or another flower water.
Edible rosewater (or flower water), adds an amazing scent to these cookies. But we know it may be difficult to find it in some places (it’s available online though). If you do buy it, you'll be able to make the traditional kourabiedes with their exceptional and unique aroma. If you’re thinking that rosewater is something you’ll buy once and then it’ll stay on your pantry gathering dust, that’s not the case.

There are many recipes which call for rosewater, plus you can try it in cookies, cakes and other desserts you're already baking and create something different and delicious! Try substituting vanilla with flower water in some recipes and you’ll get the idea:)
People who may not like the aroma of rosewater or flower water may also try adding some bitter almond liqueur (Amaretto) which also makes for wonderful kourabiedes.

The main ingredient for kourabiedes is of course, butter. You want to use the best quality butter you can afford, for this recipe. It will define the texture and the taste of the cookies. The traditional way to make kourabiedes is with sheep’s or goat’s butter. The flavor is a bit intense for any non-Greek though, plus it’s a bit hard to find such butter abroad. That’s why we used regular cow’s butter in this recipe. Feel free to use any type of butter you prefer, or even a mix of butters (like half sheep’s butter and half cow’s butter). If you can get the famous –in Greece- Corfu butter give it a try; it’s a pure, excellent quality butter.

Regarding the shape of those cookies, some people may be confused, due to their variety. There are 3 main shapes for kourabiedes: thick round cookies, crescents and balls. We think the easiest and nicest are the thick round cookies, as their shape helps us stacking them up in layers. This is the way they’re traditionally served.
As for the size of the cookies, they may be large (about 40gr/1.5oz of dough per cookie), or smaller, bite-sized. The ones sold in pastry shops are usually bite-sized, and the homemade ones are usually larger.

So go ahead and give them a try! You won’t regret baking those; your home will be filled with the aroma of the butter and the rosewater, and you’ll enjoy dusting them with lots and lots of icing sugar. They’re both pretty and delicious! So follow the recipe below and make some festive Greek cookies!

Ingredients:

- 500g / 17.5oz / 1.1 lb (4 cups) all purpose flour
- 250g / 9oz butter (2 sticks and 1/4), softened (room temperature, see preparation)
- 150g / 5.5oz (1 1/4 cups) powdered sugar, and more for dusting the cookies
- 150g / 5.5oz (about 1 cup) almonds, unsalted and toasted
- 1 egg yolk (from a large egg)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla essence
- edible rosewater or other flower water

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Preparation:

Remove the butter from the fridge at least a couple of hours before using it. This will allow it to soften. Cutting it into pieces also helps.

If using raw almonds, place them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet/pan and bake them for 10-15 minutes at 180C/350F (in preheated oven) (pic. 1). Grind the toasted almonds into coarse pieces, using a food processor. Do not grind them completely into powder.

Making the cookies

In a large bowl, beat the butter (pic.2) for 8-10 minutes, using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed (until soft and fluffy, pic.3).

Add the powdered sugar (pic.4) and beat for 10 more minutes until you get a "whipped cream" -like result (pic. 5).

Add baking powder and vanilla (pic. 6) and mix with a rubber spatula. Add the egg yolk (pic. 7) and mix until it's incorporated.

Add 1 tablespoon of rosewater or flower water and mix (pic. 8). Start adding the flour (pic. 9), a couple of tablespoons at a time. Mix with the spatula each time you add some.

When you've added half of the flour, you'll get a fluffy, almost rubbery dough (pic. 10).
At this point add all the remaining flour, wear single-use gloves and start incorporating the flour into the dough, with your hands (pic. 11). Do not overmix. Once the flour is incorporated,stop.
Important: USE gloves in the recipe. It will help insulating the warmth of your hands (to avoid melting the butter while handling the dough).

Add the ground almonds (pic. 12) and fold them into the dough. Shape the cookies (pic. 13). If using 40gr/1.5oz of dough per cookie, you'll make about 25 cookies.

Place the cookies in a lined baking dish/pan (pic. 14) and bake for 15-18 minutes in the middle oven rack (use the oven fan, in preheated oven).
When ready, remove from the oven, let them cool for 2-3 minutes, and then place them on a wire rack to cool completely out (pic. 15).

When cool, spray them with rosewater or flower water (pic. 16) and then dust them with powdered sugar (pic. 17), using a strainer. Be generous with both rosewater and sugar.

