A Poets View

Coming from a Greek and Italian background our holiday celebrations always centered around food.  One Greek tradition that I vividly remember is the New Year’s Day good luck cake.  There are various forms of this pastry but I wanted to share with you my Mom’s recipe.  The New Year’s Day cake or bread would be baked with a coin inside the batter.  Usually a dime though it could be a quarter.  On New Year’s Day morning the family would sit around the table and each family member, old to young, would be given a piece of the cake.  The person that found the coin in the cake was to have good luck throughout the year.  I think I received maybe 6 coins my entire life although I have to say I’ve been pretty lucky.  In any case I wanted to share with all of you my Mom’s recipe for the cake.

3 cups water
2 1/2 cups sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 lb. sweet butter
1 cup sugar
6 eggs well beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbls. honey
1 cup flour
1 cup farina (cream of wheat)
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
3 tsp. baking powder
Dime or Quarter.

Bring the water to a boil in saucepan.  Stir in sugar until dissolved.  Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Stir in lemon juice then remove from heat.  Cool at room temperature.  Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl, Add sugar.  Cream 5 minutes longer.  Beat in eggs, vanilla, honey and walnuts.  Add flour, farina, the dime or quarter ( make sure to boil the coin before adding) and baking powder.  Beat until smooth.  Pour into a buttered 9 x13 x2 baking pan.  Bake in 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and glaze top with honey.  Let it set 1 hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Greek Meatballs (Keftethes)

I love this recipe. It makes 4 servings. Being of Greek heritage on my Mom’s side of the family we would frequently have Greek dishes.  This particular dish is a Greek meatball.  I have so many fond memories of picnics down in Santa Cruz and days at the beach where my Mom would prepare Keftethes and potato salad and we’d have our feast right out by the water enjoying the beautiful day.  I thought about this today because it is a gorgeous day in San Francisco and memories flooded my mind.  So I thought I’d share this will all of you.

A. Ingredients
a. 4 slices bread, white or wheat or whole grain - or Bread crumbs - they’re easier.
If you use bread, trim the crusts.
b. 1 pound ground beef
c. 1 egg
d. 1 medium onion chopped fine
e. 1 tbs. crushed mint salt and pepper to tasted flour
f. 2 tbs butter
g. 2 tbs olive oil.

B. Cooking methods
a. Place in mixing bowl and cover with small amounts of water. For bread crumbs you
can omit this step.
b. Add meat, egg, onion, mint, salt and pepper.
c. Shape into two inch patties.
d. Coat the patties well with the flour.
e. Fry the patties in the mixture of oil and butter.
f. Brown on each side then drain. You can make these ahead of time and freeze them then
when you are ready to serve defrost and reheat them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

These are absolutely fantastic with potato salad or coleslaw. They’re also great cold and on picnics.  You can also use these with a tomato sauce and serve meatballs and spaghetti. A little twist on the traditional. Enjoy!

This is an old recipe of my Moms’ which we used to make for the Holiday’s. Enjoy!

A. Ingredients
    a. 1 1/2 cubes butter
    b. 20 tbls. powdered sugar
    c. 8 tbls. cold water
    d. 2 1/2 cups flour
    e. 1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts are best but you can use anything you like)
    f. 2 tsp. vanilla (you can also use rum to make it more festive)

B. Cooking Methods
    a. Cream butter, add sugar and water and cream thoroughly.
    b. Add remaining ingredients.
    c. Shape into balls (the size of golf balls) and bake in ungreased cookies sheet at 350 degree preheated oven until browned lightly on one side then turn over and brown the other side.
    d. Once they are browned remove them from the oven and while they are still hot roll them in the sifted powdered sugar until the sugar sticks to them and coats the entire butter ball then refrigirate.

This is a shout out to all bloggers out there my friend has started a new fro-yo blog.  It includes reviews, tips and basically everything you want to to know about fro-yo.  Check her out at http://froyogirl.blogspot.com/

Thanks.

With the holidays approaching I thought I’d share my Mom’s Greek turkey dressing which I would make each year for Thanksgiving. 

Greek Turkey Dressing

A. Ingredients
    a. 1 pound hamburger
    b. 1 cup raw rice
    c. 2 tabelspoons tomato sauce
    d. 1 large onion cut fine
    e. 2 tablespoons allspice
    f. 2 tabelspoons cloves
    g. 2 tablespoons cinnamon
    h. 1 cup chopped nuts (preferably walnuts)
    i. 1 1/2 cups raisins
    j. 2 apples peeled and grated (any kind you like is fine) B. Cooking Methods
    a. Saute the hamburger until lightly browned.
    b. Add a dash of salt and pepper, spices, onion and nuts and brown lightly
        on medium to low heat.
    c. When mixture is uniform in color, spread the mixture to the sides of the
        pot making a well in the center of the pot.
    d. In the well add about a tablespoon of butter and/or turkey drippings and
        lightly brown 1 cup of rice (without mixing it in with the other mixture,
        brown it within the well in the pot).
    e. Stir the rice until cooked which would be when it is very lightly browned then
        when cooked, mix it with the rest of the mixture in the pot.
    f.  Add the grated apples, tomato sauce and 2 cups hot water.  Mix well.
    g. About 15 minutes before serving add the raisins.C. Servings
    Total cooking time about 1 hour. Check periodically and stir to make sure it does not burn.
    You can add hot water if needed but the mixture should not be soupy but drier in texture.
    My Mom and I would make Thanksgiving dinner each year when she was alive and it was
    always my job to make this dressing.  It is very tasty, unique and can be served with any
    kind of meat dish or even as the main dish with a side salad or veggie.  Enjoy!