[ewriggs]

Christmas is the most important feast of Christianity after Easter. Throughout the centuries Christmas also has been linked closely to traditional Greek cooking.

So, I'm posting some Greek Christmas recipes here. I'll start with some Cookie Recipes:

Small almond cakes - (Kourabiethes)

Ingredients:
1lb 9oz butter (5 sticks plus 1 Tbs)
1 1/4 cups olive oil
1/2 cup sugar
3 yolks and 1 egg white
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tbsp cognac
1 tbsp cinnamon powder
1lb 9oz blanched and ground almonds
10 cups (or less) flour
4 cups of icing sugar (caster sugar) in a bowl for coating. (can use 10X sugar)

Procedure:
* Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
* Preheat oven to 350deg F.
* Using a large bowl, cream the butter and the oil with the sugar until fluffy.
* Beat eggs, and stir into the creamed mixture. Mix soda with cognac, and stir into the mixture along with the cinnamon and the ground almonds.
* Add the flour to the mixture very gradually, and knead thoroughly until it becomes a dough ball.
* Form balls the size of a walnut from the dough.
* Arrange about an inche apart on the cookie sheets and bake 15 - 20 mins.
* Remove from oven and cool slightly. Cover really *thickly* with 10X sugar.

= = = = =
Baklava

Ingredients:
Filling
1 pound walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 c sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pastry
1 pound. phyllo pastry (available in freezer section of grocery)
6 Tbs unsalted butter, melted

Syrup
8 oz caster sugar
1 1/4 c water
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons lemon juice
some lemon peel
2 tablespoons honey

Procedure:
* Generously butter a rectangular baking dish. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375 deg F.
* Mix all filling ingredients together in a bowl.
* With a very sharp knife, cut phyllo pastry a little longer than the inside length of the baking dish.
* Line the entire dish with 5 layers of phyllo, brushing each layer with melted butter before placing in dish. Sprinkle the 5th layer with a thin coating of filling all over the surface. Add 3 more layers of phyllo, generously brushing each layer with butter. Sprinkle a thin coating of filling and place 2 more sheets of buttered phyllo on top. Sprinkle on all the remaining filling, spreading it evenly, and cover with 7-8 more layers of phyllo, again brushing each layer generously with butter.
* Fold any excess pastry on either of the sides over the filling and brush it with butter. Brush the top layer generously with butter in order for it to become crisp and golden when baking. Trim excess pastry with a small sharp knife. It will shrink, so keep that in mind. Cut the top layers of phyllo carefully, either diagonally into diamond shapes or straight, which will result in square or elongated pieces. Be careful to not cut all the way down to the base, but only the top layers. This is done in order to make cutting and lifting the pieces out, once it is cooked, much easier and efficient. Sprinkle drops of water all over the surface and cook in preheated oven for about 15 minutes; lower the heat to 350 deg Fand bake for 20 more minutes.
* While the phyllo is cooking, prepare the syrup. Place the sugar, water, cinnamon sticks, lemon juice and lemon peel in a saucepan and stir to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 6-8 minutes, add the honey and simmer for 5 more minutes until it thickens. After the baklava cools, pour the hot (but not boiling) syrup (through a strainer) slowly all over the top. Let the baklava stand and absorb the syrup.
* When serving, cut the pieces rest of the way through. Use a small spatula to remove from pan as needed. Leave unused baklava pieces in the dish so it will continue to absorb any remaining liquid syrup.

Cheerio!
Elizabeth