 |
| Thanks to the BBC for the Image. Skopje is now called the Republic of Northern Macedonia |
The Parliament in Athens agreed by 153 votes to 146 to approve the name "Republic of Northern Macedonia" to our northern neighbours, despite widespread opposition from the public.
“North Macedonia was born today.” said Alexis Tsipras, who will be remembered, not only as a lier but also as the prime minister who granted or sold (?) the name of our Macedonia to the government of Skopje. Hundreds of thousands of us, Greeks, are outraged with Tsipras’ treacherous policy and the members of parliament who backed him.
The USA and some of our European Union partners are delighted with the results, while we are desolate and infuriated by this disloyal and precarious act, and adamant that we shall retaliate, in due course, by vetoing the entrance of Skopje to the European Union.
I've been told that there is a lot of acrimony in this post. But you must realise, dear reader, how deeply hurt we feel and how livid with rage we are, over this national treason.
I've been told that there is a lot of acrimony in this post. But you must realise, dear reader, how deeply hurt we feel and how livid with rage we are, over this national treason.
 |
Demonstrations all Over Greece Against the Name of Macedonia Given to our Northern Neighbours |
Here are a few recipes for sweets and desserts to partly remove the bitterness we feel.
MUMMY’S PETITS FOUR
Here is a recipe for delicious biscuits my mother used to make so many years ago.
330 g butter or margarine
180 g sugar
470 g self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
6 egg yolks, whipped
Vanilla
100 g sugar mixed with
100 g blanched, roasted and ground
Whip butter, add sugar and keep on beating until pale and fluffy. Sift in the flour, stir and finally gently fold in the whipped egg yolks and the vanilla. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, bring the dough to room temperature and shape small balls, the size of a small walnut and lightly beat 4 egg whites. Brush the pastry balls with the egg whites and sprinkle with the sugar and almond mixture.
Bake in an oven preheated to 160 C for 20-25 minutes. Cool and store.
APPLE PIE
A lovely aromatic apple pie.
Pastry:
120 g (4 oz) butter
150 g (5 oz) brown sugar
1 egg
150 g (5 oz) powdered almonds
150 g (5 oz) self-raising flour
1 liqueur glass water
1 liqueur glass brandy
1 pinch of cinnamon
1 pinch of nutmeg
1 pinch of salt
Egg-wash for brushing over the crust
1 tbsp brown sugar for sprinkling over
Filling:
1½ kg (3 lb) apples, pared, finely sliced and sprinkled with lemon juice
2 heaped tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp sugar
½ tbsp cinnamon
½ tsp grated nutmeg
Cream butter and sugar, then add all the other ingredients for the pastry and mix all together until a soft dough is obtained. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for about an hour.
Mix the cornflour with the sugar and spices, sift over the sliced apples and mix gently until all the apples are well coated with the mixture.
Roll out the dough into 2 circles (0.5 cm thick), one slightly larger than the other. Place the larger circle in a deep, buttered tart-dish then spoon the filling in and even the surface. Cover with the second pastry and join the two together, crimping them into a pretty shape. Make two slashes on the pastry, brush it with egg wash and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for about an hour.
Serve hot with ice cream.
MASTIC ICE CREAM
The mastic shrub (Pistacia Lentiscus) is cultivated in Greece only on the southern part of the island of Chios
Mastic is used to flavour spirits, cakes, pastries, ice creams and chewing-gum. It also has medical uses against stomach and tooth ailments.
200 g (1 cup) sugar
960 ml (4 cups) milk
1/8 tsp salt
3 tbsp cornflour
½ tsp mastic powder
3 whole eggs or 6 egg yolks
Bring 3 cups of milk sprinkled with mastic powder to the boil, remove from the heat and keep warm. Meanwhile, mix the sugar and cornflour together.
Beat the eggs or egg yolks with the salt until light and creamy. Stir in the remaining cup of milk, and the sugar and cornflour mixture and stir very well, until smooth.
Add a little warmed milk and stir well Pour the mixture into remaining warm milk. Cook over simmering water until the custard thickens, whisking constantly. Cover the surface with cling film and set aside to cool.
Freeze the custard in an electric ice cream machine or place it in a covered ice cream tray. When half-frozen, beat well and quickly return it to the freezer. Repeat the procedure twice more.
CHOCOLATE CAKE COVERED WITH RUM CUSTARD
 |
| Thanks, Skinny Chick for the Photo |
Eddie Cotsis is a very dear friend and our bridge teacher, and, like most Americans, she bakes the most fabulous cakes. Do try this recipe, it is easy to make and has highly gratifying results. I added the rum custard topping which magically changes it into a decadent dessert.
