Feast Days Pinon Torte Recipes

FEAST DAYS PINON TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. Refrigerate.
• In food processor, grind pine nuts until moist and meal-like. Add cornmeal and blend again about 30 seconds, just enough to combine.
• In a double boiler over medium-high heat, melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring occasionally so that they melt and blend evenly. Add to the pine nut mixture in the food processor and blend 30 seconds to a minute, until smooth.
• Beat the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla together in a bowl and add to the other ingredients in the food processor. Blend again until smooth.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 20 minutes, or until the cake is firm and springs back slightly when pressed in the center. Do not overcook.
• Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Serve with peach honey (see recipe).

STUFFED CROWN ROAST OF LAMB (KORONA ARNIOU GEMISTI)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Pat meat dry. Make incisions all over the roast and insert garlic slivers. Rub with 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and lemon juice. Put meat in roasting pan.
• Peel and cut eggplant into 1-inch cubes. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt. Let stand for 15 minutes, then rinse and dry on paper towels. Saute in hot oil until golden on all sides, then remove from pan. Add onion and cook until wilted, then add celery and cook until soft. Add parsley and ground meat. Saute, separating with a fork, until golden brown. Add cinnamon, cardomom, raisins, chopped olives, walnuts or pine nuts, lemon peel, rice and cooked eggplant. Mix lightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon mixture into the roast. Wrap ends of bones with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Roast for about 1 1/2 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before carving. Remove aluminum foil and decorate ends of bones with pitted olives.

NATIVE AMERICAN PUEBLO FEAST DAY COOKIES RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350ºF. In a mixing bowl, cream 2/3 cup of sugar and lard. Add egg and blend thoroughly. Stir in the flour, baking powder, vanilla, and anise seed, blending thoroughly. Gradually add milk until a stiff dough is formed. Mix in the piñon nuts or substitute. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured board to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch cookies with a cookie cutter. Sprinkle the tops with mixture of the remaining sugar and cinnamon. Bake the cookies on a well greased baking sheet for about 15 minutes or until golden. Cool on a rack.

SEPHARDIC-STYLE MACAROONS

Steps:

• Blanch almonds in boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove, drain and peel. When cool, grind in a food processor.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium-size bowl mix the ground almonds, sugar and egg whites. Drop from a teaspoon onto the cookie sheets, leaving 1/2 inch between macaroons. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly brown. Dust with confectioners' sugar when cool.

COD PAPILLOTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees or prepare a grill.
• Check cod and remove any remaining bones.
• Fold parchment sheets in half. Cut out half-heart shape so that when the sheet is opened there will be a full heart shape, at least 16 inches wide at its widest point.
• Over medium heat, cook onion in 1 tablespoon of butter and the olive oil, until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir regularly. Add salt and pepper.
• When onion is cooked, stir in honey and Madeira. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Starting with a fully opened heart shape, place 1 cup of salad greens on one side of the parchment, near the center fold line. On top of the greens add 1 cod fillet, 1 teaspoon butter, one quarter of the cooked onion mixture, one quarter of the lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Then place one clam alongside the fillet. (During cooking the clam will open. Its juices become part of the sauce, helping to steam the fish.) Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme. Repeat to assemble the remaining three papillotes.
• Fold the other side of the parchment paper over the ingredients. And, starting at the fold at the top of the heart, fold the two edges over several times to seal the papillote. (This seam should be on top of the papillote.) Continue this around the entire papillote until you reach the fold at the bottom of the heart. Tuck the very end underneath the papillote to form a tight seal. If grilling, assemble ingredients in center of a double layer of foil. Fold widthwise, crimping edges lightly, then roll and crimp lengthwise.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or grill 10 minutes.

EASTER TWIST (TSOUREKI)

Steps:

• Mix yeast with water. Add 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir, then let stand in a warm place until mixture bubbles and foams, about 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl beat the 4 eggs. Add remaining 1 cup sugar, cooled milk, melted butter and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Stir in yeast mixture. If using vanilla add to mixture. Otherwise, blend mahlepi to 3 1/2 cups flour. Add to egg mixture to make a stiff and elastic dough. Dough will be very sticky. Knead well on a floured board for about 5 minutes. Or use dough hook of an electric mixer.
• Place dough in a greased bowl; cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel. Let rise until almost double in bulk, about 3 hours. Punch down and turn over in bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel and let rise again until almost double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously flour work area before rolling out dough. Separate dough into 3 balls. Roll into 14-inch-long ropes and braid. Place on greased round bread pan or cookie sheet and shape into a wreath. Let rise about 45 minutes until double in bulk. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Arrange 4 red eggs around the wreath. Bake 30 to 40 minutes until golden.