Your yummy treats are ready, place them in cookie box or in a cake stand, in layers (and place a lid on).

Kala Christougenna and Kali Chronia!

Tips:

1. You can use sheep, goat or cow butter or mixed butters. In any case, choose high quality butter for this recipe.
2. You can shape the kourabiedes in thick round cookies (like we did here), crescents or balls.
3. Leave a little space between the cookies before you bake them, as they will expand a little during baking.
4. If you want to make more cookies, feel free to double the ingredients above. The result is exactly the same.
5. If you don’t like rosewater or flower water (or can’t find any), add some vanilla powder in the icing sugar when you dust the cookies at the end of the recipe. And add a little almond liqueur (Amaretto) in the dough.
6. Always wear single-use gloves when you handle the dough and shape the cookies, to insulate the heat from your hands.

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No bake sour cherry cheesecake in a glass

littlecookingtips — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 08:53:18 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou

Calories (per serving):

627

Servings:

serves 4

Cooking Time:

20 minutes

This is one of the oldest recipes we shared through our blog: No bake sour cherry cheesecake in a glass! Checking our site’s stats, we‘ve noticed that this recipe has always been popular.

The photo was taken by an old inexpensive camera, wasn’t one of our best shots and the text was one of the first ones typed in English in the blog. We like to think that our blogging abilities have improved since then, so we decided to take some fresh photos, take another look at the text and share the recipe again!

So, how did we get the inspiration for this recipe? Cheesecake in a glass was a relatively new thing here in Greece back in 2011 when we tried it. We always like new ideas and this approach seemed to be quite handy, as you have ready-made cheesecake servings for any of your guests in individual portions in the fridge.

Why sour cherries? Well, sour cherry spoon sweet is one of the most popular Greek spoon sweets. What the heck are those spoon sweets you might ask? Well, they're similar to canned fruits in syrup, only the syrup is much thicker and it’s also flavored with some herb, usually marjoram. And since they’re very sweet, the quantity served is always just a tablespoon.

Back in the old era, people wanted to preserve the ripe, seasonal fruits for the next months, and one of the methods used was turning them to sweets and preserving them in jars. Those spoon sweets are served usually as a dessert or as a side for your afternoon coffee. It’s the traditional homemade sweet that all grandmas served for decades. We both grew up with our yayades (grandmas) serving us quinces, sour cherries, grapes, bitter oranges and many more fruits as a treat. Fortunately, in the last few years this dessert made a comeback and now many villages are collectively producing those again. And by the way, they’re among the best toppings for Greek yogurt!

But enough with the daydreaming; let’s get back to our cheesecake now! We tried this recipe with sour cherries spoon sweets and they were delicious. But since this isn’t a sweet that’s always easy to find, especially for the people abroad, we decided to alter this a little. So, instead of spoon sweet sour cherries, we used canned sour cherries in syrup! Those are available on all supermarkets here in Greece AND abroad, so this seemed to be the way to go.

The result was a fluffy lemony creamy cheesecake, with cookie crumbs as the base and a sweet cherry topping! We don’t add melted butter in the crumbs, and here’s why: we always like to make a mess while eating this, meaning that we dive the spoon in and mix the cookie crumbs with the cream, picking also a couple of cherries, before landing the spoon in the mouth. :)

So the glass/jar stops being as presentable as it is here in the photos, but we really don’t care since it’s so delightful! But you can go ahead and add a little butter in the crumbs if you like a thicker base for the cheesecake.

One of the benefits of this recipe is that you can make this cheesecake ahead of time so it’ll be ready for serving in some party/family gathering in the next day. Keep in mind though that the result is much fluffier if you serve this in the same day.

Another advantage is that they are very nice to look at, as you can see the layers of sweetness through the glass.

You can also use another canned fruit in syrup if you don’t like sour cherries, or if want to try something else, making this a very versatile recipe.

And did we tell you that they’re super easy to put together? And you only need a few minutes of your time? Well, it’s true. If you never tried cheesecake in a glass before, this is one of the first recipes you should try. You’ll see for yourself how quick and easy it is.

Now regarding the term; some people are calling this dessert “cheesecake in glass” while other prefer the term “cheesecake in a jar”. Our opinion? Use jars, glasses, whatever you find handy and beautiful. We sometimes served those in glasses, sometimes in jars. For this post, we took pictures with glass and we also filled up a small jar so you can see the difference for yourself.

