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I like meeting writing kindred spirits and Christina falls under that category - we're both from the Surrey/North Hampshire area, published by small independents and are juggling writing with little kiddies. I would say Christina is far more accomplished at doing it than I....not only is she a novelist but also a prolific blogger and book reviewer. A pleasure to meet her at my book launch last month and have her here today...
Thank you, Kristen, for having me on your blog. I know you said one recipe but, given that my novel looks at things from multiple perspectives, I thought I’d be true to Lost in Static and give you two Christmassy recipes.
Both these recipes are my grandmother’s and they are very much in the style of “eh, as much as it takes” or “keeping stirring until it reaches the right consistency”, although I have tried to make them more user-friendly!
Both recipes are your typical Greek Christmas treats (of the biscuityish variety) and so, in the spirit of Greekness, are filled with all things non-slimline, but, as Christmas is not about fasting, I’m sure you’ll all survive the sweetness onslaught…
First up is the delicious melomakarona (honey-coated biscuits):
Ingredients:
For the biscuits:
2 cups olive oil
1 pack margarine (yes, the whole 250g pack)
1 cup orange juice (fresh, obviously)
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cloves
2 cups self-raising flour
For the syrup:
2 cups water
2 cups honey
1 cup water
orange rind (taken from the orange juice oranges)
For the garnish:
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions:
Heat the margarine until soft.
Add all the ingredients except the olive oil and stir.
Slowly add the olive oil.
Knead lightly.
Take (single) palmfuls of dough and shape into oval shapes on an oven tray.
Put in medium heat oven until light brown.
To make the syrup, combine the ingredients in a pan and boil for 5 minutes.
Dip cookies into syrup and then put on serving dish.
Garnish with the chopped walnuts and cinnamon.
Leave to cool.
Still with me and haven’t overdosed on sweetness yet? Good. Up next are kourabiedes, a sort of nutty shortbread coated in caster sugar.
Ingredients:
1 pack butter (yes, the whole 250g pack)
2 cups self-raising flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup almonds
1 tablespoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 cups icing sugar for garnishing
Put almonds in the blender until powdered.
Heat butter until soft then add sugar and mix.
Add almonds, salt, and baking powder, and mix.
Add flour and mix (add water if too ‘solid’).
Knead lightly.
Take (single) palmfuls of dough and shape into a ball on an oven tray.
Put in medium heat oven until light brown.
Sift icing sugar over the kourabiedes until fully covered.
Leave to cool.
Sweet enough? I hope so! Enjoy!!
Too much sugar? No such thing at this time of year! Ask my kids :D Love recipes that have a cultural twist - I will definitely be trying these out! Thank you xx
About Lost in Static
Sometimes growing up is seeing someone else's side of the story.
Four stories. One truth. Whom do you believe? Callum has a family secret. Yasmine wants to know it. Juliette thinks nobody knows hers. All Ruby wants is to reinvent herself. They are brought together by circumstance, torn apart by misunderstanding. As new relationships are forged and confidences are broken, each person's version of events is coloured by their background, beliefs and prejudices. And so the ingredients are in place for a year shaped by lust, betrayal, and violence... Lost in Static is the gripping debut from author Christina Philippou. Whom will you trust?
About Christina
Christina Philippou’s writing career has been a varied one, from populating the short-story notebook that lived under her desk at school to penning reports on corruption and terrorist finance. When not reading or writing, she can be found engaging in sport or undertaking some form of nature appreciation. Christina has three passports to go with her three children, but is not a spy. Lost in Static is her first novel.
Christina is also the founder of the contemporary fiction author initiative, Britfic.