Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little before eating – they are best served warm. These Greek-Cypriot pastries take a while to make, but the end results are worth it! My fan oven (which is very hot anyways) was set to 180C. Here’s a Wiki link that will tell you more about it. To those that don’t know what these taste like, it’s hard to describe. which is a resin from pistacia trees. Families gather and celebrate by going to church, hosting feasts, and setting off fireworks. Learn how your comment data is processed. It is a rich, soft eating cheese with a very pleasant taste. 3 / … Cover with a cloth and leave to rise for an hour. Thaw before warming up in the oven and eating. BATZOS: Produced mainly in Central and Western Macedonia and Thessaly. Before I tell you how to make flaounes, let me talk to you about cheese. In a large saucepan, add 2 tablespoons fresh butter  heat well and add flour……                                                        Full Recipe >>. I know that there are a lot of fiddly steps (that does seem to be a recurring theme with Greek cooking, I’m sure it’s that way to keep the women in the kitchen…!) Produced in the southern Peloponnese, it is a semisoft, rather salty cheese, ripened and preserved in brine. All Rights Reserved. Greek Orthodox Easter is celebrated on a different day than Western Easter because Eastern Christianity follows the Julian Calendar. I love celebrating my Greek heritage with this super simple and scrumptious Sunday dinner i… You can also buy it in little crystals that you then pound down to a powder. A quarter hour before using the filling, add some baking powder. Make sure you buy the plain one, rather than any that might come flavoured with chilli or pepper. The dough is quite elastic so often springs back on itself, but persevere! To re-heat, thaw and cook in the oven until warmed through. A rich, soft cheese, usually salty, with a sharp taste and pleasant aroma. When making flaounes you start with the filling as you need to leave that for a few hours (or even overnight). Produced mainly in Central and Western Macedonia and Thessaly. Onto my (old, well used) greased baking trays, and into the oven for about half an hour. A rich, soft eating cheese with a pleasant taste. Place melitinia on prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 min. My dad, the real chef of the family, and Greek Cypriot, gave them the big thumbs up and said he won’t be paying £2 a go for ONE any more if I can make them ^_^. In a large mixing bowl place flour, masticha, sugar, salt and yeast. The recipe makes 6 large flaounes – but you could make smaller ones, or double the mixture and make more! Add the other egg, warm milk and warm water and stir to bring everything together. Many Greek dishes take me back to my childhood, holidaying with my family in Cyprus…I have so many favourites, and these Easter cheese cakes from Cyprus, called flaounes are one of them. I will also grate the cheese more finely…but whatever happens, I WILL be making these again, and I won’t be waiting till next Easter to do so! I took this recipe from a very old Cypriot cook book that I bought in Cyprus maaaany years ago. It has a pleasant taste and aroma, particularly when cooked. A hard cheese with a salty taste and a pleasant aroma. but it is worth the effort. I also used halloumi cheese, which is a Greek Cypriot cheese made from goat and sheep’s milk. or until cheese mixture has solidified and dough is … Rather, it is a calm and easy-going cheese that has pleasantly mild flavors. Add the raisins, dried mint and 2 beaten eggs and mix together. easter is here again!!! 2 / 23. Copyright © 2014 www.greekcooking.co. Mainly an eating cheese, made from sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk; it has a pleasant taste and aroma. When I make these next time I will remember to add the baking powder to the cheese mixture as it must help it to rise somewhat. Cover with a cloth and put in the fridge until needed. 1 Tsp Cinnamon. Holy Saturday. (I actually forgot to do this part and I don’t think it made a difference!). The foods eaten at Greek Orthodox Easter—lamb, wild greens, fresh cheese —make perfect fare for a spring feast. Divide the dough into 6 smaller balls and roll out into circles (ish) about 7″ across. HARD CHEESES: GREEK GRAVIERA (GRUYERE): An eating cheese with a pleasant taste and rich aroma. Cover with a cloth and leave for one hour to rise. A hard, salty cheese usually eaten cooked (in pizza, grilled or fried). An eating cheese with a pleasant taste and rich aroma. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Tzatziki with fresh pita. A white eating cheese, ready to be eaten as soon as it is made. MY CONTRIBUTION FOR THIS YEAR'S EASTER RECIPE, IS A SAVOURY CAKE; AND I'M PROUD TO SAY, IT IS ONE OF MY FAMILY'S.... HELLO DEAR FRIENDS. Produced in Epirus and Thessaly, it is a soft spreadable eating cheese which forms the base for many appetisers. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Greek Easter – this year celebrated on Sunday, May 2 – involves a great deal of baking, from breads to cookies and sweet treats. 1. Cover with a cloth and put in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight. Aged mizithra, which has undergone a dehydration process, is used as a grating cheese for spaghetti, cheese pies, etc. Lunch: Rice with beans (Greeks commonly use lentils for this dish, but you can use other types) or … It has a slightly pungent taste and a rich aroma. KEFALOTYRI: A salty grating cheese with a pleasant sharp taste and rich aroma. If the mixture is a bit wet, add some more flour and form into a ball. Apply more egg wash around the filling onto the pasty and then bring the sides up pressing into the cheese ball to form a triangle, pinching the corners together. I don’t know if you can buy it outside of Cyprus…you may find it in Greek grocers if you have one near to you…but if you can’t find it, you can leave it out – you won’t know the flavour that you’re missing from it, so you won’t miss it (IYKWIM!) MYTILENE LADOTIRI: A hard cheese with a salty taste and a pleasant aroma. Please share this post with your family and friends on social media – just use the buttons below! Another egg goes in, with warm milk and water and mixed again – it will start coming to a dough now, so get stuck in with your hands to form the dough. If a little sticky, add some more flour until pretty much everything comes away from the sides of the bowl. The masticha does give it that ‘Cyprus bread taste’ and whilst my husband didn’t have a clue what that should taste like, I knew, and it was there! Ingredients FOR CHEESE MIXTURE 3lb Caseri greek cheese,or special Flaouna Cheese 10 Medium size Eggs 500Gr Sultanas 1 Cup Sugar 4 Cups Fresh Mint. We really couldn’t wait that long, so the dodgy first one was cut open – look at all that lovely cheese, mint and sultanas! Snack: H piece of pasteli, a honey and sesame bar. Your email address will not be published. Place a rounded teaspoon of cheese filling in the center of the dough and pinch the edges of the dough together to make an ersatz tartlet. In a large saucepan, add 2 tablespoons fresh butter  heat well and add flour……, Butter And Almond Shortbreads (Kourabiethes). As I said in my ramblings earlier in this post, if you like trying new things, then this is a must try. To those that know what these taste like, I think I did a good job! Place on a greased baking sheet and cook in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes until golden. A good substitute is mild cheddar cheese. Formagella is a cheese that does not overwhelm or knock one's socks off. To make the filling you’ll need halloumi and cheddar cheese, eggs, dried mint, sultanas and baking powder. Brush the egg wash over one side of the dough and press the egg side down into the sesame seeds. My first one, which is always dodgy when making anything, was a bit mis-shapen, as I couldn’t get the shape right – but who cares – it tasted just as good! Tag The Purple Pumpkin Blog on Instagram with the hashtag #TPPBRecipes! Spread the sesame seeds out onto a dinner plate. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. The dough doesn’t massively inflate, but there is a rise to it and the dough ball does become visibly bigger. 1 / 23. Grab a handful of the cheese filling and form into a bowl. I rub the mint between the palms of my hands to pound it down further. Add more egg wash around the top of the dough, around the cheese ball and bring up around the sides of the cheese mixture, pressing in to make it stick. The recipe actually gives 200C for 35-40 minutes. A hard, salty cheese usually eaten cooked (in pizza, grilled or … Cover with a cloth and put in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight. Remembering to stir in the baking powder into the cheese mixture, take a handful and form into a ball, then place in the middle of the dough. A salty grating cheese with a pleasant sharp taste and rich aroma. 