You can make a single layer of cookie crumbs, a layer of cream and add the cherries on top, or you can add multiple layers of cookies and cream. Ourselves, we usually do that, adding two layers of cookies and cream and top it with the cherries. But feel free to express yourself :)

So enough with our rumbling; let’s see how we can make this easy, delicious dessert!

Ingredients:

- 300gr/10.5oz cream cheese

- 200gr/7oz (2/3 cup) sweetened condensed milk

- 2 teaspoons lemon zest

- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

- 125gr/4.5oz digestive biscuits/graham crackers, in crumbs (see preparation)

- 200gr/7oz drained sour cherries in syrup (canned) *

* you can also use regular pitted cherries in syrup for a different equally delicious result

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Preparation:

To make crumbs from the biscuits, pulse in a food processor (or use a blender) until they're finely ground (pic. 1, pic. 2).

Put the cream cheese and the sweetened milk in a large bowl (pic.3). Using an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer) beat until you get a smooth and fluffy result (about 2 minutes). Start at a lower speed and turn it up as the cream thickens (pic.4). Add the zest and the lemon juice and continue to mix for half a minute (pic.5).

In a short glass or jar add 2 tablespoons of crushed biscuits (pic.6), then 2 tablespoons of cream (pic.7).

Repeat the process (pic.8) and garnish with 2 tablespoons of sour cherries (pic.9).

Do the same in 3 more glasses and put them all in the fridge at least for 20 minutes.

As simple as that! Enjoy!

Tips:

1. The more you leave these cheesecakes in the fridge the thicker they get. So keep that in mind and serve according to your preferences.

2. You can choose any canned fruit (in syrup) you prefer for garnishing.

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Fast&Easy

Chocolate Mousse with Baileys

littlecookingtips — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 11:14:20 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

504

Servings:

serves 4

Cooking Time:

20 minutes

This recipe is a must-try for any chocolate addict: a decadent, rich, thick chocolate mousse! We took our classic, traditional chocolate mousse recipe and enhanced it with one of our favorite liquors: Baileys Irish Cream.

The result is an irresistible, divine chocolate dessert. It's the perfect finish to your dinner in any special occasion, like anniversaries, Valentine's or Holidays!

Chocolate mousse is one of those easy desserts you can make if you're new around the kitchen. It's simple and easy to follow, with very few ingredients: dark chocolate, butter, eggs and caster sugar.
Some people also like to add cream to their chocolate mousse but we prefer the old school approach which only uses eggs.

In this recipe we used dark chocolate (minimum 60% cocoa). You should consider buying the best quality dark chocolate your budget can afford as this will define the final result. Prefer a chocolate with higher cocoa content.

Consider also buying top quality, fresh, free range eggs. The eggs are not cooked in a chocolate mousse, but do not be alarmed. For thousands of years humans have been consuming raw eggs in numerous ways. You probably already eat raw eggs and don't even realize it (like in mayonnaise). If you're a bit worried though, you can use a cloth soaked in water and vinegar to clean the shells before cracking the eggs, or buy pasteurized eggs. Feel free to consult any expert (doctor, dietitian) on the subject, of course.

But let's get back to this chocolate delight. Adding Baileys cream takes this classic treat to a whole new level. If you never tried adding Baileys in your desserts before, this is a great way to taste how good this stuff is. Now; that being said, if you have kids, and want to try this recipe, then omit the liquor and add some vanilla extract instead. But if you're planning -let's say- a Valentine's/anniversary dinner, then by all means do add the Baileys!

You need to refrigerate this for a couple of hours before serving it. The intoxicating aroma of the Irish cream is still dominant when you take it out of the fridge and it does make all the difference.

With this recipe you won't get the foamy result of using store-bought mousse mixes. The texture is rich and thick, making this a sumptuous finger-licking chocolate dessert.

The way this mousse looks is extremely appetizing: it's served in short glasses with white chocolate curls/shavings and cocoa powder. You can use a vegetable peeler to create the curls (scrape a thick white chocolate bar lengthwise) and use a sieve to dust some cocoa powder on top. Of course you can also add a dollop of Chantilly cream as well, if you prefer.

