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Phil’s Filo Pastry

8 cups of all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons of raki

2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 1/4 - 1 1/3 cups of warm water

flour for work surface and hands



Put the flour in a large mixing bowl, make a hole in the middle, add salt, oil, raki and a little bit of water. Mix it all in with your hands. If needed add more water until like a dough consistency. Take out and knead on a floured bench for a while. Put it back in the bowl and leave for at least 1/2 hour, covered with a clean table cloth.

Taste to see if it has enough salt, if not add a bit and mix in.

Roll into a fat sausage and cut into 8 portions.

The filo dough rolls better when soft and elastic. If it feels very stiff add a little more flour and mix in to make it softer.

You will need a long very thin rolling pin. Using the rolling pin, roll the pastry out (one portion at a time),into a large circle, very thin, adding flour to the surface as needed.

To do this, roll the dough around the pin - then roll it up, now spreading your fingers, work your fingers along the dough, out along the rolling pin. Then, push the dough away from you, pushing the pin away in a fairly fast motion so the dough unwinds from the pin. This process helps to stretch and lengthen the pastry. Turn the dough round by 1/2 and repeat many times until the pastry is very thin. (It will not be as thin as shop bought fillo pastry).

Use the oil to brush over the pastry and then use as per recipe.

Fig Ice cream

Ingrediance:



350 g ready-to-eat dried figs

25 g soft brown sugar

570 ml milk

4 large egg yolks

1 rounded teaspoon custard powder

110 g caster sugar

1 vanilla bean split

2 tablespoons brandy

150 ml double cream





Method:



First, place the figs and brown sugar in a medium-sized saucepan and add 275 ml water. Bring this up to simmering point and simmer gently with a lid on for about 5 minutes, then uncover and continue to simmer for a further 5 minutes or until the figs are plump and tender. Now remove from the heat, replace the lid and leave them until they're completely cold.



The next stage is to purée the figs, so drain off the cooking liquid, snip off and discard the tops of the figs, then place them either in a liquidiser or a food processor, along with the milk, and blend them until they have become smooth and uniform. Now press the mixture through a sieve to extract any tough, resistant pieces of skin.



Next, make the custard by whisking the egg yolks, caster sugar. Now bring the milk, vanilla bean and fig mixture up to the boil, and then pour it on to the egg yolk mixture. Return the whole lot to the saucepan and bring it back to the boil gently, still stirring with a whisk to keep it smooth. If it looks like curdling, don't worry: just whisk it together again as it cools.

Now let the custard cool before combining it with the brandy and the double cream (lightly whipped until it just holds its shape). Place the mixture in an ice cream maker and churn according to the maker's instructions – you will probably have to do this in two batches. If you don't have an ice-cream maker then whip it by hand as soon as it freezes. Pack the ice cream into a storage container and store in the freezer until ready to use. Before serving remove it to the fridge for 30 minutes to soften.

Greek Honey-Dipped Spice Cookies (Phoenikia)

FOR THE DOUGH


12 cups 1.5 kg of all-purpose flour

3 cups of olive oil

2 cups of sugar

1/4 cup of brandy

1 cup of lukewarm water

juice and grated peel of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cloves

1 cup of coarsely ground walnuts



FOR THE SYRUP

1 cup of honey

2 cups of sugar

2 cups of water

1 cinnamon stick

juice of 1/2 lemon

10 whole cloves



FOR THE TOPPING

2 1/2 cups of toasted sesame seeds

1 2/3 cups of walnut pieces

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon



Preparation:

Dissolve baking soda in the lemon juice. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder, and whisk until well blended.



In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, water, lemon juice (with baking soda), cinnamon, cloves, brandy, and grated lemon peel. Beat for 2 minutes until thoroughly combined. Continue beating and add two-thirds (8 cups) of the flour mixture, 1 cup at a time, beating on low speed. (If using walnuts, add now.)



Gently knead in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. Knead gently for about 5 minutes. The dough will be oily.



Notes: Don't overwork the dough or beat in the flour at high speeds or the cookies will be too dense. The cookie shape should be rounded, not flat or they will harden during baking.



Preheat oven to 180°C.



To shape the cookies, take a fistful of dough and squeeze 5 times to compress. Roll into a log shape between palms of hands. Press the dough gently with your fingers on one side to flatten slightly. The traditional shapes of the cookies are slightly rounded circles or ovals. (How to shape the cookies with photos)



Place the cookies, finger-marked side down, well spaced on a greased cookie sheet (or on parchment cooking paper, or on a non-stick cookie sheet), place on the middle rack in the oven and bake at 180°Cuntil browned (about 30-35 minutes}.



Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on paper towels.



Combine all topping ingredients and grind coarsely.



The cooled cookies will be dipped in the hot syrup, so don't start the syrup until the cookies have cooled.



Place all syrup ingredients in a wide pot (like a deep frying pan) and bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 10 minutes. Turn the heat down to lowest possible setting. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves.



Put cookies (as many as will fit on the bottom in one layer) into the hot syrup and use a spatula to hold them down for about 30 to 45 seconds. Once the cookies have been soaked, remove them with a slotted spoon, letting excess syrup drip, place on a large serving plates or platter, sprinkling liberally with the mixture of ground sesame seeds, walnuts, and cinnamon. (The cookies will darken from the syrup.)



Melomakarona are not refrigerated. Cover them well with plastic wrap to keep for several days or store in tins so they don't dry out, and they'll last for weeks or months - if they aren't eaten by then.



Yield: about 80 cookies

Xerotigana: Honey-Dipped Spiral Pastries

Ingredients:


For the dough:

6 - 8 cups of all-purpose flour

2/3 cup of freshly squeezed orange and lemon juice

2/3 cup of olive oil

1 cup + 2 tablespoons of water



For the syrup:

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of honey

1 cup of water

1 stick of cinnamon



For the topping:

1/4 cup of toasted sesame seeds

1/4 cup of finely chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon



olive oil for frying

Preparation:

Combine 6 cups of flour and all remaining dough ingredients in a large bowl or plastic tub and knead well for at least 5 minutes. Add more flour as needed to make a smooth firm dough.



Let rest for 30 minutes.



While the dough is resting, make the syrup. Bring all syrup ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan and boil for 15 minutes. Turn the heat to the lowest possible setting to keep it hot without boiling.



Note: How to Make the Spirals with photos.

Divide the dough into equal-sized pieces, about the size of your fist. Roll out each piece of dough using the highest (thinnest) setting on a pasta machine or with a floured rolling pin, into a long strip, about 30-36 inches long and 5 inches wide, sprinkling with flour if needed to keep it dry. Cut lengthwise into strips 1 inch wide using a fluted pastry wheel. Each piece of rolled-out dough should make 5 long strips.



Loop the long strip of dough loosely around two fingers, then three, then all four, continuing to make a loose spiral shape.



Drop into 2 inches of hot oil. The dough is so thin that it will puff as it fries and will tend to uncurl. Place the tines of a fork in the center of the spiral and turn to keep the spiral shape. When lightly golden on all sides, remove from the oil with a slotted spoon or spatula. Let excess oil drip off and drain on paper towels. Do not stack the spirals.



Place one spiral at a time in the steaming hot syrup (increase heat if necessary) for 5-6 seconds on each side. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a serving platter. Combine walnuts and cinnamon. Sprinkle with a little of the walnut and cinnamon mixture, followed by the sesame seeds. Layer spirals on top, sprinkling each with the toppings.



Tip: How much to sprinkle? At least a good sized pinch on each spiral... of the walnut/cinnamon mixture and of the sesame seeds.

Chios Mastic Panna Cotta

Ingredients:



410 ml pouring cream

60 gm caster sugar

6 gm mastic, finely ground in a mortar and pestle

200 ml milk

1 tbsp rose water

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 gelatine leaves (gold strength), soaked in cold water



Directions:



Place the cream,milk, sugar, gelatin, and mastic into a saucepan and over a low heat, using a wooden spoon, stir until all the ingredients have dissolved.

Keep stirring occasionally to ensure the mixture doesn't stick to the pan - you want it to almost reach the boiling point. At that moment, remove the pan from the heat and sir in the rose water and vanilla.

Lightly coat 4 ramekins with a non flavored spray shortening and pour the mixture into the ramekins, place them in the refrigerator, approximately 2 to 4 hours and let set.

Run a knife around the edges of the ramekins and turn over onto a dessert plate, top with a drizzle of honey and fresh berries, also garnish with fresh mint leaves.

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