1 egg
50 g (½ cup) cocoa, sifted
225 g (1½ cup) self-raising flour, sifted
1 vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
200 g (1 cup) sugar
112 g (½ cup) butter
120 ml (½ cup) buttermilk
120 ml (½ cup) boiling water
Combine all the ingredients together and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C for 35-40 minutes. Serve sprinkled with icing sugar or covered with rum custard.
RUM CUSTARD
This is a fabulous custard.
6 egg yolks
100 g (3 oz + 2 tsp.)
250 ml (1 cup) cream
250 ml J (1 cup) Jamaican rum
40 g (1 oz + 2 tsp) cornflour
1 vanilla pod split in half
Pour cream and rum into a saucepan and scrape in the little black seeds of the vanilla pod with a knife. Bring to the boil over medium heat an as soon as it boils, remove from the heat, cover allow to infuse for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat the yolks with the sugar until light and fluffy, add the cornflour and beat again with the whisk until well combined.
Then slowly pour in the hot cream/rum mixture into the beaten eggs, beating constantly until thoroughly mixed.
Transfer the mixture back into the saucepan and simmer gently, beating constantly, It is important to scrape the whisk over the base of the saucepan to prevent the custard from sticking. The custard is ready when it coats the back of a wooden spoon. The best way to cool it is to pour it into a baking tin, cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge.
When the custard is cold, place it into a mixture and beat well until smooth.
DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE
I wish to thank Nigella Lawson for the recipe of this lovely, dark chocolate cake, with a luscious icing.
For the cake
50 g (1 2/3 oz) best quality cocoa powder, sifted
100 g (3 3/10) dark brown sugar
250 ml (1 cup) boiling water
125 g (½ cup) soft butter, plus extra for greasing the tin
150 g (5 oz) sugar
225 g (7 1/2 oz) self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt
Vanilla extract
2 eggs
(30 cm diameter round tin)
For the icing:
83 ml water (1/3 cup + 2 tbsp water)
20 g (2/5 oz) dark brown sugar
105 g (3 ½ oz) butter, cubed
200 g (6 3/5 oz) best quality dark chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F), line base of the tin with buttered baking parchment and brush the sides with melted butter.
Place the cocoa, 100 g sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk in the boiling water and set aside. Also, mix the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together in a bowl and reserve.
Cream the butter and the remaining sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla, then, mixing constantly, add the egg, quickly followed by a scoopful of the flour mixture, then the second egg and keep mixing and adding the rest of the dry materials. Finally, fold in the cocoa mixture.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Let the tin rest on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes before turning it out to cool.
For the frosting place the water, dark sugar and butter in a pan, over low heat, to melt. When it begins to bubble remove for the heat, add the chopped chocolate and swirl. Then allow for a minute to melt before whisking, until smooth and glossy. Leave for one hour, whisking from time to time, until it becomes thick and spreadable.
Spread the icing evenly over the top and sides of the cake and garnish with strawberries or any other fruit of your choice and chocolate swirls.
ICED PINEAPPLE DESSERT
This was one of my favourite desserts when I was young. It was served on a thick sheet of ice, with mint leaves and lemon slices trapped within. It was beautifully garnished with wisps of golden caramel, a real work of art! Here is my latest effort, without the sheet of ice and caramel wisps, but, as I have mentioned before, I shall never quite manage to reach the presentation and delicious tastes and flavours of my memories. But I shall keep on trying!
500 g (1 lb) thick cream, whipped to the soft peak stage
One 560 g (1 lb 2 oz) tin pineapple pieces, an ample 350 g (1½ oz) fruit – 210g (7oz)
natural juice
2 tbsp or more sugar
A good pinch of salt
7 sheets gelatine, separated and soaked in iced water
One 395 g (13 oz +) tin, sweet condensed milk
2 tbsp lemon juice or more
The grated rind of 1 lemon
250 g (½ lb) thick Greek yogurt, whipped until smooth
Simmer the contents of the pineapple tin, with the sugar and salt for 10 minutes. Strain and cool a little. Squeeze the gelatine sheets and dissolve them thoroughly in the hot juice.
Meanwhile, combine the sweet condensed milk with lemon juice and grated lemon rind, add it to the gelatine mixture and stir well. Add the yogurt and allow the mixture to cool completely.
Finally, fold in the whipped cream, in portions, and mix until well combined. Line a loaf tin with cling film and garnish the base attractively, with a few pineapple pieces. Add 2-3 ladlefuls of the cream mixture over. Scatter more pineapple pieces evenly on top. Mask with the remaining cream and push in the rest of the fruit. Cover completely with the overhanging cling film and freeze for 4 hours at least.
Place the dessert in the fridge one hour before serving. Reverse on a serving dish and garnish attractively with pineapple bits, mint leaves or a flower.
 |
| By Mikki Senkarik 1954 "A Touch of Greece" |
No comments:
Post a Comment