You will really enjoy making this dessert. If you're planning to omit the Bailys and add vanilla, then you should also hand the apron over to your kids and make this together, as a family. Your little ones will love it and you'll make some wonderful memories in the process.

Did we also mention that this is a fantastic make ahead dessert? If it stays in the fridge overnight, it will allow the flavors to develop and become richer.

So let's see how to make this thick, decadent chocolate mousse!

Disclaimer: This article is not sponsored by Baileys. It's not a paid advertisement or part of any affiliate marketing program. Meaning: We really enjoy the product ourselves and are writing our personal honest opinion about it.

Ingredients:

- 250g / 9oz dark chocolate (60% cocoa minimum), chopped

- 25g / 0.9oz (2 tablespoons) butter

- 3 medium sized eggs (or 2 large ones), yolks separated from whites, in room temperature

- 30g / 1oz (4 tablespoons) caster sugar

- 60ml (1/4 cup) Baileys Irish Cream

- a little white chocolate and cocoa powder, to garnish (optional)

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Preparation:

Add water (one third full) in a small pot/saucepan and place over high heat. Once the water starts simmering (pic.1) turn of the heat and remove from the burner.

Set a medium sized metallic bowl over the pot/saucepan (make sure it doesn’t touch the water) and add the chocolate in it (pic. 2).

Stir slowly until it melts (pic.3). This will take a few minutes, you don’t have to stir continuously. When the chocolate has melted, remove from the pot/saucepan and add the butter (pic.4). Stir until it’s incorporated.

Add half (2 tablespoons) of the caster sugar (pic. 5), and stir. At this point let the mixture cool down, for a couple of minutes. Then add the egg yolks (pic. 6) and stir until they’re incorporated.

Add the Baileys (pic.7) and again, stir until it’s incorporated. Set the bowl aside.
In another clean, metallic bowl whisk the egg whites using an electric hand mixer or your stand mixer (pic. 8).

When the egg whites start to thicken (looking like foam), add the rest of the caster sugar (pic. 9), one tablespoon at a time. Whisk until stiff peaks are formed (pic. 10, until you make a meringue).

Take a third of the meringue and add it to the bowl with the chocolate mix (pic. 11). Fold the meringue into the chocolate (pic. 12). Add the rest of it and fold again. Don't worry if it doesn't look completely incorporated though; it actually tastes much better if there are small lumps of egg whites in the mousse. Overmixing is not recommended.

If you never folded meringue into chocolate or any other batter (like cakes) don't worry. It's very easy; you don’t stir in the meringue. You use a rubber spatula and you scrape the chocolate from the bottom of the bowl and lift it over the meringue. Keep folding and rotating the bowl a little at a time, counterclockwise, until the meringue is almost half-way incorporated into the chocolate. At this point add some more meringue and keep folding and roating the bowl. Stop when the meringue is almost fully incorporated (as mentioned, you don’t have to incorporate it 100%, don’t overmix).

Divide into 4 short glasses and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. Kali Oreksi!

Tips:

1. You can use some vanilla extract (or any flavor) instead of Baileys if serving this to kids.

2. One of the most important tips for meringue:The bowl you will use to beat the egg whites must be very very clean. To achieve this, wipe it with a paper towel soaked in vinegar to eliminate and fat residue.

Meal:

Cuisine:

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Special Characteristics:

Fast&Easy

Greek Pork and Celery Stew (Hirino me Selino)

littlecookingtips — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 08:21:18 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

1196

Servings:

serves 2

Cooking Time:

1 hour

15 minutes

This is by far one of the best stews served in the winter here in Greece. Extremely popular during the winter months, this dish is also served in the Christmas/New Year Holiday season.

In the old times, especially in the villages, the pigs were slaughtered in December. That's why pork is still the most popular meat used in Greece during the Holidays. Furthermore, the Orthodox Christian practice requires fasting for a long period before Christmas. So, the body has not been consuming meat for quite some time. Therefore, a meat soup is a great meal to help it adjust to meat consumption again. Then, they were ready to go on and cook some other yummy recipes with pork, like the fried pork dish called tigania, a festive pork roast with plums, or a classic Greek sausages recipe called spetzofai, which is an amazing meze as well!

So what's this dish about? Well, it's a delicious stew, made with a nice piece of braised pork (pork leg/ham is often used as it has less fat than other pieces), selino and avgolemono sauce.