1 Tsp Mastika 1 Tsp Mehlebe FOR PASTRY 3lb Plain Flour 1 lb Cookeen or Spry Half pint Milk 3 Medium Eggs 3 Teaspoons Baking Powder It’s basically northern Italian lasagna’s cousin, featuring layers of pasta, meat sauce, and the most delicious bechamel. We asked Aglaia Kremezi, author … On Holy (or Great) Saturday, the Eternal Flame is brought to Greece by a military jet … Breakfast: Slice of whole wheat bread with tahini or peanut butter and a glass of juice. Sample Menu for a Greek Fast. All cheese should preferably be kept refrigerated. But the real sleeper hit of Easter is the pastitsio. Your shares are how The Purple Pumpkin Blog grows and I am sincerely grateful every time you share something. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll into 7" diameter circles. I don’t often get to eat them as it means a drive to North London where there is a large Greek community to buy them…so I thought I would dig out my Cypriot cook book and try and make them myself. Our Greek Easter spread isn’t complete without it, and it’s always a crowd-pleaser — even for the pickiest of eaters. Grate the cheeses finely and place into a bowl. In order to have the best texture for your flaouna, it is best to prepare the filling from the night … From tsoureki to galaktoboureko and lots of lamb in between, consider Orthodox Easter sorted with some of our favourite Greek dishes. Feta cheese is ripened and preserved in brine. And the dough, yum! Pour out some sesame seeds onto a large plate – you will be covering the outside of the dough with them. Brush the surface of the rolled out dough with some beaten egg and put the dough, egg washed side down into the sesame seeds. 15 minutes before using the mixture, add the baking powder. A hard cheese. Suitable for freezing once cooled. All I ask is, if you get the opportunity to make them, please do! https://www.learnreligions.com/greek-orthodox-lent-food-traditions-1705461 Greek salad. NOTE: All cheese should preferably be kept refrigerated. I then proceeded to make the rest into a triangular shape instead, pinching the corners together to seal everything in. Greek Easter Recipes To those who observe the Greek Orthodox Faith, Greek Easter is the most significant holiday of the year. Flaounes – Greek Cypriot Easter Cheese Cakes, Privacy, Cookies and Disclosure Policies, Terms and Conditions & Site Information, 500g of cheese - a mixture of halloumi and mild Cheddar. The filling contains cheese, eggs, sultanas, mint and is surrounded by a bread dough which has masticha in (probably spelled wrong, I just know how to say it!) Add dried mint. More Greek-Cypriot recipes on my blog here. I have adapted it slightly so that I can share it, as the recipe book was obviously written in Greek and then translated (poorly) to English. I have got a little pot of powdered masticha that my dad brought home from Cyprus for me. It may be kept for a few days in the refrigerator. You can buy halloumi quite easily in supermarkets these days (in the UK at least). They can be cooled and heated up the next day, no problem, and can also be frozen. Manouri is produced in Central and Western Macedonia and Thessaly. Ripened and preserved in brine, it is a rich, soft, salty cheese with a slightly pungent taste. Many of these traditional recipes are rich with symbolic meaning, usually referencing the regeneration of the earth, the blooming of … Grate the cheese, finely is preferable, into a bowl. On the island, you can buy a special flaouna cheese which is used when making these cheesecakes. Although, I have just found masticha on Amazon, so well worth buying for the authentic taste! ♥, Angelo Pantelides April 19, 2020 @ 2:36 pm. Place in the centre of the dough. Produced in the Cyclades, this creamy, salty cheese has a distinctive sharp taste. As a girl with Greek-Cypriot and Lithuanian heritage, I grew up in a household with different kinds of foods. The full recipe is at the end of the step-by-step guide. It may be kept for a few days in the refrigerator. Put the flour, sugar, salt and masticha (if using) into a large mixing bowl. Whisk up a couple of eggs and add it to the bowl and then stir everything together. 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