Recipes

EASTER MILK PIE

Ingredients

  • 1/2 kilo fine semolina
  • 2 lt milk
  • 2 cups of sugar
  • 4 beaten eggs
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 vanillas
  • Cinnamon powder
  • Oil for basting the baking pan

How to make it

  • Heat milk in a saucepan and add gradually the rest of the ingredients. Stir constantly until the cream binds but do not let it thicken to much. If it becomes too tight dilute it with some more milk.
  • Baste with oil a baking pan and spread semolina into it.
  • Pour the cream into the pan. In order for the cream to be well baked the pie should not be more than 3 fingers high.
  • Bake in 180 C until the surface of the cream starts to brown. Let the cream cool and dredge it with cinnamon. Cut the pie in diamond shaped pieces.

LALAGIA

Ingredients

  • 1kg all-purpose flour
  • 1 sachet of dry yeast
  • Salt
  • Some lukewarm water
  • Oil fro frying
  • ½ teacup of raisins

How to make it

  • Start this lalagia recipe by taking a bowl and add the flour and pour the oil.
  • Knead with your hands until the mixture becomes a crumbled dough.
  • Add salt and knead again.
  • Dissolve the yeast in a glass of water.
  • Pour it into the mixture of flour, add the raisins and knead again.
  • Add lukewarm water to create a soft dough.
  • Cover the bowl with a thick towel and let it rise for 1 hour.
  • After that knead again and cut the dough into large balls.
  • Shape each ball into a cord.
  • Cut the cord at 3 and fold each piece so that it becomes round placing one end above the other.
  • Heat plenty of olive oil in a deep pan and once heated up well, place 3 to 4 Lalagia each time.
  • Fry until they are golden on all sides.
  • Place a big plate with adsorbing kitchen paper.

GREEK DIPLES

Ingredients for the mixture:

      • 2 flat tbsps sugar
      • 2 flat tbsps baking soda
      • 350-400g all-purpose flour (12-14 ounces)
      • 5 eggs (divided into yolks and whites)
      • juice of 1 lemon
      • juice of 1 orange
      • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
      • 1/2 cup corn oil
      • a pinch of salt
    • vegetable oil for frying

Ingredients for the syrup:

    1. 1/4 of a cup sugar
    2. 1/4 of a cup water
    3. 1/2 cup honey
    4. juice of 1/2 lemon
    5. 1 cinnamon stick
    6. 150g chopped walnuts, for garnish (5 ounces)

How to make it:

  • 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).
  • Add the egg yolks one at a time, whilst mixing; wait for each one to be absorbed, before adding another.
  •  In a cup add the orange and lemon juice and baking soda and blend, until dissolved and pour in the egg mixture.
  • Add the white wine vinegar and the sugar and mix.
  • Pour the mixture in a large bowl or basin and sift in the flour;
  • And then add the oil and knead the dough using your hands, until smooth and elastic, and not sticky (if it is sticky, add some more flour).
  • Separate the dough in four pieces.
  • cover them with a plastic warp and let them rest for 30 minutes.
  • Using a rolling pin, roll out each part of the dough into thin rectangle sheets. Now you have to make a decision, whether you want to go the easy or the hard way!
  • Diples get their name from the Greek word for “fold.” This means that you have to fold them.. So if you have the time, go for the traditional version. Using a rolling cutter, cut the rolled out dough into rectangular pieces (approx. 12×25 cm).
  • Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, until shimmering but not smoking hot. Place a cut dough sheet in the hot oil. Using two large cooking forks and placing the edge between the tines of the fork, hold the end furthest away from you and roll the sheet away from you.
  • Hold it a little with the fork in the oil, until coloured and place on some kitchen paper to drain. Repeat with the rest. (It’s best to cut all the diples before you begin frying.)
  • For the easy version, using a rolling cutter, cut the rolled out dough into rectangular pieces (approx. 10x5cm) or square pieces (8×8 cm). Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and deep fry the diples in batches of 3-4 at a time, depending on the how large is the pan, pushing them down with a fork and flipping them sides, until coloured.
  • Place on some kitchen paper to drain and repeat with the rest.
  • Prepare the syrup for the diples. Pour in a pot all the syrup ingredients and bring to the boil; boil for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved (do not stir the syrup).
  • Place the diples on a serving platter and drizzle with the syrup (or if you like them extra syrupy, soak each one in the syrup for a few seconds).
  • Sprinkle with ground walnuts and cinnamon.