Karidopita With Semolina Food

KARIDOPITA/KARITHOPITA RECIPE (GREEK WALNUT CAKE WITH SYRUP)

Steps:

• Use an electric mixer to mix the sugar and butter; mix at medium-high speed for at least 5 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, whilst continue mixing; wait each time for each egg to be absorbed, before adding the next. Pour in the cognac and the orange zest and mix for 10 more seconds. Set aside.
• Into a large bowl, add the chopped walnut, the powdered Melba toast, the cinnamon, the clove, the nutmeg, the baking powder and blend with a spoon. (Chop the walnut, using a blender, but be careful not to powder it; the authentic greek walnut cake calls for roughly chopped walnuts.)
• Combine the two mixtures and blend, until smooth.
• Place the egg whites into the bowl of the electric mixer, along with a pinch of salt. Make sure your egg whites, bowl and whisk attachments are clean and free of any water. Whisk the egg whites until the mixture is very thick and glossy and a long trailing peak forms when the whisk is lifted (meringues).
• With a spatula add gradually the meringues into the mixture and blend with light circular movements from the bottom up.
• Butter the bottom and the sides of a round baking tray, approx 30cm diameter and bake in a preheated oven at 170C, for about 35 minutes, until nicely colored on the outside and baked through.
• Let the karidopita (greek walnut cake) to cool and then prepare the syrup. Add all the ingredients for the syrup into a pot, and boil, until the sugar has dissolved. Scar the cake into pieces, and slowly ladle the hot syrup over the cold cake, allowing time for each ladle of syrup to be absorbed.
• Let it cool down for a while, before serving. This Greek walnut cake is ideally served cold with some vanilla ice-cream aside. Enjoy!!

FINIKIA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, superfine sugar and orange zest. Gradually mix in the oil and beat until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, semolina, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves; beat into the fluffy mixture alternately with the orange juice. As the mixture thickens, turn out onto a floured board and knead into a firm dough. Pinch off tablespoonfuls of dough and form them into balls or ovals. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Cool on baking sheets until room temperature.
• To make the syrup: In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, combine the water, white sugar, honey, cinnamon stick and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick. While the mixture is boiling hot, dip the cookies in one at a time, making sure to cover them completely. Place them on a wire rack to dry and sprinkle with walnuts. Place paper under the rack to catch the drips. Keep finished cookies in a sealed container at room temperature.

KARITHOPITA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch square baking dish.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Cut in the shortening until it is in very small pieces, then mix in the milk and egg using an electric mixer on low speed. Mix for about 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the bowl at least once to avoid lumps. Stir in walnuts by hand. Pour into the prepared pan, and spread evenly.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in the pan for about 30 minutes while you prepare the honey syrup.
• In a saucepan, stir together 1/4 cup of sugar and the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the honey and lemon juice, and remove from heat.
• Make slashes in the top of the cake in a diamond pattern using a knife. Pour the hot syrup over the top of the cake.

GALATOPITA (BAKED SEMOLINA PUDDING)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Butter a 15 X 13 inch baking pan generously and sprinkle with a generous amount of semolina to coat (the way you would flour a pan).
• In a large pot, scald milk with 1 1/2 cups of sugar.
• Taste the milk to see how sweet it is.
• If you want it sweeter, add up to 1/2 cup more sugar.
• Add butter.
• When butter has melted, add semolina in a thin stream, whisking constantly.
• Bring to the boil and lower heat so that it dosn"t boil too quickly, whisking all the time.
• It will thicken quickly.
• Once thick, remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.
• Quickly whisk in eggs and keep whisking to incorporate them without curdling them.
• Add vanilla extract.
• Pour into prepared pan and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until top of custard is flecked with golden-brown patches.
• Remove, dust with cinnamon, and cool.
• Note: This is a very plain pudding, and good in its plain-ness. If you want a little flavour boost, stir in some freshly-grated lemon zest to the custard just before baking.

LADOPITA (SEMOLINA PIE)

Steps:

• Boil the water with the sugar for 10 minutes and keep it warm.
• Place the oil (but first save approximately 2 fingers from the third glass) in a pot and heat it.
• Slowly put the flour in the oil and constantly stir with a wooden scoop on a medium temperature until it becomes thick, creamy and gets a golden brown colour.
• We then slowly add the warm syrup we saved and continue to stir until all the liquids have evaporated.
• It then becomes a tender halva.
• Place it in a baking pan and sprinkle on top the sesame, then carve the pie in rhombus shapes and put an almond in each rhomb.
• Bake in a medium temperature in the oven for approximately an hour.
• Test with a knife to see if the pie is ready when the dough comes off the sides easily.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon and some sugar, and serve when it has cooled.