Greek Recipes

Tsoureki – Greek Easter Bread

This famous festive Greek Easter bread can be shaped a variety of ways. The most common loaf braids 3 ropes and adds red-dye eggs. The braids are symbolic of the Holy Trinity; the eggs, of the blood of Christ and fertility.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups milk
5 tbsp butter
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
Zest of 1 orange
Scant 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 oz (1 packet) fast-acting dry yeast
3 tbsp orange juice
2 eggs, beaten

For the Glaze:

3 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2/3 cup almonds, slivered

Preparation:

Place the milk in a small saucepan and warm over low heat. Add the butter, stirring it into the milk as it melts, then allow to cool. Place 1 cup of the flour in a mixing bowl with the salt, orange zest and 1 tsp of the sugar.

Stir in the yeast, then beat in the butter and milk to make a batter. Cover and leave for 20 minutes until the mixture becomes bubbly. Then, add the remaining 4 cups flour, sugar, orange juice and eggs, and mix into a soft dough.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, brush with a little melted butter, cover and leave for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. Knead again and then divide the dough in half. Shape each piece into 3 ropes, each 12 inches long. Pinch the 3 ropes together at one end, then braid the 3 ropes into a plaited loaf. Repeat the process with the other 3 ropes. Place the 2 loaves on oiled baking sheets, cover and leave for 30 to 40 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375F for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan, warm the orange juice over low heat. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve it into the orange juice. Remove the loaves from the oven and brush on the glaze. Sprinkle the slivered almonds on top of the loaves. Bake for 20 minutes more or until the loaves are golden brown and give off a hollow sound when tapped. Eat either hot or cold.

* Makes 2 loaves

The famous Baklava Greek recipe!

Ingredients

1 Pkg Fillo Sheets
1 lb Butter, melted
1 lb Walnuts, chopped
3 cups Sugar, white granulated
1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon or
1/4 tsp Ground and 1 Stick Cinnamon
9 x 13 Pyrex Baking Dish
Pastry Brush

Preparation

Chop the walnuts to medium fine and mix with 1 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon and 1/4 tsp ground Cloves. Melt the butter. Cut the Fillo in half so that each sheet fits the bottom of the Baking Pan. Generously butter the bottom and sides of the baking pan and place the Fillo, one sheet at a time, in the baking pan. Generously spread butter on each sheet of fillo as it is placed in the pan.

On every 6 to 8 sheets of Fillo spread a layer of walnut mix. Continue layering Fillo sheets and walnuts until Fillo is complete. Pour any remaining butter over top of the Baklava. The secret to good flaky Baklava is to have each sheet of Fillo well buttered so that the sheets do not stick together. With a sharp knife, cut the Baklava diagonally to form diamond shaped pieces. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and bake the Baklava for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

HONEY SYRUP

Mix one cup water, two cups sugar, 1/4 tsp ground cloves and either 3/4 tsp Cinnamon or the Cinnamon stick in a sauce pan and bring to a broil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Pour the boiling syrup over the cool Baklava and allow to cool completely again. When cool, serve individual pieces with strong sweet coffee and dried apricots for an exquisite dessert.

Greek: Αμυγδαλωτά γεμάτα
Season: All season

Ingredients:

* 1/2 kg blanched almond kernel
* 180 gr sugar
* Rosewater
* Icing sugar

Preparation:

Mix with a blender the sugar with the almond kernel. Gradually add the rosewater and continue mixing until the mixture becomes a unified pulp. Shape the mixture into different shapes coat with icing sugar and serve.

This sweet is usually served with ouzo in Lesvos island. Enjoy this Greek Dessert recipe!

Greek: Γλύκισμα με αμύγδαλα

Ingredients:

• 640 gr almonds, grinded
• 640 gr sugar
• 8 egg yolks
• Marmelade

Preparation:

Beat the egg yolks. Mix them with sugar and almonds and knead. Seperate the dough in two pieces. Roll out each part of the dough and place in two seperate buttered baking pans. When baked, baste with marmelade of your choice, warm as it is, the sweet in the first pan and place on top of it the sweet of the second baking pan, in a way that the resulted sweet has marmelade on the middle.

Greek: Τιμπλούδια
Season: All season

Ingredients

Filling

• 1 kg almond kernel, thickly grated
• 4-5 spoons sugar
• 5 spoons hard tack (finely grated rusk)
• 1 nutmeg, grated

Syrup

• 1 kg sugar
• 3 glasses water
• Lemon peel of one lemon
• Juice of one lemon
• A pinch of vanilla powder

Dough

• 2 glasses water
• 2 cups oil
• Flour, as much as it takes to make an elastic dough
• A pinch of salt

Method

Prepare the dough by mixing all the appropriate Ingredients. Mould until an elastic dough is prepared. Then roll out the dough and make a thin filo sheet. Mix all the Ingredients for the filling. Then dredge the filling over the filo sheet and roll the filo sheet to make a cylinder, which will have the filling on its center. Cut the cylinder in even pieces and pour over each piece a spoon of heated oil. Bake in moderate temperature until golden. In the meantime prepare a cold syrup by mixing all its Ingredients. When the sweet is baked remove from the oven and pour the syrup over it , cold as it is.