Melomakarona

This is a traditional Greek Christmas Cookie. It is also sometimes spelled Melomacarona.
Makes about 36

For the cookies:
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons whiskey
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 1/2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon orange zest

For the syrup:
2 cups honey
1/2 cup ground walnuts or almonds

Preheat oven to 350 F. Melt butter; let cool slightly. Place egg yolk, orange juice, whiskey, sugar and baking soda in a blender; mix at medium speed until combined. With the motor still running, slowly drizzle in the melted butter through the hole in the top of the blender cover. Mix at high speed until mixture has thickened and resembles mayonnaise, about 2 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder, cloves, and cinnamon. Add orange zest. Mix in the egg yolk-butter mixture and knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. (Dough will be stiff.) Shape dough by the tablespoonful in the palm of your hand, squeezing slightly to form an oblong egg shape. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheets and press the tops lightly with a fork, making a crisscross pattern. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. To prepare syrup: Bring 1 cup of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in honey, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Dip cookies in warm syrup for a few seconds. Place on cookie sheets until syrup soaks into cookies. Sprinkle with nuts and let cool. These cookies taste best the next day and keep well when stored in an airtight container.

kourabiedes

INGREDIENTS

* 700g (1lb 9oz) butter
* 300g (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
* 700g (1lb 9oz) blanched and ground
* 1200g (nearly 10 cups) flour
* 4 cups of icing sugar (caster sugar) in a bowl for coating.

METHOD

In a large bowl beat the butter and the oil with the sugar until fluffy. Stir in the beaten eggs, soda diluted in the cognac, cinnamon and the almonds.

Gradually combine the flour with the mixture and knead thoroughly until the it forms a dough.
Take pieces of dough and form balls the size of a walnut.

Arrange on prepared baking tray and bake for 15 - 20 mins in a preheated oven 180c /350f /Gas 4.
When they are slightly cool, cover them completely with icing sugar. Must be thickly coated. Arrange on platter.

augolemoni (soup with chicken and rice)

Ingredients:

* 1 chicken, 3-4 pounds, cut in pieces
* 12 cups of water
* 2 cups of round rice
* sea salt
* ground pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon of Greek oregano
* 3 tablespoons of olive oil
* 2 eggs
* juice of 2 lemons
* 1 tablespoon of water

Preparation:

Clean chicken and remove skin and fat.

Place the chicken in a large stock pot and add water. Bring to a full boil. Skim off any foam that rises to the top. When the foam stops, reduce heat, cover the soup and simmer until the chicken meat is falling off the bone, (depending on weight, about 2 hours or more).

Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Strain the broth, return to the pot, and bring to a boil. Add the rice, salt, pepper, oregano, and olive oil. Reduce heat, and simmer until the rice is done, approximately 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.

While the rice is cooking, bone the chicken and cut the meat into pieces.

In a mixing bowl, beat or whisk the egg whites until foamy. (If using an electric mixer, use speed 3.) Beat in egg yolks, water, and lemon juice. Fill a measuring cup or coffee cup with hot soup broth and add slowly, beating (or whisking) continuously. If the hot liquid is added too quickly, the mixture will curdle. When the mix is fully blended, stir the soup and pour in the egg-lemon mixture slowly. Shake the pot gently to distribute. Do not stir.

Add the chicken meat to the soup and serve.

Yield: serves 8-10

bread for christmas
Christopsomo, or Christ's Bread, is considered a sacred tradition in many Greek Orthodox homes, and the care with which it is made is said to ensure the well-being of the home in the year to come. Only the purest and most expensive ingredients are used. The bread is often decorated with pieces of dough formed into representations of the family's life (boats, animals, etc.). Ingredients are for simple loaves (see photo), and directions for a decorated loaf as shown at left can be found below.
Prep Time: 4 hours
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:

* 8 cups of all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon of salt
* 1 1/2 tablespoons of dry yeast
* 1 cup of warm water (105F, 40C)
* 1 cup of warm red wine
* 1/2 cup of olive oil
* 1/4 cup of orange juice
* 1/4 cup of brandy
* grated peel of 2 oranges
* 1 cup of sugar
* 1 1/2 cups of raisins
* 1 1/2 cups of walnuts, coarsely chopped
* 1/3 cup of pine nuts
* 1 tablespoon of grated gum mastic or 1 tablespoon of crushed anise seed
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* ----------
* For the Topping
* milk
* 2 whole walnuts in shells
* sesame seeds

Preparation:

1. Mix the yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water and 2 tablespoons of flour, stir until dissolved and set aside for 10 minutes, until it bubbles.

2. In a large mixing bowl, sift the salt with 2/3 of the flour. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture, the remaining warm water, and the wine. Mix until a soft dough forms, cover with waxed paper and a damp towel, and set aside to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in bulk.

3. Punch the dough down and knead for several minutes until any air pockets are gone. Sift in the remaining flour, add the oil, orange juice, brandy, and grated orange peel.

4. In a small bowl, mix the sugar, raisins, walnuts, pine nuts, gum mastic or anise, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg until blended, and add to the dough.

5. Knead well until the dough is firm and doesn't stick (about 10 minutes), cover, and allow to rise for 1/2 hour.

6. On a lightly buttered baking pan, shape the bread into two circular loaves, about 8 inches in diameter. Cover with a dry cloth and a damp cloth over that, and place in a warm place to rise again, until doubled in size.

7. Using a floured knife, score a cross into the top of the loaves, and place one whole, unshelled walnut at the center. Brush the bread with milk and scatter with sesame seeds.

8. Place a pan with at least 1 inch of water in the bottom of the oven and preheat to 450F (230C). Place the bread in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then remove the pan with the water, reduce heat to 390F (200C) and bake for another 25-30 minutes.

9. Remove from oven, brush lightly with water, and cool on a rack.

Preparation tip: Use a mortar and pestle to crush the anise seed.

Decorate Your Christmas Bread (photo): At step 6, pull a fistful of dough from each loaf. Pat the dough back into shape to rise. When risen, use the small pieces of dough to create designs: roll them out into strips and coil around whole walnuts pressed into the top in the shape of a cross (photo), or make them into the shapes of your choice and place on top of the loaves. Continue with the recipe. Brush with beaten egg instead of milk to get a brighter glaze.

OMGGGG thank you sooo much!!!!! my husband is greek and its hard to find recipes that both him and i could eat.

if you like i can find more recipies of traditional greek food thats all year round