What is selino? Selino is a Greek/European variety of celery, which has long and thin stalks and lots of leaves. You can see it in the Ingredients picture below (right above the white bowl with the meat). You can see how thin these stalks are. The taste is a bit stronger than the American (Pascal) version (also available here as "celery" with Greek typing:Σέλερι).

But don't worry; if you can't find European celery, you can also use the Pascal variety. The taste is still great and a bit milder, making it perhaps more suitable for those not used to Greek food. In this case however, the stalks must be trimmed, and if the surface is a bit rough, it must also be peeled. Use any leaves as well, and slice the stalks in 5cm/2in pieces. If the stalks are very thick, also slice them 2-3 times lengthwise before cutting the pieces.

Avgolemono sauce, is a creamy delicious sauce that's made with egg and lemon. You simply beat eggs and fresh lemon juice until frothy and then slowly add the broth from the stew using a ladle while whisking continuously. The purpose of this is to equalize the temperature of the egg-lemon mixture with the food in the pot, so that the eggs will not cook when the sauce is added into the pot.

When the sauce is warm enough (a couple of ladlefuls with broth from the pot are needed for this), you add the egg-lemon mixture in the pot, and "stir" using the pot's handles (you don't stir inside the pot, you simply swirl the pot for a few seconds).

This is a one-pot fricassee meal you will cook again and again (and again) :) It's hearty, filling, homey, and a perfect choice for any cold day. The quantity of the ingredients given here is for 2 large servings. If you like to cook for 4 simply multiply the ingredients and add 1lt/4cups more warm water. The cooking time is the same though.

Oh, and don't forget to have some good ol' crusty bread to mop up the sauce! Definitely a must!

Ingredients:

For the stew:

- 500gr/17.5oz/1lb pork leg/ham, cut in small bites

- 80-100gr/2.8-3.5oz (1 small) onion, finely chopped

- 250-300gr/8.8-10.5oz selino or celery, chopped in 5cm pieces*

- 125ml (1/2 cup) olive oil

- 170gr/6oz (3-4 pieces) spring onions, green part included, sliced in small pieces

- 40gr/1.5oz (1/2 bunch) fresh dill, finely chopped

- 2lt/2.1qt (8 cups) warm water

- Salt, pepper

*If using American celery (Pascal variety), then trim and peel the stalks. If they’re very thick, also slice them lengthwise in 2-3 strips. Then, chop the stalks in 5cm/2in long pieces.

For the egg-lemon sauce:

- 1 egg, room temperature

- Juice from 1 lemon

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Preparation:

Pour the olive oil in a large pot and put it on medium to high heat. Once the oil is hot enough, add the pork (pic.1). Stir, to make sure all the surfaces are starting to cook (pic.2).

When it starts to get a bit brown (pic.3), after about 5-6 minutes, remove and set aside (pic.4).

Add the onion and the spring onions in the (same) pot (pic.5) and sautee until they soften. Any meat residue in the bottom of the pot from the previous phase will be deglazed from the juices of the onion. When the onions are soft enough, add the dill (pic.6) and stir for a minute.

Add the meat back in the pot (pic.7), stir, and add the water (pic.8).

When the water starts simmering (pic.9), lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot leaving a small opening (pic.10) and cook for 45 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

When the 45 minutes have passed, add the celery (pic.11), cover in the same manner as before, and cook for 30 minutes more. If by any chance you notice that there isn’t enough broth left at the end (depends on the temperature of cooking), then add 0.5lt (2 cups) of warm water and let it simmer for 5 more minutes.

Before start making the avgolemono egg-lemon sauce, remove the pot from heat and keep it aside for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper.

Then beat the egg in a medium sized bowl and add the lemon juice while whisking (pic.12).

Whisk until frothy, and then start adding the broth from the pot (whisking continuously), very slowly at first (pic.13). You will need about 2 ladlefuls to warm the sauce up. Then add the frothy sauce (pic.14) in the pot and swirl the pot from its handles. That’s it!

Serve with fresh crusty bread. You won’t need anything else! :) Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. It’s best to use lean pork meat for this dish. Prefer the leg/ham cuts, they have less fat than pork shoulder/butt. Of course pork belly is not suitable for this dish.

2. Make sure to remove the egg and the lemon from the fridge before you start cooking, so they’ll have enough time to warm up to room temperature.

