Recipe - Melomakarona Andonias

Karen Mintzias
7 cup Allpurpose unbleached flour
Extra flour for kneading
1 One half teaspoon Baking soda
One fourth teaspoon Salt
1 Three fourths cup Mild olive oil
1 One fourth cup Sugar
One half cup Cognac
OR mavrothaphne wine
OR ruby port
3 Oranges; zested and juiced
4 teaspoon Freshly ground cinnamon
1 One half teaspoon Freshly ground clove
Three fourths teaspoon Freshly grated nutmeg

SYRUP
1 pound Honey; (1 pound = about 2 cups)
1 cup Sugar
1 1inch piece of cinnamon
1 Clove
1 Lemon; zested and juiced
1 cup Water

TOPPING
One half cup Shelled almonds
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Freshly ground cinnamon

Author's note: These cakes are traditionally served at Christmas. This
recipe comes from my neighbor, Andonia. I have a distinct memory of her
beating the oil and sugar into the flour until it dissolved using her
middle finger and forefinger as a beater though a spoon will do.

Start by making the syrup. Put the honey, sugar, cinnamon, clove, and
lemon zest in a saucepan and add the water. Bring to a boil and simmer for
510 minutes. Add the lemon juice, then chill.

To blanch the almonds, plunge them into boiling water for 12 minutes,
until you see signs of their skins loosening. Then drain and slip or pop
them from their skins onto a baking sheet. Toast them in an oven preheated
to 350 F for about 10 minutes just until they begin to color. Cool, then
chop them very, very finely if you do this in a food processor, make sure
that the pulses are short, or the nuts could turn oily. Mix the ground
almonds with the sugar and cinnamon and reserve.

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together. Put the olive oil and sugar
in a large bowl and beat together with your fingers like Andonia or
with a wooden spoon. Beat in the Cognac, the orange zest, spices, and juice
from 2 oranges (about One half cup).

Then beat in the flour, a few spoonfuls at a time, until you have a
malleable dough, adding more flour if it is too soft, and more orange juice
if it is too stiff. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for
1015 minutes until very smooth.

Pinch off pieces of dough of about 2 tablespons and form into flattened
oval or lozenge shapes. Place them on an oiled or nonstick baking sheet.
Bake in an oven preheated to 400425 F for about 20 minutes, until brown.

When they are cool enough to handle, dip them in the bowl of syrup for
about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a tray to cool.
Sprinkle with the chopped almond mixture.

Source: Recipes from a Greek Island, by Susie Jacobs

Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini