Kourabiedes (Greek Butter Cookies)

1 cup soft butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups unsifted flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Whole cloves
Confectioners’ sugar

In large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter,
sugar, egg yolks and extracts until light and fluffy.
Add flour and
nuts.
Mix well with hands.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured
surface.
Divide dough in half.

With hands, shape each half into a 16-inch long roll.
Cut each
roll into 16 pieces, then shape into balls.
Press a whole clove
into each piece.
Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake
at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until cookies are set but not
brown.
Remove to wire rack and sprinkle lightly with confectioners’
sugar while still warm.
Cool.
Before serving, sprinkle with
confectioners’ sugar again.

Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives (Kotopoulo me Tomatoes kai
Elies)

Flour (for dredging)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 (3 pound) frying chicken, cut into 6 to 8 serving pieces
1/2 cup olive oil
2 large red onions, peeled, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled, minced
1 1/2 cups peeled, chopped plum tomatoes
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon oregano

Combine flour, salt and pepper on a plate and lightly dredge the
chicken.
Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in a large, deep skillet and brown
the chicken on all sides, over high heat.
Remove with a slotted
spoon.

Add remaining olive oil to skillet, and sauté
onions until wilted and lightly browned.
Add garlic and stir for 30
seconds.
Place chicken back in the pan.
Pour in the tomatoes and
wine, and season with salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer over low
heat for about 45 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.

Ten minutes before removing from heat, add the crumbled feta and
stir until melted.
Five minutes before removing from heat, add
olives and oregano.

Serve warm.

Yields 6 servings.

Almond Baklava

Phyllo dough
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 cups almonds, slivered and chopped
1 1/4 cups butter or margarine
Whole cloves

Mix sugar, cinnamon and almonds.

Melt the butter, then butter the pan.
Lay one sheet of dough in
pan.
Butter phyllo sheet, then lay another on top of that.
Continue
until you have buttered 5 or 6 sheets.
Lay another sheet, but do
NOT butter it.
Place an even thin layer of almond mix.
Lay another
sheet of dough, butter it, and then another, unbuttered.
On that
place some almond mix again.
Repeat until all the mix is gone, or
you have only 4 or 5 sheets of dough left.
Fold in the dough that
hangs from the side of the pan.
Lay down more sheets of dough,
buttering each one and cutting off edges that hang from the sides
of the pan.
Be sure you butter the top sheet very well.
Sprinkle
some water over the top before baking.
Score with sharp knife.
Stick cloves between scores, so that it keeps the sheets of dough
together.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown,
and the edges no longer touch the wall of the pan.
Start syrup only
after baklava has come out of the oven.

Syrup
4 cups granulated sugar
3 cups water
1/2 cup honey
1 stick cinnamon
1 piece lemon peel
5 or 6 whole cloves

Heat sugar, water, honey, cinnamon, lemon peel and cloves in a
pan over medium heat Until all is melted and combined well.
Bring
to a boil, then let simmer about 10 minutes.

Pour the hot syrup over the cool baklava.

Spinach with Rice (Spanakouzo)

1 (10 ounce) package chopped spinach, thawed
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup long grain rice

Sauté onion in olive oil in saucepan until tender.
Add tomato sauce, lemon juice and water.
Bring to boil.
Add
spinach, rice and season with salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer 20
minutes or until rice is absorbed.

Makes 4 servings.

This recipe can easily be doubled.

Cinnamon Chicken (Kota Kapama)

8 pieces chicken
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
1 teaspoon finely chopped or minced garlic
6 fresh garden tomatoes or 1 cup chopped,
drained, canned plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 (4-inch long) cinnamon stick
Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

Grind some sea salt and black pepper over the chicken
pieces.

Heat the butter and olive oil over moderate heat in a
sauté pan, and brown the chicken pieces.
Transfer them
to a plate.

Pour off all but a thin film of fat add the onions and garlic.
Cook and stir for a few minutes until the onions are light brown.
Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock, cinnamon stick, 1/2
teaspoon of sea salt and a few grindings of black pepper.
Bring to
a boil, and then return the chicken to the pan and baste it
thoroughly with the sauce.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and
simmer, basting occasionally, for about 30 minutes.

Serve with white or brown rice or pasta.
Spoon the tomato sauce
over the chicken and rice or pasta.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese
if desired.

Mourabiedes

1 1/2 cups butter
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup coarsely grated or finely chopped almonds
3 1/2 cups flour
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

Cream butter until light and fluffy.
Mix in the 2 tablespoons
confectioners’ sugar and egg yolk, creaming well.
Beat in almonds.
Stir flour; measure and gradually add just enough flour to make a
soft dough that you can shape with your hands.
Pinch off pieces of
dough the size of a walnut and roll between your hands.
Shape into
half moons or stylized S shapes.
Place on an ungreased baking sheet
and bake for 45 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove from oven; let cool in pan until lukewarm.

Sift confectioners’ sugar onto wax paper.

Carefully transfer the cookies from baking sheet to sugared
paper.
Sift more sugar over the top, coating them at least 1/4 inch
with sugar.
Let stand until cool; then store in a cookie jar or
crock.

Makes about 30.