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Delicious Mashed Carrots Side

littlecookingtips — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 16:14:15 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

256

Servings:

serves 2

Preparation Time:

10 minutes

Cooking Time:

45 minutes

This side dish is a very special one. It has a unique, exquisite taste, that makes it the perfect companion for holiday or Valentine's dinners: Fennel scented, delicious mashed carrots!

This mashed carrots recipe, is fantastic for accompanying roasted turkey/chicken, rotisserie chicken, roasted pork, and fish steaks or fillets. Of all the previously mentioned combinations, our favorite one is the one with the fish.

We often grill a simple cod fillet, sprinkled with salt, lemon and olive oil and accompany it with this amazing carrots puree. Of course it's also great with a salmon steak.

Since the Christmas season is almost here, we think you 'll find dozens of uses for this recipe! It's really worth trying, and the best part is, it's really easy to make. You simple simmer the carrots with the ingredients mentioned and mash them with a bit of butter. As simple as that!

Of course this also a healthy side dish, full of antioxidants, and suitable for vegetarians. It's so much better for you to use this puree instead of the classic mashed potatoes side. Besides, this is also so versatile!

So let's see how to make this delicious side!

Ingredients:

- 500gr/17.5oz/1.1lb fresh carrots, peeled, sliced in 3cm/1in width pieces and then in the middle (large half-moon sized pieces)
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 1/2 tablespoon butter (you can use margarine if you're vegan)
- 500ml/2 cups vegetable stock (you can also dissolve 1 stock cube in the same volume of warm water)
- 250m/1 cup fresh orange juice (about 2 oranges needed)
- A little fresh parsley for serving

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Preparation:

Add 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a medium sized pot and put in on medium-high heat.Once the butter starts foaming add the fennel seeds. Toast for 20 seconds. (pic.1)

Add the carrots and stir for 30 seconds more. (pic.2)

Pour in the stock (pic.3), the orange juice (poic.4) and stir.

Once it starts simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, about 30-35 minutes (pic.5). Stir every few minutes.

Add the rest of the butter (pic.6) and using a hand blender, mash and stir until you get a smooth result (pic.7).
You can also use a food processor to achieve the same.

Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and serve!

Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. If the water has evaporated before the 30 minutes, and the carrots are still not soft enough, then add 1 cup of warm water and continue cooking until it evaporates.

2. You can also add 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream when you mash the carrots with the hand blender for a richer result. Alternatively you can also add 1 tablespoon of crème fraîche or Greek yogurt as well.

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Smoked salmon, Greek yogurt and cream cheese Pitas

littlecookingtips — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 17:25:28 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

298

Servings:

6 slices/pieces

Cooking Time:

20 minutes

This time we will suggest an appetizer that is quite different. Perhaps you have tasted the Russian blinis.

Blinis are traditional Russian pancakes/crepes (depending on the size and thickness of the dough), that are served mostly with caviar or smoked salmon and sour cream. They are considered (and they are indeed) a great festive delicacy.

So, inspired by this, we thought of transforming the Russian recipe to a Greek; Instead of using blini as the base for the appetizer, for us it was very easy to just use a nicely grilled Greek pita/pitta bread. We selected a small sized pita which was a bit larger than blinis, but suitable for our purpose. There are packs with 6 or 12 small pitas (about 10cm/3 inches in diameter), but if you can't find them don't worry. Just buy some regular pitas and cut them in four, forming four nice triangles. The Greek pitas are pocketless pitas, so do not choose the ones which that can be sliced open. You need the plain fluffy pocketless rustic pitas.

We took those pitas, brushed them with good quality extra virgin olive oil and grilled them using a grill pan. You can also grill them in the oven using the broiler and a wire rack. If you don't care that much about the nice grill marks on the pita, you can also cook ("grill") them on a simple fry pan as well. When nice and ready (grill marks developed), they smell so good you almost want to have them without any topping. But we didn't do that. Instead, we decided to add a beautiful fresh layer of Greek yogurt mixed with lemon juice and cream cheese. We skipped the sour cream, as we wanted a different (perhaps richer) taste to combine with the pocketless pita. On top, we added some pieces of good quality smoked salmon (cut in very thin slices) and some dill. You can add as much dill as you prefer; We also tried this recipe adding dill in the yogurt-cheese mix, and it was also really good!

