MELOMACARONA
Categories: Cookies, Greek, Christmas, Usenet
Yield: 40 pieces
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 c Corn Oil
1/2 c Butter, unsalted-(at room temperature)
1 c Beer
3/4 t Cinnamon, ground
1/4 t Ground cloves, ground
Orange peel (use the -grated peel of one orange)
1 c Sugar
2 c Semolina, finely ground
6 c Flour
1/2 t Baking soda
1/2 t Baking powder
1 t Salt
1 1/2 c Sugar (for the syrup)
1 1/2 c Honey
1 c Water
1/2 c Walnuts, chopped
LET'S GO
Put the corn oil, butter, beer, cinnamon, cloves, orange peel and sugar in
a mixing bowl and beat until they are thoroughly blended.
Sift about one cup of flour with the baking soda, baking powder and salt
and blend into the mixture. Add the semolina, a cup at a time, into the
mixture.
Add the enough of the remaining flour, a cup at a time, until you get a
rather firm dough (you may need a bit more or less than the amount
mentioned in the ingredients list). Use your hands to do the mixing, as an
electric mixer will be useless after the first two or three C of flour have
been added.
Roll the dough into cylinders, about two inches long and one inch in
diameter, flatten them with your hands, and place them on cookie sheets
greased with a little olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees F. for half an hour.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for about half an hour.
Make the syrup: mix the sugar, honey and water, and bring them to a boil.
Cook on low heat for three minutes and skim off the foam that forms on top.
Pour the hot syrup over the cookies, sprinkle them with the chopped walnuts
and let them soak overnight.
NOTES:
* Traditional greek Christmas cookies soaked in honey syrup -- This is one
of the two kinds of confection that are traditionally consumed in large
quantities in Greece during the holiday season (the other is kourabiedes).
I suppose the name translates to something like "honey macaroons", except
that they are not really macaroons. I got the recipe from a greek cookbook.
* You can use flour instead of semolina, but only as a last resort, as you
won't be able to get that wonderful grainy texture which you get if you use
semolina.
* The amounts given here are for only half a recipe. Considering that it
is very hard to eat only one melomacarono, making the full recipe may not
be as outrageous as it sounds!
: Difficulty: Easy to moderate.
: Time: 30 minutes preparation, 30 minutes baking, 30 minutes cooling,
overnight soaking.
: Precision: approximate measurement OK.
GOOD LUCK !!!!