The pitas are served right away, as -depending on the dough of the pita- they may start to harden a bit after an hour. So it's a make & serve appetizer; a festive appetizer that's very quick and very easy; you just prepare the pitas, mix the yogurt-cheese condiment and assemble them. Try to have just one, as they 're delicious but they 're also filling! Kali oreksi!

Ingredients:

- 6 Greek pita breads, small size (pocketless)
- 200g (7oz) smoked salmon, cut into pieces
- 200g (7oz) good quality Greek yogurt
- 200g (7oz) cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) extra virgin olive oil (for the pitas)
- 2 tablespoon (30ml) lemon juice
- dill for the topping
- salt and pepper

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Preparation

Brush the pita breads with the olive oil (both sides).

Grill the pita breads on a grill pan, on medium to high heat, for about 3 minutes. Flip them and continue grilling for another 1-2 minutes.
Remove the pita breads from heat and place them on kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

While the pitas are cooling down, add the yogurt, the cream cheese and the lemon juice in a bowl and mix well until blended. Add salt and pepper.

Place 1 tablespoon of the Greek yogurt-cheese mix on each pita bread and spread it on the surface using a butter knife.
Add 2-3 slices of smoked salmon on top. Sprinkle with dill and serve. Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. You can add finely chopped dill in the yogurt-cheese mix, for a stronger dill taste. You can also add some lemon zest if you prefer.
2. As mentioned, if you don't have a grill pan don't worry. Just use your oven broiler and a wire rack or just a fry pan to grill the pitas.

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Fast&Easy

Greek traditional Christmas cookies (Melomakarona)

littlecookingtips — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 17:12:17 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

212

Servings:

12+ slices/pieces

Preparation Time:

10 minutes

Cooking Time:

2 hours

The Holidays are near! For us Greeks, this means that some of our favourite festive sweets and desserts will become widely available: Melomakarona, Diples and Kourabiedes.

Our personal favorites are the Melomakarona (pronounced mel-low-ma-KA-row-na); melomakarona are honey-orange-clove-cinnamon syrup-drenched soft cookies that melt in your mouth.

They're THE most popular Christmas & New Year treat, and you can find them in every home here in Greece during the Holiday season.

Many families still follow the tradition of making their own melomakarona, at home. They're quite easy to make, plus this way you can make them just the way you prefer, adjusting the ingredients. If you don't feel like baking though, you can also find melomakarona in every pastry shop/bakery in Greece, during the Holidays period.

Being so popular, melomokarona (as also happens with many other Greek recipes), have many variations. All of them however, include honey, cinnamon and cloves as the main ingredients which determine their flavor.
There are modernized versions of the recipe, which contain butter or eggs. There are versions with lemon juice/zest instead of orange (which is the most common fruit used), there are versions made without olive oil, other versions with caster sugar, others with baking powder, brandy etc. The list goes on and on.

In this post we will share our own family's version for the recipe, which a more traditional one. It doesn't contain any eggs or butter. Melomakarona is supposed to be a dessert that’s suitable for those following the Orthodox Christian fasting, which doesn't allow the consumption of any dairy/animal products. So, this is a recipe that is great for vegetarians, as well!

Now, picture this; your home is decorated for the Holidays; Perhaps some festive music is playing in the background. You are shaping the melomakarona from olive oil scented dough -if you have kids it's a perfect way to introduce them to the kitchen AND create some beautiful memories at the same time- and your house is already filled with the aroma of the cinnamon, the cloves, the orange and the honey from the syrup; beautiful, healthy ingredients are all around your kitchen counter. Can you resist?

What are the melomakarona made of? The dough is made with vegetable oil (a part of it MUST be olive oil to enhance the taste), flour, semolina, orange juice (AND zest), baking soda, ground cinnamon and clove. As simple as that!
The syrup is made with orange juice, some zest, water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and whole cloves. The aroma is trully amazing.

The only thing you should take into account when making melomakarona is this: if the syrup is hot, then you must throw the cookies in it, in room temperature in order to soak it up properly. Most of the people (us included) do it the other way around; First we prepare the syrup, then let it chill (close to a window or outside to help speed up the process), and then start making the cookies. As soon as we take them out of the oven we throw them in the cold syrup for a few seconds to soak. You can also make the syrup ahead, the day before, to make things easier.

The final touch in melomakarona, is drizzling them with juuuust a little more honey (use a small fork dipped in honey to achieve that) and sprinkling a few ground walnuts on top of each layer of cookies. Oh yes, there are layers! Most people put the melomakarona on top of each other forming a small pyramid/cone and finally cover them with some cling film. The form of the stacked cookies is reminiscent of the tip of a Christmas tree.

Making melomakarona can sometimes be a little time consuming, but they totally worth it! You will not regret making them at home. It's no accident they are extremely popular here. And if you like cinnamon and honey, you will definitely be addicted to these cookies. This is a recipe you'll be using every year around Christmas (and maybe not just then;) ). We honestly cannot emphasize enough that you must try melomakarona at least once in your lifetime! :)
So let's see how to make them!

Ingredients:

For the dough

- 200g / 7oz ( 1 cup) vegetable oil (we used sunflower oil)
- 200g / 7oz (1 cup) olive oil
- 250ml (1 cup), orange juice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon clove powder
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon powder
- 110g / 3.9oz (1/2 cup), sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 100g / 3.5oz (1/2 cup) semolina
- 1kg / 2.2lb/ 35oz all purpose flour

For the syrup

- 625ml (2 ½ cups) water
- 550g / 19.4oz (2 ½ cups) sugar
- 150g / 5.3oz (1/2 cup) honey
- 2 teaspoons (1 orange), orange zest
- juice from half orange
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cloves

For the topping
- honey
- coarsely crush walnuts

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Preparation

It’s better to start with the preparation of the syrup, int order to allow it to cool, while you make and bake the dough for the cookies. Better off, prepare the syrup the night before.

For the syrup

Place in a saucepan: the water, the sugar, the orange zest, the orange juice, the cinnamon sticks and the cloves and put it on medium high heat (pic. 1).

When it starts simmering (pic. 2), remove from heat and add the honey (pic. 3). Whisk until it dissolves. Leave the saucepan next to an open window, or outside, to cool down.

It's important that the syrup is cool when you place the cookies in it, later on. If there's no much cold outside, in order to allow it to cool down relatively quickly, prepare the syrup a day before; once in room temperature, place it in the fridge.

For the dough:

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees C / 390 F

Place the ingredients for the dough in a large bowl, following the order given from the ingredients list. (see pictures below: sunflower oil, olive oil, orange juice, baking soda, clove).

Whisk well when you add the baking soda (pic. 4), for about a minute, to allow it to blend with the orange juice (pic. 5).

When you have added all the ingredients except the flour (cinnamon, sugar, zest, semolina pic. 7-10) , remove the whisk and then add the flour on top (pic. 11). Mix gently with your hands, by “folding” the dough from the bottom to the top. No rush here.

This way all the ingredients will blend perfectly, creating a soft dough (like that in pic.12). This kneading process should not take more than 2 minutes. The more you knead the less fluffy the dough gets.

Line a baking sheet/pan with parchment paper.

Shape small oval cookies with your hands, in the size of your palm. (pic.13).

Place them on a grinder on the side of the circular shapes, and slightly press them against the grinder, creating the decoration on top (pic. 14). You can also create another shape on the surface (like lines or a grid), using a fork (optional).\

Place the cookies on the lined baking sheet, with a small distance between them (pic.15). The dough is enough for about 3 batches of cookies.

Once the first batch is prepared, put the baking sheet/pan in the middle rack of the oven (there should be 4 lines with about 6 cookies per line / around 24 cookies per batch).

Bake for 30 minutes.

Once you remove the cookies from the oven, immediately dip them (using a slotted spoon) into the syrup for about 20-30 seconds to soak (pic.16). You can dip up to 6 cookies at the same time. You have to be a little careful with the cookies though, because they are oven hot.

Then place them on a wire rack to drain, for a few minutes (pic.17). Once drained, place them in a large plate.

Drizzle with a bit more honey, using a small fork (pic.18) and add some crushed walnuts ( pic. 19, optional).

Continue the exact same process with the next batch of cookies, until they are all baked, dipped into the syrup and drained.

Always remember, the cookies must be placed in the syrup right after the come out of the oven (hot cookies in cold syrup). Enjoy!

Tips:

While the first batch of cookies is baking, you can start making the next one, shaping the dough into cookies and placing them on a second lined baking sheet/pan. This way you save a lot of time.

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Low Cost

Vegetarian